Reviews

This film was absolute dross. The subject matter was not entirely irrelevant - I am sure that there are people out there like these people and I don't believe that cinema has to be representative of its country of origin. That said, dialogue was stodgy and stilted and it was full of unlikeable characters (save for the stuttering Michael Dorman, who was the only actor worth watching). Khan Crittenen, who was superb in Clubland, was as dull as dishwater (though I concede that it was more the script at fault than his actual performance). As far as entertainment .... well it's not at all.

By all means go see it, if you want to waste your money. Better to wait till its DVD launch - it will lose nothing on the small screen, though it would be better to lose the show entirely.

This film had such potential for being a seriously good black comedy, but it fell seriously short.

Devout Christian and member of the "Christian Jewels" clique at school - Mary (Jena Malone) has just found out her boyfriend is gay and launches a mission to save him from his "gayness" - she sleeps with him and winds up pregnant. Becoming increasingly disillusioned with Christian fanaticism of her friend Hilary Faye (Mandy Moore), she finds herself spending more time with the outcasts of the school - lone Jew, Cassandra (Eva Amurri), Hilary Faye's disabled brother, Roland (Macauley Culkin) and skater boy Patrick (Patrick Fugit).

Saved! offers some very funny moments, but not enough to keep it going. There's a message of tolerance which is nicely delivered without being brow beaten about it. However, the style of the film slips from dark comedy to schmaltz by the film's end.

The advertising looked good - the fact that it had gone and done great things at Cannes (it was a Directors Choice presentation) was very positive but I have never been so disappointed in a film in all my life!!

Despite the hype, it wasn't moody and to call it reminiscent of Jane Campion films is an insult to Ms Campion. It was pretentious tripe. The dialogue was appalling, the characters unbelievable and the delineation between past and present at times was very hard to determine (making the understanding of the film even more difficult).

The only reason I gave a rating of 1 is for the music, which really was its only redeeming factor.

A complete waste of and hour and 20 minutes!

This is the second feature from director Jonathan Teplitzky (Better Than Sex) and his spunky, slightly off-beat direction doesn't disappoint.

Barry Wirth (Sam Worthington) has just been paroled and wants to get square (go straight) but finds that his shady ex-acquaintances and past are harder to lose than he thought. Barry and his mate Johnny "Spit" Spitieri (David Wenham) and new employer Darren Barrington (Timothy Spall) and find themselves pitted against the high-tech resources of the newly formed Crimes Investigation Commission (CIC) and old enemy Chicka Martin (Gary Sweet) and his cronies.

The cast (and a couple of excellent cameo appearances by Ugly Dave Gray and Gretel Killeen) is virtually flawless and David Wenham is hilarious (his court appearance for the CIC is likely to go down as one of the most hilarious misadventures in court, ever). Slick writing, excellent direction make this a very easy film to watch and thoroughly enjoy!

Set in the early 70s, Travelling Light follows the story of two sisters growing up in surburban Adelaide.

Leanne is thoroughly uninspired by the idea of becoming a teacher and thinks that she would be a better photographer than a teacher. Bronwyn would much prefer to back teaching than being a housewife. Enter hippy American poet, Lou, to shake things up.

This is a meanderingly slow film with very few shadows and most of the time the cast look bemused trying to do their best with the screenplay (though there is one very funny inspired scene with Ray Sugars (Simon Burke) as a 70s singing/TV personality). An interesting look back to the 70s but not worth a movie ticket. Wait till it's release on dvd/video.

When Placid Lake was a little boy, his mother sent him to school wearing a dress, just so he could experience sexuality from a different point of view. As a result, he had the snot punched out of him and for years is constantly the victim of bullies, though he found a soul-mate in the nerdy/studious Gemma. Gemma loses her mother at 8 and her father, not quite sure how to deal with children, wants her to be a scientist. Years pass - Placid still lives with his Mum and Dad, ageing hippies with an eccentric outlook on the world and is about to finish school. Placid's idea of rebellion is to make a prize winning video of school life which will net him $10,000 and help him achieve his dream of fishing in Montana. At the official screening which turns out to be a little disasterous he falls from the school roof and undergoes a life change. This is a quirky "coming of age" flick - with a relatively unknown cast (to those outside Australia). Ben Lee in the title role is well cast as the slightly nerdy but intelligent Placid, Rose Byrne's Gemma is terrific and Garry McDonald and Miranda Richardson as Placid's hippy parents are brilliant. Take the time to see this film - it's worth it!

