Bedazzled

Bedazzled has quietly become one of the more dependable comedies currently available in Australia on Stan, and in the UK on Amazon Prime Video and Disney Plus. A tight runtime that never overstays its welcome. A 6/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Brendan Fraser is the obvious draw, but the whole ensemble earns its laughs. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Stan.

Bedazzled arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. Bedazzled does what great comedies rarely manage — it is actually funny, consistently, across the whole run. Elliot Richards, a socially awkward IT worker, is given seven wishes to get the girl of his dreams when he meets a very seductive Satan. The catch: his soul. Some of his wishes include being a 7 foot basketball star, a wealthy, powerful man, and a sensitive caring guy. Brendan Fraser and Elizabeth Hurley lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2000. The real test of any comedy is whether it is still funny once you know all the jokes, and Bedazzled holds up on rewatch in a way that separates it from one-off curiosities. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

Bedazzled is the kind of thing you put on in the background and end up fully watching. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. A contained runtime means every scene is doing real work. Brendan Fraser anchors an ensemble with real chemistry. Genuinely funny, consistently, across the whole run.