Bedazzled (2000 film)
Encyclopedia
Bedazzled is a 2000 film remake of the 1967 film Bedazzled
(also by 20th Century Fox), originally written by Peter Cook
and Dudley Moore
, which was itself a comic retelling of the Faust
legend. The film was directed by Harold Ramis and stars Brendan Fraser
and Elizabeth Hurley
.
) is a geeky, overzealous man working a dead-end technical support
job in a San Francisco computer company. He has no friends and his co-workers use him, knowing he will do anything for acceptance. He has a crush on his colleague, Alison Gardner (Frances O'Connor
), but lacks the courage to ask her out. After Elliot is again ditched by his co-workers, at a bar while trying to talk to Alison, he says to himself that he would give anything for Alison to be with him. Satan
(Elizabeth Hurley
), in the form of a beautiful woman, overhears him and offers to give Elliot seven wishes in return for his soul.
As a test, he wishes for a Big Mac
and Coke. Satan takes him to McDonald's
and places the order. Elliot has to pay for it, because, "there ain't no such thing as a free lunch.
" After taking Elliot to her office, based at a nightclub in Oakland
, Satan convinces Elliot to sign her contract, and delivers further wishes. Each wish has Elliot living them out with his co-workers in surrogate roles.
Elliot wishes to be rich and powerful, with Alison as his wife. Satan makes him a Colombian
drug lord whose wife despises him and cheats on him with Raoul, his co-worker, who is secretly planning to get rid of Elliot and take his position and property. Elliot is "killed" when soldiers attack his mansion in a counternarcotics operation. When he returns to the real world, Satan points out that he never wished for Alison to love him.
Secondly, Elliot wishes to be emotionally sensitive so he will understand the needs and desires of women. Satan makes him so sensitive that he spends most of his time crying over how beautiful
the world is, and constantly asks Alison, his girlfriend of "three magical weeks," whether he has hurt her or if she needs anything. Alison says she has enough of it and wants to be with a man who is strong and shallow. She then leaves Elliot for a man who is strong, rude and completely different from the romantic and emotionally sensitive Elliot.
Elliot then wishes to be a superstar athlete who would be a woman magnet. Satan makes him a cliché-spewing NBA
star, but also gives him a small penis
, which causes Alison, a sports reporter, to lose interest in him shortly after they meet.
He then wishes to be intelligent, witty and well-endowed. Satan grants this by making him a famous writer whom Alison falls in love with at a cocktail party. When they arrive at Elliot's home to make love it is revealed that Elliot is gay and living with a flamboyant male partner.
Lastly, Elliot wishes to be President of the United States
to try to improve the world and get Alison to take him seriously. Satan makes him Abraham Lincoln
at Ford's Theatre
on the night of his assassination
.
After each wish is renounced, Elliot meets with Satan and she blames him for not being specific enough. Eventually he returns to work, thinking about what he should do with the last two wishes. Satan appears, pointing out that on their first meeting he asked for a Big Mac and Coke, although she had stated that it was a test wish and granted it before Elliot signed the contract. Elliot loses his patience and storms out of his office.
Elliot visits a church looking for God
's help, where he briefly confesses
to a priest who seems sympathetic. However, after being asked whether he thinks asking Satan for a Big Mac and Coke counts as a wish, the priest, believing he is drunk, has Elliot arrested. The sergeant books him, and Satan, dressed as a police officer, throws him in a cell, telling him that she does like him, and it would not hurt to have her as a friend. Elliot's cellmate (Gabriel Casseus
) tells him that he cannot possibly sell his soul as it belongs to God, and although Satan may try to confuse him, in the end he will realise who he truly is, and what his purpose is. Elliot questions the man as to his identity, but the response is simply "a really good friend".
Elliot asks Satan to cancel their contract. When Satan refuses, Elliot states he will not use his final wish. Satan teleports them to Hell, where she transforms first into a black horned monster, then into a giant. When Satan pushes him to make a final wish, Elliot wishes that Alison could have a happy life. Satan sighs and Elliot falls into the depths of Hell. Elliot wakes up on a marble staircase, wondering if it is Heaven
. Satan tells him that it is a courthouse and that a selfless wish voids the contract, so he keeps his soul.
Elliot admits that despite her manipulation of him he has come to like Satan and regards her as a friend, something she does not object to. She replies that Heaven and Hell can be found on Earth; it is up to humans to choose. Elliot asks Alison out, only to learn that she is already dating somebody. He continues with his life, but with a better understanding of who he is.
Later Elliot is confronted by Bob, one of his co-workers, who starts ridiculing Elliot at the encouragement of his co-workers. Elliot loses his temper and grabs a terrified Bob by the shirt, but lets go, simply saying "Nice talking to you." A threatening look sends his other coworkers scurrying away in fear.
