Post by Eddie Love on Mar 9, 2011 20:21:03 GMT -5
Before the advent of the Touchstone brand when Walt Disney was still the name stamped on that studio’s entire output, they released what has to be the oddest movie with their imprimatur. It’s a “family comedy” that tells the story of a sleazy landlord (Elliot Gould) who dies and goes to Hell. Yes, that Hell. There he strikes a bargain with the Devil’s minions; he’ll be restored to life if, in the span of two months, he can corrupt three innocents to unknowingly surrender their souls to Satan. The film is called THE DEVIL AND MAX DEVLIN. (I guess HELL CAN WAIT didn’t test well.) On it’s own terms, it’s a mixed bag, by no means awful. However, given the studio’s pedigree, and the picture’s very bizarre, even perverse, premise, it simply has to be one of the strangest films ever released by the mouse factory.
Um…did I mention our “hero” dies and goes to Hell? There a satanic agent, played by Bill Cosby, lays out the laborious, high concept “rules” for restoring Max Devlin to life. He can return to Earth and attach himself to three disparate people who he can transport to at will. While with them, he can create magic in their lives. Or something like that. One of the three is a Striesandian singer looking for her big break, another a nerdy high schooler who dreams of being a motor-cross racer. The final mark (played by Nicholas from Eight is Enough) is a father-less child who just wants his mother to remarry. (At one point his mother scolds him for essentially acting like her pimp.) Once these three have signed contracts over to Max, their souls belong to the Devil and when they die they will roast for eternity in Hell. Kind of like THE APPLE-DUMPLING GANG. Except for the part about dying and going to Hell…
Cosby isn’t in the film all that much and when he is, he’s more believably sinister than funny. Towards the end there’s even a scene where we see him done up in a red-Devil get-up with horns and all while he taunts Max with the coming tortures he can expect in Hell and these include having his limbs ripped from his body. Ooooookay. And, mind you, there’s nothing especially funny about the way this is played, and while it may not be entirely frightening it sure is off-putting for a “family comedy”
In the scenes that don’t take place in this garish underworld, the picture has a sun-drenched but almost gritty look to it; we see a pretty low-down view of L.A., and at times it feels like an Alan Rudolph film.
When Max comes back to life, there’s a protracted, unfunny bit where he doesn’t realize no one else can see Cosby’s demonic personage. Once that’s done, the filmmakers never go in for much broad comedy again. There are no sight gags or physical humor. Indeed, there are a number of subdued moments throughout the picture, and even though he’s playing a slovenly anti-hero, Gould is pretty low-key. His scenes with each of the three souls include some quiet exchanges, including his earnest romance with the little kid’s mother.
Elsewhere, with Max’s help, the singer manages to be discovered, record and release an album, become a superstar (on the basis of just one oft-refrained song) go on tour and win a Grammy…all in two months! She’s played by Julie Budd, who has a very nice voice and the two songs she sings, penned by Marvin Hamlish, have that tacky, candy-toned, 70s ballad feel to them that add to a mood of the picture that I’d characterize as bittersweet if not depressing.
I wouldn’t describe this movie as sophisticated, but there is something kind of intelligent about it, certain scenes are well written and there are these interesting, weirdly unsettling moments as each of Max’s victims sells their souls to the Devil. The detailed conceit of Max’s assignment is very busy, but confidently executed. That said, the whole premise is so frankly disturbing, that it’s hard to just go along with things. Of course, we assume that Max will eventually do the right thing in the end, we just aren’t sure how. But, even still, the fact that he’s willing to screw these people over to save himself for as long as he is, makes things just too hard to take in a comedy.
I can’t imagine what a kid would have made of this film when it was first released. Whatever life lessen this is attempting to impart seems entirely aimed at adults. And I can’t help wondering about the back-story: was this a comedy for grown-ups that was reconfigured for kids? Or was it simply a film made for kids with a tin-ear for what they would actually like or their parents find suitable? Did the Disney folks realy think the tikes would enjoy a Brimstone-soaked trip to Hell or their parents feel comfortable with a picture wherein an adult male picks up an unattended kid at an amusement park for the purposes of ensuring his eternal damnation? Just strange…
In any event, if this had been released by anyone else, it may simply have fallen by the wayside, it pretty much has anyway. But given that it’s a Walt Disney film makes it, if not jaw-dropping, at least a one-of-a-kind curiosity.
