BedazzledDirector: Harold Ramis Starring: Brendan Fraser, Elizabeth Hurley, Frances O'Connor, Orlando Jones, Brian Doyle-Murray 2000 PG-13/14^ Color 93 min. Fox Reviewed By: Chris Galloway Film ReviewElizabeth Hurley, dressed in tight red leather, has the look of sin and temptation but for some reason never fully feels that way, and that seems to be the key problem behind Bedazzled, a comedy that almost works where she plays the devil, who gives people 7 wishes to improve their lives in exchange for their souls. Brendan Fraser plays Elliot, a loser computer help desk rep who is disliked by all his employees and has trouble talking to women. He is smitten with a fellow employee named Alison (Frances O'Connor). When he can't quite build up the ability to ask her out, he is approached by the Devil (Hurley) who offers him the deal, which he accepts. The film should work and be really funny and starts out this way but quickly runs out of steam. His first few wishes involving him becoming a drug dealer, an intellectual and the most sensitive man on Earth work (as does the basketball sequence) but the film never truly takes off like it should. By the time he wishes to be president of the US (in a scene that feels like it was just tacked in there) we don't care anymore. There's also the fact that Elliot and Alison really have no chemistry. None of his feelings feel truly real and you can't really understand why he would sell his soul for a girl he knows nothing about, accept that she likes her bagel buttered instead of toasted (which comes off more creepy when he states this). Fraser, who usually has that flair and charm that can push him to become one of Hollywood's top leading men, comes off dull and looking as if he wants to be somewhere else. Hurley, once in a while, comes off sexy and mean but for the most part, she doesn't really know what to do. One scene where she is dressed in a tight meter-maid outfit that allows her to be playful ends up having her come off as fairly dull and unexciting. The ending of the film seems unsure as well. I wonder how many times this ending was rewritten but it seems forced and very unsatisfying and also contains that dreaded preachy feel that can destroy a film. Bedazzled is a large disappointment. It's one of those films that should have worked, not greatly, but should have and didn't. It has a few laughs but not Beelzebub him/herself could save this one. Picture ReviewThe picture to Bedazzled is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1 on this single-sided, dual-layered DVD. The image has also been enhanced for widescreen televisions. Fox has built a bit of a reputation for delivering excellent transfers and yet again they do so here. This transfer presents solid colors, reds (which there seem to be a lot of) are very strong and bright. Sharpness never falters, the image looking crisp and clean through the entire film, no digital artifacts seeming to be present. The print presents a few flaws, like a nic and scratch here and there (really it's just the beginning during the credits) but nothing to get flustered about. This is definitely an nice transfer from the folks at Fox. ASound ReviewBedazzled presents a fine but unimpressive 5.1 audio track. The forward stage has the most work. The three front speakers present some nice effects and crisp, sharp sound. Dialogue sounds very good, never distorted or harsh. The surrounds really don't have much to do. They handle ambient noises and a few action sequences, like the drug lord scene and the finale in Hell. There's also the night club sequences. For what the film is, the track is fine, but nothing special. B+Supplement ReviewFox also throws in a nice compliment of extras. First I'll comment on the menus. When you first pop the disc in you will get four choices: "Rich", "Famous", "Intelligent" and "Sensitive". When you select one you're taken to a menu matching the theme of the wish. Each offers the same things so it doesn't matter which ones you choose. If you want to choose a different menu theme you just select the little Devil pager that appears at the corner of the screen. As well, the Languages menu offers a nice little chuckle as you select the languages or subtitles. On the disc you will find two commentaries. Lately I've been coming across commentaries that just seem to be on the disc just for the sake of being on there, but this disc actually presents 2 fairly good commentaries. The first presents Harold Ramis all by himself and it's the better commentary. He talks a lot about the tricks (the most interesting being the old optical trick used to make Brendan Fraser look over 7ft tall) they had to do while making the film and also touched on the quick amount of time they had to get the film done. He also touches on a lot of deleted scenes (some of which are not found on this DVD) and scenes that weren't shot. He had a very good commentary for the Analyze This DVD and I found he has improved greatly on this one. The second commentary track features producer Trevor Albert and Elizabeth Hurley. They make it sound like they were recorded together but it lacks the spontaneity of tracks like that. It sounds like the two were recorded separately and then edited together. Trevor seems to ask Elizabeth questions, but it sounds almost like these were added in afterwards. At any rate, whatever the case is the track isn't too bad. Trevor covers a lot of the production (which Ramis also covered) and Hurley talks about working. Sometimes it points out the obvious but it's a nice track as well. As for the rest of the features, you get an extended basketball sequence, which is unedited improv scene for the broadcasters (you can hear Harold Ramis laughing in the background). It goes on a for a while and was rightfully trimmed down, but it's still funny and worth looking at. An HBO making-of featurette is also included and it still doesn't change my mind about them. For those that know, I never get anything out of them. Sometimes they can include some nice behind-the-scenes stuff but they're never anything special. This one is no different. If you like these things then I recommend looking at it because it's no worse than any other one. There's also 2 Scoring sessions. These show the actual process of scoring a film. The first one is the score for the sequence when Brendan actually signs the contract, showing the scene in the corner and the orchestra playing in the full screen. The second is just a general tune, with David Newman explaining the feel of the music and then quickly showing a scene where Hurley grants a wish. I liked these since I find this an interesting process. Next up is a short (almost 5 minutes) segment called "Bedazzling Designs with Deena Appel" that quickly goes over the costumes and their themes that appeared through the film. Actually, it is sort of interesting, though probably a little brief. You then get the THX Optimode, which is pretty common on Fox DVDs, allowing you to quickly adjust your home theater center. There's also a still gallery displaying drawings, photos and designs for the DV8 night club, The Devil, sets and some of the fantasies. A theatrical trailer and 3 TV Spots can also be found. Fox also includes NUON features on this DVD. But my DVD player (at this time a Toshiba SD-1009) does not support this. Apparently this allows you to save your own bookmarks and/or chapter stops. If I get a DVD player that supports this I will come back and adjust this review. You will also find an Easter Egg hidden on the DVD. First, go to Special Features and then choose "More". On this screen you will see Elizabeth Hurley wearing an Angel costume. Click right and you will see a Devil Hurley appear on the Angel Hurley's shoulder. Click it and you will be taken to alternate fantasy sequence. According to the notes and the commentary tracks, this would replace the president fantasy. This shows Fraser as a rock star who is heavy into drugs, sex and violence. It's a very dark scene and according to the commentary was cut because people didn't like seeing the dark side of Elliot. But it's here in its entirety, though the "F" word is bleeped out (which occurs A LOT) and is actually, in a very dark way, pretty funny. Actually, other than the HBO featurette, I liked the special features that appear on this DVD. There's not much but they are worth looking at, with a couple deleted sequences and two fairly good commentary tracks. A-Originally Written: 12/11/2001 Revised Date: 1/29/2002 | CDN Price: $19.98 US Price: $19.98 Standard Features
Extra Features
|