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As luck would have it, his prayers were answered, just not by the intended recipient. A guy named Spigott (Cook) literally walks in the front door right in time to brutally mock Stanley for his incompetence. Spigott claims to be the Devil and offers Stanley seven wishes in return for his immortal soul. Stanley requests a demonstration, only to be tricked into buying himself some ice cream, which is promptly taken away from him. You’d think that would be a red flag, but it turns out our protagonist isn’t really all that smart. And since dumb people don’t do self-improvement OR tend to be intimidated by the presence of the Prince of Darkness, Stanley agrees to the deal.

Shockingly, each time Stanley makes a wish, things don’t quite go as planned. A request to be more “articulate” goes a long way toward addressing the stupidity issue, but ultimately results in Margaret mistaking him for an incredibly well read rapist. There are seven wishes, one for each Deadly Sin, and they each have appropriate corporeal personifications (Wrath is my favorite, with his pugilistic sneer and “Make War Not Love” T-shirt). The consequences of each wish play out in extended scenes that more or less serve as long form sketches. This requires Moore and Cook to portray a variety of characters and personalities, and for the most part it’s fascinating to watch.

Moore is the stronger actor of the two, transitioning Stanley between timid, sniveling twit, pretentious jerkwad, wealthy playboy, confused nun and back again. It’s a pretty solid performance, and even the detached, indifferent way Cook plays the Devil can’t be entirely dismissed, because it’s the same approach that made Bill Murray a kazillionaire. And while adapting the legend of Faust is not any more groundbreaking than taking a stab (hahaha) at Romeo and Juliet or Beowulf, in this case the artists take full advantage of the forum to poke fun at the cultural, political and social touchstones of the day.

Captains of industry often sacrifice their most precious relationships for the promise of profit. Vain, pretentious hipster musicians are rarely loved by others the way they love themselves. Avarice is a means without an end. And the Prime Minister of Great Britain may well be in league with Satan. It’s all wink-nudge kind of stuff, but it’s fun, and the dialog is rife with sexual innuendo, including fun with the name “Randy” and how to slip kinky sex references right past the censors and into the script. Bedazzled is funny without going over the top, cerebral without being preachy, and somehow a classic without quite reaching any level of real innovation.

And the next time someone mentions the word “Bedazzled” in conversation (don’t lie, you know it happens to you constantly), you now have an answer suitable to convince people that you’re a super intelligent and articulate movie buff who’s totally better than everyone else. And the Prince of Darkness will be proud.

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