Bedazzled

Mention Bedazzled to film buffs, and many of them will respond rapturously. The 1967 film stars Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, one of England's great comedy teams (they co-created the story, Cook wrote the screenplay, and Moore even composed the music), is directed by Stanley Donen (whose prior résumé included Singin' in the Rain, Damn Yankees!, and Charade), and features Raquel Welch in her prime (and in a bikini). But the truth is that Bedazzled—while it certainly has its virtues—just isn't all that funny. In this re-telling of the Faust legend, Moore plays Stanley Moon, a sad sack short-order cook who lusts after waitress Margaret Spencer (Eleanor Bron, a gifted comedienne whom some will recognize from her turn in the Beatles' Help!). Enter one George Spiggot (Cook), aka the Devil, a prankster who delights in turning parking meters to "expired," and dropping the bottoms out of people's shopping bags. He offers Stanley seven wishes in return for his soul; but whatever George turns him into—a silver-tongued intellectual, a rich lord of the manor, a pop star…even a fly and a nun—things always go wrong, and Margaret remains elusive. Cook and Moore have an obvious rapport, but the pair later complained that Donen insisted they adhere strictly to the script (the writing is witty, but without the improvisatory ebb and flow that gifted comics like these bring to the party, their scenes are too often stiff and protracted—by far the best moments come in the hilarious pas de deux between the flighty Bron and the befuddled Moore). As for Welch: playing Lust, one of the Seven Deadly Sins, she's onscreen for a total of about three minutes. DVD extras include “Peter & Dud: An Interview with the Devil” (featuring an improvised skit from ABC News), Cook and Moore on The Paul Ryan Show, an interview with Harold Ramis (who directed the stillborn 2000 remake with Brendan Fraser and Elizabeth Hurley), and a stills gallery. Though it may not live up to its reputation, Bedazzled is still a strong optional purchase. (S. Graham)