Film

Bedazzled

Name: Bedazzled
Genre: Fantasy, Comedy, Romance
Released: 2000
Cast: Brendan Fraser, Elizabeth Hurley, Frances O'Connor, Miriam Shor, Orlando Jones

Other titles called Bedazzled: the 1967 film.

A wish-fulfillment fantasy where an awkward tech worker trades his soul to the Devil for seven chances to win over his crush. Each wish spirals into absurd alternate versions of himself—jock, tycoon, sensitive artist—each one catastrophically wrong in unexpected ways. It's silly, frequently hilarious, and genuinely touching under the chaos. For anyone who's ever wanted to be someone else and discovered they were better off as themselves.

TMDb rating

3.1

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy a sharp, mischievous comic fable where wish-fulfilment goes wrong in clever, escalating ways and the punchlines land on the gap between what people ask for and what they actually want.

Skip it if you want a tender, fully sincere love story; the comedy is broad and cheeky, and the romance is mostly a vehicle for the jokes rather than something you're meant to feel deeply.

What it asks of you: It runs a brisk 93 minutes and moves from one fantasy to the next, so it rewards quick attention and a willingness to laugh at its own silliness rather than settle into slow emotional build.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Shallow Hal2001

Another Jack Black comedy about a man forced to see past his own shallow assumptions. It has the same heart-plus-humour balance, where the joke gradually becomes the character's growth rather than the premise itself.

But Aggressively mid-2000s in its sensibility, and the fat jokes land with varying degrees of kindness depending on your patience for that era of comedy.

The Adjustment Bureau2011

A man fights supernatural forces to stay with the woman he loves, with a supporting performance from a supernatural being pulling strings. The same philosophical bent—what do we really want versus what we've been told we should want.

But Considerably more serious and romantic than comedic. If you want laughs, this pivots away from them in the second half.

It Could Happen to You1994

Nicolas Cage as an ordinary guy whose life transforms through luck and kindness, discovering what actually makes him happy. Warm, funny, and interested in character over spectacle in exactly Bedazzled's way.

But Unashamed earnestness and sentimentality. The film wears its heart entirely on its sleeve with no irony to hide behind.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Bedazzled

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Monkey's Paw2013

Both are wish-fulfilment stories where the granting is the cruelty. The Devil in Bedazzled is technically keeping her bargains; the monkey's paw simply removes the filter between desire and consequence.

A family given wishes by a cursed object discovers that getting what you ask for is far worse than not getting it. Same engine as Bedazzled—each wish grants exactly what was asked and destroys the wisher in the process—but played as genuine horror rather than comedy.

But Bleak and punishing in ways that make Bedazzled's Devil seem almost merciful. This is body horror and grief, not laughs.

Liar Liar1997

Jim Carrey trapped in a premise that forces him to be someone he's not, watching his exaggerated physical comedy unfold from an impossible situation. Peak Carrey silliness in service of a genuinely sweet father-son story.

But The humour is broad and physical in ways that can feel dated. If you don't like Carrey's rubber-faced energy, nothing here will convert you.

Pleasantville1998

Two modern teens slip into a 1950s sitcom and gradually destabilise it by being themselves. Like Bedazzled, it's fantasy-comedy-romance that sneaks in genuine thoughts about conformity and self-acceptance.

But Heavy-handed with its symbolism, and the message about individuality and sexuality gets a bit preachy by the end.

The Truman Show1998

Jim Carrey discovering his reality is constructed and wrong, trapped in a false life before breaking free. Same DNA: the world is lying to you about what you should be, and freedom means disappointing everyone.

But Considerably darker and more existential. You're signing up for philosophical dread alongside the comedy.

13 Going on 302004

A young woman wakes up as her adult self and discovers the person she wanted to become isn't who she actually wants to be. Romantic comedy with the same core lesson: you're already okay.

But Aggressively saccharine, and the message can feel simplistic if you're looking for anything with teeth.

Click2006

Adam Sandler gets a magical remote that skips through his life, learning too late what he actually valued. Fantasy-comedy-drama about priorities, starring Sandler in his most sincere register.

But Tonal whiplash between broad comedy and genuine sadness. Some people find that balance beautiful; others find it jarring.

Enchanted2007

A fairy-tale princess lands in modern New York and must adapt to reality while teaching cynical people around her to feel again. Light, charming, and interested in the same question: what happens when fantasy meets real life?

But Very earnest Disney product. If you're allergic to sincerity and talking animals, you'll find the tone exhausting.

The Midnight Gospel2020

Both use fantasy-comedy framing to explore what we think we want versus what we actually need. Both are secretly about mortality and acceptance disguised as lighter entertainment.

An animated series where a man uses a magic simulator to visit dying worlds and have conversations with people facing real problems. It's whimsical, absurd, sometimes hilarious—but underneath is serious meditation on mortality, acceptance, and what we actually want from life.

But The animation is deliberately grotesque and off-putting. More importantly, it sneaks genuine philosophy about death into a comedy format, which some find manipulative rather than moving.

Brazilian Western2013

Both watch a man escape into fantasy versions of himself rather than face reality. Both find the comedy in the gap between who he imagines being and who he actually is—but this one treats that gap as tragedy.

A man in contemporary Brazil imagines himself as a spaghetti western hero while his actual life collapses. Magical realism where the fantasy is a coping mechanism, rendered in gorgeous dusty cinematography and bone-dry humour in Portuguese.

But Slow, contemplative, and in another language. The emotional beats are quiet. You must want to sit with mood rather than plot momentum.