If the devil offers you seven wishes, use one to make them watch the underrated Brendan Fraser comedy, Bedazzled, which will soon be released for free on Tubi. Loosely based on the 1967 movie of the same name, the 2000 version of Bedazzled stars Elizabeth Hurley as the Devil, who offers a heartbroken Elliot Richards (Fraser) seven wishes in exchange for his soul. Of course, the devil is in the details, and Fraser’s miscalculated wishes lead to a whole host of shenanigans.
Directed by Harold Ramis, Bedazzled was a critical misfire when it was released in 2000. Holding a middling (literally) Rotten Tomatoes score of 50%. The critics actually enjoyed the movie more than audiences, with a slightly worse 43% audience score. However, contemporary audiences have taken to the movie much better, seeing it for the feel-good, goofy comedy it was intended to be. Letterboxd is filled with positive reviews about the film, with it averaging a score of 3/3.5 stars out of 5.
On the financial side, Bedazzled was slightly more successful. The movie nearly doubled its money upon release, earning around $90 million ($164 million today) worldwide against a budget of $48 million. However, its modest success, paired with mediocre reviews, killed any chances of a sequel, and sent them to hell with Elizabeth Hurley’s devil.
Letterboxd Reacts to Bedazzled
Bedazzled is an absolutely bonkers movie. As Elliot uses his wishes in the most uninspired manner, the Devil has some mischievous fun at his expense. When Elliot asks the Devil to make him rich and powerful, with the girl of his dreams, Alison (Frances O’Connor), as his wife, he winds up as the leader of a Mexican cartel, whose wife hates him, and his gang members are planning to overthrow him. Or, when Elliot asks to become an all-star athlete, the Devil turns him into a seven-foot-tall basketball star, with a low IQ and a small penis, causing all women to lose interest in him.
For a film as wild and unhinged as Bedazzled, its no surprise that Letterboxd users have taken strongly to it. Released at the height of Fraser’s career, one user commented on how underrated the actor was at the time, saying “Brendan had so much range and we took him for granted.” Another granted the film four stars, saying that Bedazzled“is both simultaneously terrible and a masterpiece.” Of course, it wouldn’t be Letterboxd without some meme reviews. Check out a selection below:
Brendan Fraser’s career has had a glorious resurgence in recent years. While the actor struggled to land leading parts in good movies after the critically panned Furry Vengeance (an underrated movie), in 2022 Fraser made the comeback of all comebacks, earning an Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale. Fraser has also been a mainstay of DC television for some years now, voicing, and occasionally physically appearing as Cliff Steele, a.k.a. Robotman in Doom Patrol. Fraser’s most recent movie saw him work under our lord almighty, Martin Scorsese (all hail Martin Scorsese!) in Killers of the Flower Moon.
Bedazzled
streams free on Tubi from October 1.
