Posted by Josh Lipovetsky in Hello! Welcome to FilmInsight!
I have always felt that ‘Bedazzled’ was a highly underrated movie. Besides the fact that it is hilarious, it is also heartfelt, and filled with meaning. It is about a lonely man named Elliot Richards (Fraser), who struggles to find his place in life. That is, until the devil (Hurley) comes along, and changes his life forever. The main moral in the story, is how our lives are shaped by our experiences. One person can’t understand another person’s situation 100%, because everyone lives a different life. Elliot went through a dramatic, traumatizing experience, which changed his life for the better. Although the devil probably won’t pop up in your life, and try to grant you 7 wishes, you can still learn great things from Bedazzled.
Elliot is the geek at his office. What he has in knowledge, he lacks in assertiveness. People step on him, and no one takes him seriously. After a turn of events, he happens to meet the devil ‘herself’. She tells Elliot that she can grant him 7 wishes. Elliot decides to use the wishes to gain the love of the girl of his dreams. The journey is a joy to watch. Yet behind the humorous exterior of his journey, lies a lingering sadness. Elliot tries so hard to win over Alison, yet he is repeatedly shot down. By the end of the movie, he is completely down on himself, and ready to lose his soul.
It all changes, when he reaches his last wish. After Elliot feels that the devil has tricked him, she sends him to ‘jail’. There, he meets an angel (possibly God). After speaking to the angel, Elliot learns what truly matters: Love. Unselfishness. Compassion. And the common realization that you can’t live forever. In one of the final scenes of the movie, Elliot gives up on his own life, only wishing that Alison has a happy life. What ensues after this, is a miracle. By his true act of unselfishness, Elliot kept his soul.
After this life changing moment, Elliot jumps for joy. Not only does he get to live with a renewed sense of purpose, he also keeps his soul! How’s that for a victory to start your day? When you are feeling down, it’s good to know that you still have your soul. Elliot has been through hell. Literally. His bossy and mean-spirited coworkers can’t get him down anymore. After one of his workers starts mocking him, Elliot pins him to the wall. When life hands you rotten lemons, just throw them away, and find some new ones. You don’t have to be stuck with a bad peer group.
At the end, Elliot doesn’t get Alison. However, he helps a girl who looks just like Alison move into her home. The fact that this girl is played by the same actor, is the message to all men and women alike. Some relationships just aren’t meant to be. Throughout the movie, Elliot moves around, and manipulates his life in many ways, in a desperate attempt to get the girl. This represents the way that some people deal with their relationships. They move around their life to accommodate their partner. The movie demonstrates that if a relationship isn’t meant to be, then it isn’t meant to be. There is always someone else, who looks similar, acts similar, and talks similar. The key is to never lose your optimism.
When I first saw Bedazzled in theaters, it was an extremely powerful film. Earlier this year, when I saw it again, it didn’t lose any of its power. The impact of the movie, along with the impact of the final song: “Change Your Mind” by Sister Hazel, bring together this heartwarming story. It is one of the most underrated movies of the decade, and one of my personal favorites. Change is essential to live, and nothing can propel change, like a dramatic experience. Whether it changes you for the better or for the worse, is entirely up to you.
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