Bedazzled

A lonely dork (Brendan Fraser) makes a deal with the Devil (Elizabeth Hurley) for seven wishes—none of which work out the way he expects. The 1967 cult favorite (which starred Peter Cook and Dudley Moore), updated by Larry Gelbart, Tom Pollan and director Harold Ramis, comes minus the Swinging London trappings and the satiric sting of the original. The laughs are fewer and gentler, without the delirious peaks to which Cook, Moore and their director Stanley Donen were able to climb. Also, Hurley is a bit too dutiful and staid to make a convincing Satan. Still, there are moments—quite a few, in fact—when the Faustian tale takes off, ignited by Fraser’s comic gusto in what amounts to eight different roles. As the object of his affection, Frances O’Connor matches his amazing versatility.