The Devil and Max Devlin

PG

1981

1h 36m

Fantasy

List

17%

12 Reviews

Tomatometer

25%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

The devil's helper (Bill Cosby) will let a slumlord (Elliott Gould) go free if he can lure three innocents to the bad place.

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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 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 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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william s

This is the only Cosby somewhat watchable movie ever made without Poitier.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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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 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 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

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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 out of 5 stars

02/02/23

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Steven Hilliard Stern

Director

Elliott Gould

Max Devlin

Bill Cosby

Barney Satin

Susan Anspach

Penny Hart

Adam Rich

Toby Hart

Julie Budd

Stella Summers

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Joe Pollack

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Given the arrant simplicity of the story and its transparent obviousness from start to finish, all interest wanes rapidly, and though Cosby tries hard to create something out of nothing, he falls short just the way the film does.

Jun 16, 2022

Full Review

Time Out

The script has its moments, especially when Cosby is around as the Devil's aide, but the film finally subsides in a welter of structural flaws and heartwarming sentiment.

Rated: 2.5/5

Jan 26, 2006

Full Review

Vincent Canby

New York Times

The performances are attractive though, with one exception, not especially memorable.

Rated: 3/5

Aug 30, 2004

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TV Guide

Despite an encouraging start, the film degenerates into typical Disney sentimentality.

Rated: 2.5/4

Dec 21, 2011

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 2/5

Aug 19, 2005

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Daniel M. Kimmel

Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Rated: 1/5

Feb 8, 2004

Full Review

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Synopsis

The devil's helper (Bill Cosby) will let a slumlord (Elliott Gould) go free if he can lure three innocents to the bad place.

Director: Steven Hilliard Stern
Producer: Ron Miller
Screenwriter: Mary Rodgers
Production Co: Walt Disney Productions
Rating: PG
Genre: Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2013
Runtime: 1h 36m

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