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Deal Of A Lifetime

2000, Movie, PG, 95 mins

Deal Of A Lifetime: Review

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This devilishly whimsical farce is one of the rare teen comedies that doesn't stoop to salacious humor. A self-effacing parody of the traditional cautionare tale of Faust and his deal with the Devil, it floats along on a cloud of insouciant performances. Underachiever Henry Spooner (Michael Goorjian) gets an unexpected assist from Satan's helper, Jerry Dante (Kevin Pollak), but the price of a dream date with cheerleader Lauri Petler (Shirl Appleby) proves to be Henry's soul. Though Dante rules his office in Hell, his co-worker, Tina (Jennifer Rubin), is reluctant to see anyone else ensnared in his web and begins looking for ways to help Henry break the contract. Not that Henry wants to, at least not at first — he's enjoying the hell out of unaccustomed athletic prowess and the opportunity to run for class president. Then Henry's pal, Foster (Esteban Powell), starts putting the moves on Henry's sweetie and Henry's friends drift away, put off by his brash new personality. Can Tina find a way to dupe Dante into canceling Henry's pact, and what's in it for her? In the deft hands of screenwriter Katherine Sloan and director Paul Levine this devil-made-me-do-it tale works both as a riff on DAMN YANKEES (1958) and as a sharp look at the teen psyche. Pollak is clearly getting the charge of a lifetime out of portraying the many faces of satanic interference, gleefully donning disguises that range from game-show host to cafeteria lady. Jazzed up with refreshingly funny zingers and adroitly staged physical comedy, this family friendly comedy gambles on getting laughs without vulgarity and wins. leave a comment --Robert Pardi
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