The Devil and Max Devlin

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Blu B Given b=Bill Cosby's track record of big screen work I went in expecting a burning grease fire. What I got was a minor fire. Add Disney into it and your imagination runs wild as to how bad this could be. It's actually kind of ok. The music is actually kind of decent with the singing numbers but everything else is forgettable. It's not that broken and just kind of mediocre overall. The problems stem from the terribly flat humor, the 3 plot lines never tie in together in a cohesive way, Gould is terrible when trying to do comedic scenes, the Hell scenes feel like a completely different film, and the tone changes completely in he second half. This is kind of like Click where how this begins as a terrible comedy completely loses the comedy almos entirely in the second half and becomes a serious drama. Than at times it feels like a Star is Born with so many musical numbers and while it's not terrible, it's a complete mess tone wise. This should've cut all the scenes with the racing kid, tied in the singing/love story lines better, and cut the humor entirely. Gould is clearly a serious actor who is very uncomfortable doing humor. It's a interesting concept that also needed a bit more devlopment in the first half as it feels terribly rushed setting things up as well to make room for stupid flat gags. It isn't a trainwreck but the good stuff here isn't worth sitting through the terrible first half for most people to get through unless your a hardcore Gould fan as his performance does get significanlty better as it goes on. Besides that, most people could skip this. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 04/19/24 Full Review r 9 I'd recommend 'The Devil and Max Devlin'. Of course it is slightly hampered by the fact it's a Disney film, but I feel it manages to leave a mark in what it does tackle in regards to the premise. I felt attached to the dilemma that Max (Elliott Gould) faces, despite it being a fairly predictable situation. Gould is good in the lead role. He is joined by, um, Bill Cosby, who suitably plays a character from the less appealing afterlife. Julie Budd (Stella) is the best of the rest, especially when it comes to the music; she's got a great voice. Disney's best film up until this point of the 1980s, which they begin poorly. Happy with this one though, I like it. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member With Bill Cosby's life and career in tatters these days with a myriad of past date-rape accusations against the actor/comedian, I have been intrigued to investigate both his earlier filmic oddities and the comedic albums of his stand-up routines from years gone by. This was a decent, Disney (to add a touch of irony) comedy just before he was going to hit a purple patch in his life with the mega-success of 'The Cosby Show'. I wish when I came across them in a London music store a few years back, that I had pulled the trigger and bought a pair of jazz albums he had made with Quincy Jones. I have a feeling they would have proved a lot more interesting than this was. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member Nice idea with good actors; just needed a better rewrite & director. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member The really significant part of this movie has nothing to do with the players, but the producers. This is the FIRST ever PG movie released by Disney - after almost 35 years a G-only releases. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Audience Member "The Devil and Max Devlin" is a forgotten relic of a bygone era, and it's one film that really should have stayed lost. It comes from a time when Disney was certainly trying to change their image with more adult fare, but for a "PG" rated film from the Mouse House, this is shocking and tasteless. It's also bland and terribly unfunny, but that really is the least of its problems. It casts the notoriously squeaky-clean Bill Cosby as a disciple of Hell, and perhaps even worse, it gives him nothing to do. It's basically a supporting role, and the star is given nothing funny to do or say. Apparently, he was only cast in the role for shock value. And there is plenty here that is shocking or surprising. The subject matter is quite disturbing, especially for a film of this nature. The story is essentially Elliott Gould corrupting innocent people, including an eleven-year-old boy, and getting them to sell their soul to the Devil in order to take his place in Hell. Adam Rich, the boy, is seen wandering a carnival alone until Gould befriends him and takes him on rides. It's the film's creepiest, most unsettling moment. And naturally, the boy's mother agrees to marry this stranger who picks up her son at a carnival. But I guess that's not as bad as his new stepfather getting his stepson to sign a contract damning him to eternal Hellfire. And this is an alleged family comedy. "The Devil and Max Devlin" is an embarrassing misstep for the beloved studio. What were they thinking? Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Devil and Max Devlin

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