Personally I find the return of the musical to the screen is a wonderful thing - and there should be more of it (with kudos going to Mr Lurhmann for "starting" the trend). I'm sure that there'll never be a return to the heyday of the movie musical ... but tastes every now and then is very satisfying.

And that's what Chicago is ... immensely satisfying! Those familiar with the stage musical may well be disappointed with the most recent screen version - there are several songs omitted, characters changed (most notably Mary Sunshine), and there isn't the level of humour injected in the movie as there is in the stage, resulting in a much moodier piece. But it is worth seeing!!

Catherine Zeta Jones, whose pedigree was in song and dance before moving to TV and movies, positively sizzles as Velma Kelly. Renee Zellwegger brings a cutesy naivety to Roxie Hart, but her songs I felt needed a little more "guts" behind them. The real stand out for me, however, was Richard Gere. This is the first film in AGES I've seen him in that I was absolutely astounded with - his Billy Flynn had the delightful sleaze/schmooze factor turned up full boar - and it was wonderful!

The supporting cast shouldn't be forgotten - Queen Latifah's Matron "Mama" Morton was uproariously wicked, John Reilly's Amos was tenderly bitter sweet, and Taye Diggs as the Bandleader/Narrator was wonderful.

Don't miss this film - you'll be sorry if you do!

I have just had the misfortune to see this film.

Mandy Moore and Shane West (the two leads) were at the premiere in Melbourne last night, and told us that they had fun making the movie and hoped that we have as much fun watching it. I have to say that it was fun to watch it, but not for the reasons Ms Moore was hoping for, I'm sure. It's a great film to sit back and take the mickey out of!

Given the cast, you'd think this movie is aimed at 12/13 year old girls (and I assure you that 75% of the audience last night were in that demographic). I would suggest that you not take young kiddies, as there are some *ahem* adult themes that I didn't think were appropriate for them to see.

The story was predictable, so much so that I was predicting 15 minutes in advance what was going to happen. There was no real drive in the story, it just plodded along.

To be fair, there were some good funny/poignant moments in the film, but they were only fleeting scenes. This is a "wait till it comes out on video" film (and even then I'd seriously consider giving it a swerve).

Oh ok, Banks are a soft target. Nobody likes them very much, they're seen as evil and manipulative and not really customer focussed. But the upshot of this is that that is exactly what the banks, in general do.

The film itself has two stories: Story 1 - Centabank CEO Simon O'Reilly, played by Anthony LaPaglia is introduced to Jim Doyle, David Wenham. Jim's a maths genius. He's been working on a system that promises to make Simon and his cohorts incredibly rich. There's also sub-plot here of Michelle, newcomer Sibylla Budd, who also works at the bank, falling for Jim.

Story 2 - Wayne Davis and his family are fighting off foreclosure because, years ago, Centabank, enticed them into a foreign currency loan that went bad. The Davises are desperately avoiding the inevitable but when the sheriff comes to call, he traps Wayne's young son, Roger.

These two stories intersect but to give anymore away would be criminal.

It's a clever film that really does keep you guessing and well worth seeking out!

Pierce Brosnan plays Andy Osnard, a disgraced MI6 agent who's sent to the hardship post of Panama to monitor the situation there for the Brits. No one's happy about handing the management of the Panama Canal back to the Panamanians, least of all the Americans have run it for 85 years.

In Panama Andy heads straight for Harry Pendel, Geoffrey Rush, a tailor with Saville Row credentials who makes suits for Panamanian society - he even made suits for Noriega when he was alive. Harry's a perfect target for Andy because he has a secret past which he's hidden from his American wife Louisa, Jamie Lee Curtis, and he has debts.

Andy wants dirt and he knows Harry has fitting room connections. Harry is horrified at the prospect of betraying confidences but Andy leans on him and so he obliges with a mish mash of fact and fiction....

This was an enjoyable film - although I felt it had no real direction - until about three quarters of the way through. Brosnan plays a wonderful anti-Bond-esk character, revolting, slimy to a tee. Rush's performance has a touch of the maniacal but plays well. Above average.

This is probably a biased review, given that I have long been a fan of Baz Luhrmann's works. His envelope pushing has, what I think is, an Australian freshness about it - which is perhaps why it has received mixed reviews.

