Harold Ramis who directed "Groundhog Day" and "Analyze This", updates Peter Cook and Dudley Moore's 1967 classic to take account of the last three decades of culture. In so doing, this take on the Faust-Mephistopheles legend turns from a sharp satire for intelligent adults into an obvious gag-fest aimed at a younger mainstream audience.

Brendan Fraser plays the socially inept computer nerd Elliot Richards who's madly in love with Alison, the sexiest woman in his office, but she doesn't even know he exists. Enter the Devil - in the guise of Elizabeth Hurley - who offers him seven wishes for his soul, persuading him that if he chooses wisely he might just be able to win Alison over.

But the Devil's cheeky sense of mischief ensures that whether Elliot is wishing to be rich, powerful, witty, or sensitive, none of his desires quite turns out as he expects.

The writers take great pleasure in setting up perfect scenarios, before tainting them with a cruel twist. But their devilish interpretations of what on the face of it seem like straight forward visions of heaven don't quite have the edge of those in the 1967 version. In targeting a mainstream audience, they sacrifice originality and subtlety for crass, cheap laughs.

Hurley, who clearly wasn't cast for her acting ability, comes far short of Cook's impeccably sarcastic performance in the original, and without his relentless wickedness between wishes, this often feels more like a string of sketches. That said, with the volume down, she's much nicer to look at that him.

But Brendan Fraser is a joy to watch, switching effortlessly between our hapless hero and a wide range of characters.

The make-up, costumes, and locations work well, as do some of the clever Devil references in the script. It's a perfectly enjoyable film - it just doesn't reach the heavenly heights of its predecessor.

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