You can't help wondering how many times this story has been told in print, on stage, and in film. Weren't there independent redintegrations of this Medieval plot by Marlowe and Goethe? This version comes to us from Steven Vincent Benet and Archibald MacLeash, updated to the current time. It's entertaining still but all very familiar.Alec Baldwin is a luckless, penniless, sexless unpublished author who just can't catch a break like his college Dan Aykroyd, who has written a highly successful novel, "A Feeling of Loss." All he has are a few fellow sufferers like Barry Miller, who is always willing to tell Baldwin the truth about his writing.An agent, Anthony Hopkins, tells him to write better but Baldwin is going berserk. Back in his shabby apartment he cries out that he'd sell his soul to succeed. Enter Jennifer Love Hewitt as a sexy devil. She gives him the success he pines for. Cabs stop magically to pick him up out of a crowd. An editor, Kim Cattrall, reads his manuscript and decides its worth a first printing of 100,000. That's a lot. You're lucky to get 5,000. But she insists on a few changes. Baldwin agrees, even though the alterations turn his work into the kind of trash that sells. It begins with the title, "A Loss of Feeling." Of course it's a ripoff of Aykroyd's book, "A Feeling of Loss," but that's the point. There follow a number of sequels. "A Feeling of Greater Loss," or something, winding up with "A Certain Numbness In the Extremities." That's pretty funny.Alas, there is a long courtroom scene at the end in which Hopkins defends Baldwin and Hewitt is the prosecutor. The trial is a fantasy. The jury consists of departed writers like Ernest Hemingway and Dorothy Parker. I don't know how this scene was originally written but here it comes across as maundering and uninventive. "This is the world God gave us," Hewitt orates. Smooth violins in the background tell us that this is all very important, in case we didn't get it. I think it's mush. "Death -- well, death gives us a chance to sum up our lives." Baldwin directed this and there's nothing wrong with his work, either as director or actor. Anthony Hopkins is a remarkable actor. He convinces us with such little effort, even when the lines he's forced to read are idiotic. Hewitt is a bit of an embarrassment among the pros. She looks and sounds like a pretty young girl in a high school production. It's hard to pin down just where she goes wrong, but, by contrast, we can check out Kim Cattrall in the part of the shallow and sexy editor. Hewitt looks cute, while Cattrall projects a sleek kind of professionalism.I kind of enjoyed the film except for the last twenty minutes when it bogged down into seriousness. It should have remained the up-tempo screwball comedy that it started out as. Frank Capra would have done wonders with it back in the 30s.

It's very interesting how some old ideas always come back "in new clothing" to movies or literature. This movie is a good example. It's about the "old but nice" cliché of Faust, the man how sells his immortal soul to the devil in exchange of achieving happiness.I like Jennifer Love Hewitt playing devil in this movie. I don't think she's gorgeous or a tremendous actress, but she's cute and did a good job in this movie.This movie mixes references to classic US writers, the "not a penny in the pocket" world of the amateur writers struggling to be noted by a publisher and the the US mania for justice court battles.It's a light movie for relaxing with friends or the girlfriend/boyfriend.

Wealth. Power. Admiration. They all sound pretty enticing. Indeed many people spend their life in pursuit of these or similar goals and are willing to sacrifice anything and everything in the process. But what if there was an easy way to do it, say, selling your soul? You're not really using it anyways. As the saying goes, the day I decided to do it there'd probably be a glut on the market.Jabez Stone is, for lack of a better word, a loser. Trying to write a novel and watch a friend pass him by makes him even more angry because "I am a better writer than him!" While lamenting his lot in life he casually mentions that he would give anything to have a successful novel. Enter the Princess of Darkness, stage left.Although the basics between this movie and the 1941 classic of the same name are similar, there are so many differences (styles of humor, characters, plot, etc) that comparisons are pointless. So I won't even try. "Devil" offers something so few fantasies do these days without relying on endless juvenile scatological humor. I thoroughly enjoyed the transformation that Jabez goes through as he realizes he made a big mistake. Jabez soon discovers that when dealing with the devil - surprise, surprise - nothing is, as it seems.I have always liked Alec Baldwin since I saw him in "The Marrying Man". Since then, he has proved himself capable of doing both serious ("The Cooler") and comedy roles ("Beetle Juice"). With this part he shows just how versatile he is and does so admirably.Jennifer Love Hewitt is deliciously wicked in a role that she was born to play (if reports about her are true) and it appears that she enjoyed herself. Her spin on the ultimate temptress is hilarious and personally, I'll take red-haired vixens over horny (or is that "horned") guys any day. Anthony Hopkins, brings the same verve and versatility that he always displays without going over the top. The supporting cast provides the finishing touch rounding out the film nicely. I really enjoyed this film.

"The Devil and Daniel Webster" gets 9 enthusiastic stars and 2 thumbs up for me."The Devil and Daniel Webster" is one of those films that will make keep your attention from start to finish. With talented stars, a script that has something for everyone and legendary characters, "The Devil and Daniel Webster" is a movie to watch."The Devil and Daniel Webster" is a remake of an earlier Academy Award-winning film of the same name which was released in 1941. In "The Devil and Daniel Webster", the Devil takes human form (Jennifer Love Hewitt) as she comes to "help out" a failing writer, Jabez Stone (Alec Baldwin). However, after Stone accepts her offer, he soon realizes that his deal wasn't quite what he expected it to be. Anthony Hopkins adds his superstar status as the wise sage, which he plays so convincingly.There is only one result that can come from inserting two of the most talented actors in a film that has a good script. Hopkins stars alongside Alec Baldwin and Jennifer Love Hewitt in one of the best classic fantasies that I have seen in a long time.When I heard Hopkins was starring as a part of the film, I immediately thought of the amount of credibility he would give toward "The Devil and Daniel Webster"" Hopkins is the type of actor like Robert De Niro and Morgan Freeman whose mere presence on film will alert the viewer that they will be watching an excellent film. Hopkins brought integrity, intelligence, and honesty to this role."The Devil and Daniel Webster" is truly a movie with a classic story of good over evil. Alec Baldwin's approach was enjoyable to watch as he seemed to pull it off with such innocence. It was like he is learning life's lessons all over again from scratch. Also, Jennifer Love Hewitt's performance is like a mirror image to that of Hopkins.Hewitt is a vision to behold in "The Devil and Daniel Webster" as her beauty radiates off the screen with such sexiness. Hewitt showcases her true ability to capture the essence of her character and portrays it with cleverness and believability. Audiences will enjoy the surprises Hewitt has in store for them."The Devil and Daniel Webster" gets 9 enthusiastic stars and 2 thumbs up.