The Devil and Daniel Webster (2004)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Alec Baldwin

Writers (WGA):

Stephen Vincent Benet (story)
Archibald Macleish (play)

Release Date:

17 August 2007 (Kazakhstan)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy

Tagline:

the devil is in the details.

Plot:

A down-and-out writer sells his soul to the devil in exchange for fame and fortune.

Plot Keywords:

Devil | Writer | Manhattan | Fame | Fortune

Cast

Anthony Hopkins	...	Daniel Webster
Alec Baldwin	...	Jabez Stone
Jennifer Love Hewitt	...	The Devil
Ken Murton	...	Daniel's Agent
Frank Sivero	...	Luigi
Dan Aykroyd	...	Julius Jenson
Gregg Bello	...	Rick Fusco
Kim Cattrall	...	Constance Hurry
John Savage	...	Johnny
Al Palagonia	...	Anthony
Barry Miller	...	Mike Weiss
Jason Patric	...	Ray
Paul Thornton	...	James Joyce
Kevin Olson	...	Tommy Anderson
Bill Corsair	...	Aging Writer

Also Known As:

Shortcut to Happiness (USA) (new title)
The Devil (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language and sexual content.

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Bethpage, Long Island, New York, USA

Company:

Cutting Edge Entertainment

Trivia:

Filming was completed in 2001 but the movie has been shelved for several years due to lack of funds to complete post-production. However, My Own Worst Enemy Productions acquired the rights to the title and is set to release it in 2007.

Goofs:

Continuity: When buying the house, Jabez Stone sees the Devil on the beach. He runs to her with his shirt's collar over his jacket. But when he is there and talks to the Devil the collar is carefully tucked under.

Quotes:

The Devil: Hmm. You know what they say. In order for one to succeed, another must fail.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Family Guy: Stuck Together, Torn Apart (#3.19)" (2002)

A Very Good film and definitely worth watching

I saw this film at the Venice Film Festival and have waited a long time to comment on it as I wanted to see it again when I was released. However, it still has not come out and I don't know if it ever will.

Alec Baldwin is a writer, down on his luck and nowhere to go but down even further.

As with many viewers I suspect, I was attracted to this film by the cast and the fact that it has received so much press, good and bad. The plot is based on the old casino idea of a writer whose career in next to nil and is getting ready to self destruct – and unless you get into it, it'll feel rather forced and silly at times.

However the film helped me to overcome this by being very low key and downbeat – very much like Baldwin himself. The film is not a great thing but one that is easy to get into. The film uses Las Vegas really well but it is a classic story that is fun to believe in. It is much better than the fun, breezy and slick fantasies that we are sold in other films. The mix of romance, comedy and violence works very well – at points it was very touching, at others quite funny.

It isn't perfect of course and the writing is where the problems lie; the story did rely on the audience buying into it and at times the dialogue comes very close to corn (but just misses). The only time I felt really let down was the ending, which, although fitting with the spirit of the film, missed a great chance to be fun, exciting and original all at the same time.

Still, a good film and definitely worth the watching.