At home, he meets a new neighbor, Nicole Delarusso (Frances O'Connor in a dual role
), whose looks resemble Alison's and has personality, interests and dressing styles similar to him. He offers to help her unpack and they presumably begin a relationship. While the two walk along a boulevard, Satan and Elliot's cellmate, both dressed in white, are seen playing chess
, looking at Elliot and his new girlfriend. The scene ends by listing foibles of Nicole's and Elliot's, which they both tolerate.
Bedazzled (1967 film)
Bedazzled is a 1967 British comedy film directed and produced by Stanley Donen. It was written by and stars Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. It is a comic retelling of the Faust legend, set in the Swinging London of the 1960s...
(also by 20th Century Fox), originally written by Peter Cook
Peter Cook
Peter Edward Cook was an English satirist, writer and comedian. An extremely influential figure in modern British comedy, he is regarded as the leading light of the British satire boom of the 1960s. He has been described by Stephen Fry as "the funniest man who ever drew breath," although Cook's...
and Dudley Moore
Dudley Moore
Dudley Stuart John Moore, CBE was an English actor, comedian, composer and musician.Moore first came to prominence as one of the four writer-performers in the ground-breaking comedy revue Beyond the Fringe in the early 1960s, and then became famous as half of the highly popular television...
, which was itself a comic retelling of the Faust
Faust
Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend; a highly successful scholar, but also dissatisfied with his life, and so makes a deal with the devil, exchanging his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. Faust's tale is the basis for many literary, artistic, cinematic, and musical...
legend. The film was directed by Harold Ramis and stars Brendan Fraser
Brendan Fraser
Brendan James Fraser is a Canadian-American film and stage actor. Fraser portrayed Rick O'Connell in the three-part Mummy film series , and is known for his comedic and fantasy film leading roles in major Hollywood films, including Encino Man , George of the Jungle , Dudley Do-Right , Monkeybone ,...
and Elizabeth Hurley
Elizabeth Hurley
Elizabeth Jane Hurley is an English model and actress who became known as a girlfriend of Hugh Grant in the 1990s. In 1994, as Grant became the focus of worldwide media attention due to the global box office success of his film Four Weddings and a Funeral, Hurley accompanied him to the film's Los...
.
Plot
Elliot Richards (Brendan FraserBrendan Fraser
Brendan James Fraser is a Canadian-American film and stage actor. Fraser portrayed Rick O'Connell in the three-part Mummy film series , and is known for his comedic and fantasy film leading roles in major Hollywood films, including Encino Man , George of the Jungle , Dudley Do-Right , Monkeybone ,...
) is a geeky, overzealous man working a dead-end technical support
Technical support
Technical support or tech support refers to a range of services by which enterprises provide assistance to users of technology products such as mobile phones, televisions, computers, software products or other electronic or mechanical goods...
job in a San Francisco computer company. He has no friends and his co-workers use him, knowing he will do anything for acceptance. He has a crush on his colleague, Alison Gardner (Frances O'Connor
Frances O'Connor
-Background:O'Connor was born in Wantage, Oxfordshire, England to a pianist mother and nuclear physicist father. When O'Connor was two, her family moved back to Perth, Western Australia. O'Connor was raised a Roman Catholic and attended the Mercedes College in Perth...
), but lacks the courage to ask her out. After Elliot is again ditched by his co-workers, at a bar while trying to talk to Alison, he says to himself that he would give anything for Alison to be with him. Satan
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
(Elizabeth Hurley
Elizabeth Hurley
Elizabeth Jane Hurley is an English model and actress who became known as a girlfriend of Hugh Grant in the 1990s. In 1994, as Grant became the focus of worldwide media attention due to the global box office success of his film Four Weddings and a Funeral, Hurley accompanied him to the film's Los...
), in the form of a beautiful woman, overhears him and offers to give Elliot seven wishes in return for his soul.
As a test, he wishes for a Big Mac
Big Mac
The Big Mac is a hamburger sold by McDonald's, an international fast food restaurant chain. It is one of the company's signature products...
and Coke. Satan takes him to McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
and places the order. Elliot has to pay for it, because, "there ain't no such thing as a free lunch.
TANSTAAFL
"There ain't no such thing as a free lunch" is a popular adage communicating the idea that it is impossible to get something for nothing. The acronyms TANSTAAFL and TINSTAAFL are also used...
" After taking Elliot to her office, based at a nightclub in Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, Satan convinces Elliot to sign her contract, and delivers further wishes. Each wish has Elliot living them out with his co-workers in surrogate roles.
