Having had my view of what comedy is revolutionised by Peter Cook and Dudley Moore via the immortal Derek and Clive, I could not wait to check them out together in a film. When I finally got the chance to see Bedazzled, I was incredibly excited to see what the most ingeniously funny duo ever could offer in a cinematic medium.
Moore plays Stanley Moon, a depressively lonely cook with a secret attraction to the waitress who rarely notices him. Deciding to finish himself once and for all, his suicide attempt is suddenly interrupted by the appearance of the mysterious George Spiggot. Soon after revealing himself to be Satan, Spiggot offers Moon seven wishes for the simple price of his soul.
Perhaps half an hour into Bedazzled, I started to feel somewhat disappointed. Though I was being made to chuckle, the opportunities for such weren't quite as frequent or hilarious as I had hoped. My expectations looking dashed, I decided to sit back and enjoy the substandard(by the high standards of Cook/Moore, that is) level of comedy I was getting. Of course, it was mere moments later that I was howling with laughter, a particular scene reducing me to fitful tears and gasps for air amidst the unwavering brilliance of gag after gag. The unending hilarity of that scene, and indeed all that followed, had me questioning whether I had just been in a mood not conducive to comedy. Cook's script is teeming with deliciously subtle jokes: whether cunning double-entendres or simple gestures. The dialogue is incomparable, benefiting from the clear chemistry of the two. Spiggot's twisted realisations of Moon's wishes are brilliant in themselves, particularly the now famous Order of St Beryl scene. My huge enjoyment of perhaps the latter two thirds of the film has me eagerly awaiting the chance to see it again.
Tremendously funny, Bedazzled is entirely worthy of its cult status. Managing to convince me despite my initial cynicism, I have no doubt that further viewings will provide the chance to catch the likely dozens of laughs I missed first time around. Everybody must watch this film.
Moore plays Stanley Moon, a depressively lonely cook with a secret attraction to the waitress who rarely notices him. Deciding to finish himself once and for all, his suicide attempt is suddenly interrupted by the appearance of the mysterious George Spiggot. Soon after revealing himself to be Satan, Spiggot offers Moon seven wishes for the simple price of his soul.
Perhaps half an hour into Bedazzled, I started to feel somewhat disappointed. Though I was being made to chuckle, the opportunities for such weren't quite as frequent or hilarious as I had hoped. My expectations looking dashed, I decided to sit back and enjoy the substandard(by the high standards of Cook/Moore, that is) level of comedy I was getting. Of course, it was mere moments later that I was howling with laughter, a particular scene reducing me to fitful tears and gasps for air amidst the unwavering brilliance of gag after gag. The unending hilarity of that scene, and indeed all that followed, had me questioning whether I had just been in a mood not conducive to comedy. Cook's script is teeming with deliciously subtle jokes: whether cunning double-entendres or simple gestures. The dialogue is incomparable, benefiting from the clear chemistry of the two. Spiggot's twisted realisations of Moon's wishes are brilliant in themselves, particularly the now famous Order of St Beryl scene. My huge enjoyment of perhaps the latter two thirds of the film has me eagerly awaiting the chance to see it again.
Tremendously funny, Bedazzled is entirely worthy of its cult status. Managing to convince me despite my initial cynicism, I have no doubt that further viewings will provide the chance to catch the likely dozens of laughs I missed first time around. Everybody must watch this film.