The story is simple Christian (Ewan McGregor) has come to Paris, to Montmartre (the bohemian capital of France), to seek out freedom, truth, beauty and love. He enters the infamous nightclub the Moulin Rouge where he's instantly smitten by the courtesan Satine (Nicole Kidman). She mistakes him for the Duke (the fabulous Richard Roxburgh in a brilliantly slimy role) who she's meant to seduce for money for a new play Christian is writing. But just like so many musical comedies the mistake strikes sparks of romance. Excellent cameo roles from Australian musical icons - Kylie Minogue, Christine Anu, Jackson Mendoza, Caroline O'Connor as well as well rounded performances from Jim Broadbent, John Leguizamo, David Wenham, Gary McDonald and Jacek Koman as a narcaleptic Argentinian.

This is a complete rollercoaster ride - you run the gamut of emotions and with typical Baz style there's oodles of humour in it. It's glitzzy glamourous, fast moving, funny, sad and entirely well worth the almost 2 wait for it to come to the screens. The music, also, is extraordinary. From Elton John, to Marilyn Munroe, to Madonna, U2, Moby, Sting - together with a brilliant score.

By the way - it's worth staying to the end of the credits for a small reminder of what the film is about.

Let me start off by saying that if you are in any way a bleeding heart or squeamish when it comes to brutality towards animals, dogs especially, (or just seeing loads of blood) then I suggest that you steer well clear of this film. Although there is a disclaimer saying that no animals were harmed during this film - it's still pretty graphic.

This film is heartbreaking in its realism and more than a little "Robert Altman-ish" in its portrayal of 3 stories literally colliding (with a brilliantly executed car chase) and intersecting.

The first story is of Octavio and Susana. Octavio discovers the fighting abilities of his brother's rottweiler, Cofi, and starts fighting him - in a bid to raise money to elope with his brother's young wife, Susana.

The second story follows Luis and Valeria. Luis leaves his wife and family to set up house with his model girlfriend Valeria, and her beloved dog Richie. Richie chases a ball into a hole in the floor and for much of the remainder of the story can be heard scuttling around the house, or is that just the rats?

The third story concerns a former revolutionary El Chivu who abandoned his family years ago and now longs to connect with his estranged daughter. He's a street bum who looks after a pack of dogs and who has become a hitman for hire.

The three stories are connected by the car chase and resultant accident. The photography was clever - the use of hand held cameras used to wonderful effect. The stories, each in their own right, are haunting - blowing out of the water, completely, the Hollywood myth of 'happy ever after'. This is a true, gritty and heartbreaking film well worth the watch, and the 2 and a half hour length.

This film was described to me as a political thriller. Don't know about the thriller bit, but the political was definately well in line. This follows the story of Laine Hanson (Joan Allen) who is nominated to be vice-president after the incumbent dies. The President, Jackson Evans played by an affable Jeff Bridges (who also has a penchant for trying to catch out the White House kitchen by ordering odd menu items) sees the nomination of a Hanson as his "swan song". But its a different tune that's being whistled after a short while. Not everyone agrees with the President that Hanson is the best choice and expected him to appoint party stalwart and governor of Virginia, Jack Hathaway, particularly as Hathaway had recently become a hero in the press after a failed attempt to save a young woman from drowning. The Chairman of the committee in Congress that will conduct the Confirmation Hearings is Republican Shelly Runyan (Gary Oldman).

Runyan, is hell bent (for reasons never really fully explained) on preventing Hanson on having an easy Confirmation Hearing and gets a dirt digger in on the scheme and manages to procure photographic evidence of Hanson participating in an "orgy" when she was in college. From there the hearings turn.

This is an interesting film and reasonably well executed although it does go on a bit in the grandstanding speeches and some contrived moments. The sometimes soggy script is raised by sterling performances from Allen, Oldman and Bridges and they are all very ably supported by William Petersen, who plays Jack Hathaway and Christian Slater as a green bean congressman. Worth seeing.

This is a terrific popcorn flick.

Sandra Bullock plays Gracie Hart, the quintessential tomboy and FBI agent. She's tough, rough, lacking in "sophistication" and not particularly keen on having herself look well kept. She's put on a case to protect the girls of the Miss America Beauty Pageant against whom a death threat has been case. In charge of the team is womanising Eric Matthews (Benjamin Bratt) who comes off looking a fraction clueless. Rounding off the cast brilliantly is Candice Bergen as Kathy Morningside and Michael Caine as Victor Melling - the terribly camp pageant advisor sent to help Gracie find some, well, grace!