Elliot wishes to be rich and powerful, with Alison as his wife. Satan makes him a Colombian
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
drug lord whose wife despises him and cheats on him with Raoul, his co-worker, who is secretly planning to get rid of Elliot and take his position and property. Elliot is "killed" when soldiers attack his mansion in a counternarcotics operation. When he returns to the real world, Satan points out that he never wished for Alison to love him.
Secondly, Elliot wishes to be emotionally sensitive so he will understand the needs and desires of women. Satan makes him so sensitive that he spends most of his time crying over how beautiful
Beauty
Beauty is a characteristic of a person, animal, place, object, or idea that provides a perceptual experience of pleasure, meaning, or satisfaction. Beauty is studied as part of aesthetics, sociology, social psychology, and culture...
the world is, and constantly asks Alison, his girlfriend of "three magical weeks," whether he has hurt her or if she needs anything. Alison says she has enough of it and wants to be with a man who is strong and shallow. She then leaves Elliot for a man who is strong, rude and completely different from the romantic and emotionally sensitive Elliot.
Elliot then wishes to be a superstar athlete who would be a woman magnet. Satan makes him a cliché-spewing NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
star, but also gives him a small penis
Micropenis
Micropenis is an unusually small penis. A common criterion is a dorsal erect penile length of at least 2.5 standard deviations smaller than the mean human penis size. The condition is usually recognized shortly after birth...
, which causes Alison, a sports reporter, to lose interest in him shortly after they meet.
He then wishes to be intelligent, witty and well-endowed. Satan grants this by making him a famous writer whom Alison falls in love with at a cocktail party. When they arrive at Elliot's home to make love it is revealed that Elliot is gay and living with a flamboyant male partner.
Lastly, Elliot wishes to be President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
to try to improve the world and get Alison to take him seriously. Satan makes him Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
at Ford's Theatre
Ford's Theatre
Ford's Theatre is a historic theater in Washington, D.C., used for various stage performances beginning in the 1860s. It is also the site of the assassination of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865...
on the night of his assassination
Abraham Lincoln assassination
The assassination of United States President Abraham Lincoln took place on Good Friday, April 14, 1865, as the American Civil War was drawing to a close. The assassination occurred five days after the commanding General of the Army of Northern Virginia, Robert E. Lee, and his battered Army of...
.
After each wish is renounced, Elliot meets with Satan and she blames him for not being specific enough. Eventually he returns to work, thinking about what he should do with the last two wishes. Satan appears, pointing out that on their first meeting he asked for a Big Mac and Coke, although she had stated that it was a test wish and granted it before Elliot signed the contract. Elliot loses his patience and storms out of his office.
Elliot visits a church looking for God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
's help, where he briefly confesses
Confession
This article is for the religious practice of confessing one's sins.Confession is the acknowledgment of sin or wrongs...
to a priest who seems sympathetic. However, after being asked whether he thinks asking Satan for a Big Mac and Coke counts as a wish, the priest, believing he is drunk, has Elliot arrested. The sergeant books him, and Satan, dressed as a police officer, throws him in a cell, telling him that she does like him, and it would not hurt to have her as a friend. Elliot's cellmate (Gabriel Casseus
Gabriel Casseus
Gabriel Casseus is an African-American actor and screenwriter from Roosevelt, New York. He was nominated for Best Debut Performance in the film New Jersey Drive in the Independent Spirit Awards in 1995, and has appeared in the movies Get on the Bus, where he played Jamal, a Muslim enroute to the...
) tells him that he cannot possibly sell his soul as it belongs to God, and although Satan may try to confuse him, in the end he will realise who he truly is, and what his purpose is. Elliot questions the man as to his identity, but the response is simply "a really good friend".
Elliot asks Satan to cancel their contract. When Satan refuses, Elliot states he will not use his final wish. Satan teleports them to Hell, where she transforms first into a black horned monster, then into a giant. When Satan pushes him to make a final wish, Elliot wishes that Alison could have a happy life. Satan sighs and Elliot falls into the depths of Hell. Elliot wakes up on a marble staircase, wondering if it is Heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
. Satan tells him that it is a courthouse and that a selfless wish voids the contract, so he keeps his soul.
Elliot admits that despite her manipulation of him he has come to like Satan and regards her as a friend, something she does not object to. She replies that Heaven and Hell can be found on Earth; it is up to humans to choose. Elliot asks Alison out, only to learn that she is already dating somebody. He continues with his life, but with a better understanding of who he is.
Later Elliot is confronted by Bob, one of his co-workers, who starts ridiculing Elliot at the encouragement of his co-workers. Elliot loses his temper and grabs a terrified Bob by the shirt, but lets go, simply saying "Nice talking to you." A threatening look sends his other coworkers scurrying away in fear.
