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All Movie Info
Starring:
Anthony Hopkins, Alec Baldwin, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Frank Sivero, Dan Aykroyd, Kim Cattrall, John Savage, Barry Miller, Jason Patric, John Hines, Bobby Cannavale, Darrell Hammond, Amy Poehler, Philippe Vonlanthen, Canedy Knowles, Paul Thornton, Gregg Bello, Bill Corsair, Ken Murton, Kevin Olson, Bill Corsair, Jonathon Gentry, Alice Johnson, Luis Pedron
Directed By:
Alec Baldwin
Written By:
Pete Dexter
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Shortcut to Happiness (2007)
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Movie Review by Jarrod
July 18th, 2007
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'Shortcut to Happiness' is a contemporary update of The Devil and Daniel Webster, based on a famous story by Stephen Vincent Benet, and previously adapted in 1941, with Walter Huston, as Mr. Scratch. Bedazzled, with Brendan Fraser, was yet another incarnation, with Elizabeth Hurley as the Devil. Now, the role of Satan falls to Jennifer Love Hewitt, perky and sassy, yet totally unconvincing, though if Lucifer were to be seductive and charming, then I guess she would fit the bill rather nicely, but to compare her to the male stars who have played this part is just wrong: Al Pacino, Max von Sydow, Jack Nicholson, even the great Huston himself, all of them had fun and still convinced us that they could very well be the embodiment of pure evil. Hewitt is an interesting choice, nonetheless. Alec Baldwin is Jabez Stone, now a writer instead of a farmer. He sells his soul for success, envious that it has fallen on his friend Julius (Aykroyd), and also upset that his manuscript has been rejected by a huge publishing firm, owned by Daniel Webster (Hopkins), though after the Faustian bargain, one of Webster's editors, Constance (Cattrall) takes an interest in Stone's work, which hits the bestseller list, but is still thrashed by critics. Disappointed and unfulfilled, Stone decides to take the Devil to court. The case is presided over by deceased literary icons, like Truman Capote and Ernest Hemingway, Emily Dickinson, and Mario Puzo, where, in the original version, the judges were all eternally damned souls, some of them involved in the notorious Salem Witch Trials. Webster helps Stone in this legal venture, but he is not the great orator like Edward Arnold's Daniel Webster (named for a well-known American senator) in the 1941 film. The whole movie is just stupid, a complete mess and failure, unnecessary and pointless. Even Baldwin thinks so, as he is trying to get people to avoid it and boycott it. He made it about six years ago; it marked his directorial debut, though a pseudonym was eventually used, Harry Kirkpatrick. Baldwin's performance is bland, he is capable of much better acting than this.
Even Hopkins is subdued and monotonous as a character who should be more important than he is. Cattrall is somewhat of a scene-stealer, and can compete fairly with Hewitt, it might have been better if they switched places, as Cattrall could be scarier and more intimidating. One of the screenwriters is the gifted Bill Condon, who inexplicably decided to attach his name to this fiasco. And why does the climactic trial take place is what looks like a foggy, deserted, rural village? Everything else is set in a modern-day metropolis, why not this? Is it one of many distressing and humiliating questions one might wish to ask Baldwin, the screenwriters, the producers, or anyone else involved in it. I like Alec, but I surely hope his next time behind the camera is better than this. If not, then he can stay out of the director's chair.
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