It's predictable, with a solid start, a pear shaped middle and a solid ending. There are some decent laughs and there's the drool factor (for the girls Benjamin Bratt and for the boys Sandra Bullock).

Interesting to note that Katie Ford, of the Ford Modelling Agency has a writing credit to this flick and that Sandra Bullock was the producer.

I must admit that I was rather looking forward to seeing Traffic. A couple of friends had seen it and thought it was really good, and if the hype was anything to go by (not something I usually look toward though, I confess) I was in to see a really good flick. I was disappointed.

The story follows a whole bunch of people - we have the Mexican cop who is wanting to battle the drug cartels, we have the judge who has just been appointed head of the Anti-Drugs Commission who has a daughter who is a user (who didn't see that one coming?), we have the society wife who is "shocked" when she discovers that her husband is a drug lord as well as sundry little stories off the main three.

There was nothing new being told in this film - and I thought it lacked the punch that the hype had built. Not only that but it's overly long and seemed to be stuck in neutral half the film - it really didn't get going. The cast was terrific, but I felt that the scripting at times let them down - you can only work with what you're given, I suppose. Traffic struck me as a little Robert Altman ish in its use of several stories intersecting with each other - which I believe to be a clever genre if used well and in this case it was used effectively. Catherine Zeta Jones' character, Helena Ayala (not sure what accent she was trying to portray), was poorly written. She goes from completely ignorant of her husband's business to completely au fait then back to charming society wife without blinking - thoroughly unbelievable. Benicio Del Toro's character, Javier Rodriguez Rodriguez, was well rounded and Del Toro is rightly in the running for an Oscar for his performance - very solid. Michael Douglas is very convincing as the judge whose daughter is a user - showing real emotion.

I was a fraction bemused by the sepia colours used in the Mexican scenes (perhaps it was the old good vs bad colour thing reinvented: America the good in colour instead of white and Mexico the bad in sepia instead of black). There also appeared to be quite a negative portrayal of the Mexicans with regard to 'the drug war' whether or not this is true I don't know.

That said, it is worth seeing but I wouldn't hang out to see in in the cinema, it's a video flick.

In San Diego in 1973, 15-year-old William (Patrick Fugit) has been hooked on rock'n'roll ever since his departing older sister left him her record collection. William befriends rock journalist Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman), who gives him an assignment and some important advice: if you're going to write about rock bands, don't make friends with them.

After seeing some of his work, Rolling Stone magazine, whose editor doesn't know how young he is, gives him an assignment of doing a tour with the up and coming Stillwater, despite the misgivings of his mother (Frances McDormand), and he soon finds himself attracted to Band Aide, Penny Lane (Kate Hudson).

Almost Famous is a semi-autobiographical account of writer/director Cameron Crowe's life which is funny, painful, clever, naive, wonderful and insightful. It's a tag that I would prefer not to use, but it manages to explain the crux of this film - it's a coming of age flick. But it's not just William, who undergoes a transformation - it's all the cast - from Elaine, to Stillwater.

Delightful characters pop up in this warm film, including Noah Taylor (young David Helfgott in Shine) as Stillwater's Manager, Dick, Anna Paquin (The Piano) as Polexia Aphrodesia and a host of others. The soundtrack is filled with heaps of great music, including some penned by Cameron Crowe.

I highly recommend this film as a pick-me-up. Delightful from beginning to end.

With the guillotine edge we are introduced to the Marquis de Sade in the asylum of Charenton where he's been incarcerated for crimes not specified in this film. His writings are smuggled out of the asylum by Madeleine, (Kate Winslet) a servant who finds multiple uses for her laundry basket. She's addicted to the writings of the Marquis. Napoleon, on the other hand, is most perturbed by the writings of this "madman" and the scientist Dr Royer-Collard (Michael Caine) is sent by order of Napoleon to Charenton to establish order and on the way picks up his child bride from the convent. Madeleine and the Marquis find ever inventive ways of getting his word out. The person in the middle is the Abbe Coulmier (Joachim Phoenix), who's idea of running the asylum is one of, what would be considered to be fairly modern ideas of rehabilitation ("See, isn't it better to paint fires than light them?") clash harshly with those of Royer-Collard.

I must admit that I know very little about the Marquis de Sade apart from the fact that he was a prolific writer, lived in the late 1700's (during Nepolean's era), was incarcerated in mental institutions/jails for most of his life and that most of his writings were destroyed without trace. I was not expecting to garner a great deal of information about de Sade from this film and it was just as well because I'm lead to believe from a very learned friend of mine that there was great poetic licence taken in "tarting" up the facts.