At home, he meets a new neighbor, Nicole Delarusso (Frances O'Connor in a dual role
Dual role
Dual role refers to one actor playing two or more roles, which may be deliberately scripted in a play or film, or merely be a by-product of a low budget. In a theatrical production where more than one actor plays multiple characters, it is sometimes referred to as an "Ironman" cast...
), whose looks resemble Alison's and has personality, interests and dressing styles similar to him. He offers to help her unpack and they presumably begin a relationship. While the two walk along a boulevard, Satan and Elliot's cellmate, both dressed in white, are seen playing chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
, looking at Elliot and his new girlfriend. The scene ends by listing foibles of Nicole's and Elliot's, which they both tolerate.
Cast
- Brendan FraserBrendan FraserBrendan James Fraser is a Canadian-American film and stage actor. Fraser portrayed Rick O'Connell in the three-part Mummy film series , and is known for his comedic and fantasy film leading roles in major Hollywood films, including Encino Man , George of the Jungle , Dudley Do-Right , Monkeybone ,...
as Elliot Richards / Jefe / "Mary" / Abraham Lincoln - Elizabeth HurleyElizabeth HurleyElizabeth Jane Hurley is an English model and actress who became known as a girlfriend of Hugh Grant in the 1990s. In 1994, as Grant became the focus of worldwide media attention due to the global box office success of his film Four Weddings and a Funeral, Hurley accompanied him to the film's Los...
as The Devil (Satan) - Frances O'ConnorFrances O'Connor-Background:O'Connor was born in Wantage, Oxfordshire, England to a pianist mother and nuclear physicist father. When O'Connor was two, her family moved back to Perth, Western Australia. O'Connor was raised a Roman Catholic and attended the Mercedes College in Perth...
as Alison Gardner / Nicole Delarusso - Orlando JonesOrlando JonesOrlando Jones is an American comedian and film and television actor. He is notable for being one of the original cast members of the sketch comedy series MADtv and for his role as the 7 Up spokesman from 1999-2002.-Early life:...
as Daniel / Dan / Danny / Esteban / Beach Jock / Lamar Garrett / Dr. Ngegitigegitibaba - Paul AdelsteinPaul AdelsteinPaul Adelstein is an American television and film actor, best known for the role of Agent Paul Kellerman in the television series, Prison Break, and his current role as pediatrician Cooper Freedman in the series Private Practice....
as Bob / Roberto / Beach Jock / Bob Bob - Toby HussToby HussToby Edward Huss is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Artie, the Strongest Man in the World on the cult hit Nickelodeon TV series The Adventures of Pete & Pete, for his voice-over work on the long running animated series King of the Hill, and for his role as Felix 'Stumpy'...
as Jerry / Alejandro / Beach Jock / Jerry Turner / Lance - Miriam ShorMiriam ShorMiriam Shor is an American film, stage, and television actress.-Early life:Shor was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is Jewish on her father's side, and speaks fluent Yiddish as well as Italian. Her parents divorced when she was 7, and she alternated between living in Turin, Italy , and...
as Carol / Penthouse Hostess - Gabriel CasseusGabriel CasseusGabriel Casseus is an African-American actor and screenwriter from Roosevelt, New York. He was nominated for Best Debut Performance in the film New Jersey Drive in the Independent Spirit Awards in 1995, and has appeared in the movies Get on the Bus, where he played Jamal, a Muslim enroute to the...
as Elliot's Cellmate / GodGodGod is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism.... - Brian Doyle-MurrayBrian Doyle-MurrayBrian Doyle-Murray is an American comedian, screenwriter, actor and voice artist. He is the older brother of actor/comedian Bill Murray and has acted together with him in several films, including Caddyshack, Scrooged, Ghostbusters II, The Razor's Edge and Groundhog Day...
as Priest - Jeff DoucetteJeff DoucetteJeff Doucette is an American television and film actor. Doucette has appeared in over 92 films and television series which include Bedazzled, That '70s Show, Malcolm in the Middle, Murphy Brown, Invasion, "Gilmore Girls", Desperate Housewives, Newhart, Little House on the Prairie, Highway To...
as Desk Sergeant - Aaron LustigAaron LustigAaron Lustig is an American film and television actor. He was nominated for an Emmy in 1997 for Best Supporting Actor as Tim Reid on The Young and the Restless, who he has also portrayed on The Bold and the Beautiful...
as Synedyne Supervisor - Rudolf MartinRudolf MartinRudolf Martin is a German actor working mainly in the US. He first appeared in off-Broadway productions and then moved on to extensive TV and film work. He has made guest appearances on numerous hit television series and recently started working in Germany as well. He currently resides in Los...
as Raoul - Julian FirthJulian FirthJulian Firth is a British actor, best known for his roles as troubled inmate Davis in the cinematic version of the film Scum and as Brother Jerome in the long running television series Cadfael....
as John Wilkes Booth