Brendan Fraser was surprisingly funny in “George of the Jungle,” a film that was much smarter than its dumb brand of humor would have you believe. Fraser is more than capable of delivering a damn good comedy. But, uh, wow, is “Bedazzled” deadly dull.
You probably already know the story since the trailer has been running all summer. (In fact, the film was pushed to a fall release since the movie was “so good.” Uh, yeah right.) Here’s the scoop: Elliot (Fraser) is a computer geek obsessed with co-worker Allison (Frances O’Connor) and would give anything to be with her. Enter the Devil (Elizabeth Hurley) who offers him seven wishes for his soul. Without a lot of prodding, Elliot goes for it and, of course, every wish comes with a downside.
In the first, he wishes for power and to be married to Allison. Elliot discovers that he is a South American drug dealer who is married to Allison, but she hates his guts. Boo-hoo. What follows is basically a series of sketches with the most humorous involving Elliot as a seven and a half foot basketball player who (here comes the bad part) has a really tiny penis. (Read the next part like that kid that always laughs on the Simpsons.) Ha ha! Since we know what’s coming, the wish reality becomes a waiting game for when the “twist” will occur. That takes the wind out of any impact the twist will have, when we know what’s coming.
While each of the “wish” segments might make a funny TV sketch, the film is missing any deeper layers that would make the concept worthy of a movie. There’s an attempt near the end to create some kind of meaning for all the cheap jokes (God is an African American that Fraser meets in prison) it’s too little too late. The only redeeming feature of this film is Elizabeth Hurley’s sexy revolving wardrobe. So, other than Hurley’s hot outfits, you’re better off renting the original 1967 film on video.