The excellent casting in this film more than makes up for dead spots in it (of which there are few). Geoffrey Rush shines (sorry, couldn't resist it!) wonderfully as the Marquis more than managing to carry off the role with divine duplicity. One wonders at times, who is the more sadistic character, the Marquis who dreams of cruelty or Royer-Collard who carries it out. It's a film that will take you out of your comfort zone, and bring you back, then take you out again. What a wild ride!

How on earth this film managed to get an M 15+ rating (children under the age of 15 are allowed to see the film only when accompanied by an adult) in Australia for the first two weeks of its release will remain a mystery for me. The Australian censors obviously have gone quite mad (especially when films containing graphic sex scenes (non-violent) is deemed to be unsuitable for audiences at all, but graphic violence is fine). Rest assured, however, after public outcry the rating has been upped to R 18+, a far more suitable rating. Ok ... venting has been done. On to the film itself.

Hannibal is a film you have to see, simply because you'll either love it or hate it. I don't think there can be an in-between. The story is simple enough. It's "Where's Wally (Waldo)" - but this time Wally is Hannibal and he's in Europe - somewhere. Agent Clarice Starling, after being disgraced in the line of duty, is put back on the Hannibal trail. There's a sub-plot of revenge, with Mason Verger, Hannibal's 4th and only surviving victim, bank-rolling Hannibal's capture.

Some people may be disappointed with Clarice's character - she was a meek little thing, compared with Silence of the Lambs where she was a little fiestier. That's precisely the point! Clarice basically has a gag order on her the whole film, and Julianne Moore does a wonderful job with the frustration the character has to deal with. Sir Anthony is wonderfully chilling as Hannibal.

While some of the scenes seemed, to me, to be a little implausible side of things, on the whole Hannibal is a great horror/suspence flick, but it does lack the panache and implied violence of Silence of the Lambs. Hannibal is just a little more (if you'll pardon the pun) in your face!

The premise of this film is benign enough. It's a hot day, Michel, Claire and their three girls are off to their holiday house for a break. The car is not airconditioned, the kids are getting ratty and Michel and Claire have had just about enough. They pull into a petrol station and Michel bumps into an old high school friend, Harry and his girlfriend, Plum. Harry sees how frustrated Michel and Claire are and offers to drive them to their holiday house. The offer is taken up and Harry enters their lives.

The film takes a little while to establish the backgrounds, but once that is achieved it rolls merrily along its dark path. Harry's motto "is help out where ever possible" and he does it all with a smile. It's a wonderfully executed film, once you get comfortable you're jolted out of the comfort zone. It's a spine chilling tale.

There is one word for this film, WOEFUL.

This film follows the lives of 8 people (4 girls, 4 guys) and one night and its aftermath. It's a simple enough story. 4 girls meet the 4 boys, 1 boy 'rapes' 1 girl, 1 girl bonks 1 boy (who is really in love with the 'raped' girl), 1 boy is bonded by 1 girl and the other 2 are happy in their relationship. YUK.

It's a silly story, even sillier script and the characters are completely unlikeable (even in the remotest sense). It strikes me as a film someone decided to throw together after a night on a huge bong with a weekend to spare.

Don't bother watching this.

Chocoholics beware - if you are in therapy to wean yourself off eating this marvellous invention, do NOT see this movie.

The story follows Vianne Rocher, Juliette Binoche and her daughter, Anouk who literally blow into a staid, stifling town during lent in the 50's. Renting out the unused paterisserie the the apartment above from Armande Voizin, Judi Dench, Vianne and Anouk set up a Chocolaterie. They meet bitter opposition in setting up the Chocolaterie by the local big wig, moral guardian and feared mayor, the Comte de Reynaud, Alfred Molina, who is battling his own personal dilemas.

I won't go too much into what happens as some of the plot would be revealed, possibly spoiling your enjoyment of this film.

You meet some delightful characters, including the young priest who has a penchant for rock and roll, in a time when it was still deemed morally wrong to have such inclinations, the tired downtrodden wife whose life gets far more interesting when her husband discovers Vianne's delightful chocolat and some not so nice characters like the local cafe owner who routinely beats his wife played by Lena Olin (who, incidently is also wife of the director of the film, Lasse Hallstrom), unbeknownst to the villagers.

