First off let me say this review is of the 2000 movie starring Brendan Fraser, and Elizabeth Hurley not the earlier film. This movie is a comedy about the temptation of Elliot Richards by the devil who happens to be wearing the form of a beautiful woman. Brendan Fraser plays Elliot Richards, and Elizabeth Hurley plays the devil.
Elliot is hoplessly and silently in love with his co-worker Alison, but can't seem to ever tell her how he feels. He is a very shy and geeky man and clams up whenever an opportunity presents itself. The devil approaches him and offers to basically let him skip to the point that they are in a relationship. At first he doesn't believe her, but being the devil she eventually gets him to sign a contract with the payment being his soul. The devil seems to be nice about the whole thing and gives him several wishes to get things right. The problem is that every time he makes a wish she gives him everything he asks for but screws him with the details.
In the end he tries to just not make the last wish but the devil ups the ante by getting him thrown in jail. With the advice of his cellmate he is able to resist making the last wish to get out of jail, and when he gets out he confronts her and asks her to tear up the contract. In the end when it seems that he cannot win he makes his final wish. His wish is that Alison be happy. This triggers a selfless act clause in the contract making it void. In the end Elliot seems to end up right where he started. But it becomes clear that he is a changed man from the experience.
Going up against the devil and winning has led Elliot to find the self confidence that nothing else in his life could. He moves on to make his own luck and win the things he wants without any wishes.
At the end of the movie you see him and his new girlfriend (not Alison) passing the devil, and his cellmate dressed all in white. They are playing chess and talking about the couple. I at least got the feeling that both the devil, and the man in white (presumably god), were both happy with the outcome.
This movie takes you on a hilarious ride through murphy's law because everything that can go wrong in Elliot's wishes does. It is a modern tricksters tale where the trickster, in this case the devil, takes someone through a series of ordeals in order to bring out what they could see in them from the beginning. Like all Trickster lessons the danger is very real, but there is always a way out if you are clever enough to find it.
This movie is available at www.amazon.com on disk or as a stream for free on prime. It is also available for streaming rental or purchase if you don't pay amazon almost $100 dollars a year for free shipping and other benefits (including some free streaming movies).
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