At times this sweet film goes overboard with niceness and eagerness to please, but for the most part it is a balanced film, with a little bit of romance, humour and morals to keep you entertained. If you are a Johnny Depp fan (which I am) you might be dissapointed with the screen time given to his character (or not given as the case is), but apart from that I highly recommend this film. I also recommend you either have a large meal before seeing it, or have a decent swag of chocolate in your possession to scoff during it!

I think it's fair to say that I haven't seen such a beautiful looking film since Stealing Beauty (and rest assured, I am talking cinematography, not story). The pure poetry of the scenery is magic and could well have survived as a movie on its own, without any help from a story!

That said, the story is also quite extraordinary. The 'magical' jade sword is stolen from it's rightful owner and a search for the thief ensues. Include a sub-plot of vengeance between the Jade Fox and the young man whose master was killed by Jade Fox and you have a story. This is an incredibly simplistic synopsis.

I think the beauty of this whole film is its simplicity. The relationships are uncomplicated, the reasons for revenge are simple. Please don't think that this is me bagging it. Quite the contrary. I was moved, really moved by the this film and I highly recommend it.

I'll start by admitting that Tom Hanks does nothing for me as an actor. In fact, I think his only two decent films to date are Big and Philidelphia - and that's at a stretch. I went into the film with a healthy dose of skepticism, but was fully prepared to be surprised. Oh well, one outta two ain't bad!

This is the sort of film where, if someone asked me what it was like, I respond with "the cinematography was very good". Hanks joins Robert Zemeckis for the first time since Forrest Gump (don't even get me started on that waste of film).

The story itself is one of survival (d'uh!). Chuck is a jet-setting Fed-Ex efficiency expert who jumps on a plane, and the plane decides to jump into the ocean. Chuck survives and has to eke out a living on a deserted island. That's all there is to it really. Oh, he's kept company by a picture of his girlfriend, Kelly and a volleyball named Wilson.

There were some fleeting glimpses of brilliance in the film - how Chuck overcomes adversity living on an island, cooking, fires, home dentistry etc, but nothing too extraordinary. In fact, boring in parts. I think the film could have benefited from cuts to what's happening back home while he's on the island - mind you it would have meant involvement from the other actors - which would have spoiled the "Tom Hanks alone in Cast Away" effect of the film. Oh OK, credit where credit is due, Hanks did trim down fantastically for the film, and he looks, well, not that bad! I think taut would be the word. But that's enough gushing! Fed-Ex too, must be rubbing its hands in glee with the free advertising this film has provided for them.

It's a film that I wouldn't recommend highly to people, but at the same time, it's OK and worth a trip to see it on the big screen (because I think it'll lose a bit on the TV).

Now would someone please explain to me why Tom Hanks keeps winning these damn Oscars, because I'm stumped.

It's a story we've all heard before - girl from Hicksville moves to New York to make it big in songwriting. Girl finds New York hard to break, girl meets boy, boy falls in love with girl, girl gets a couple of breaks (not the songwriting ones that she was hoping for thought), girl eventually falls in love with boy, songwriting career falls to the back burner. Girl realises dreams are not being realised, girl gets ticked off with boy, boy gets the flick, both are miserable. While girl is miserable she does something to realise dream. Dream is realised, credits roll. End of movie.

There is no serious thought needed to see this film. Plenty of beautiful people to look at - which satisfies both the men (all the dancing chicks at the bar) and ladies (Adam Garcia ... phwor!!!) alike. A marked departure from the action flicks that Bruckheimer normally produces and it works reasonably well, albeit in a sugar sweet way.

You've read the reviews, you know it's not going to be as brilliant as the original and yet, there's a strange compulsion to see it anyway.

It's not that bad, really. There's heaps more that could have been done with it. Brendan Fraser never really got the chance to flex his comedic muscle as much as I would have liked, Frances O'Connor, in her first "Hollywood blockbuster" had little more than a passing role and was under-utilised. The big surprise, for me, came in the shape of vampy vixen and she-Devil, Elizabeth Hurley. Again she could have really camped it up (there was an element of restraint), but it appeared that she was really relishing her role as the Devil anyway. I guess that really letting loose on this film would have meant that the PG rating wouldn't have applied therefore it would be open to a wider audience. Be that as it may....

The plot rolls along, with no real deviation (no pun intended), no real surprises but it's a nice popcorn, check your brain at the door kind of film.