Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

A Major Disappointment

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Horror veteran Jimmy Sangster got himself attached to the Disney company by way of his story concerning a crooked apartment manager in Los Angeles who is hit by a car and goes to Hell. To save himself from eternal damnation, he must return to Earth and find three unsullied innocents who will sign away their souls in exchange for their life's wish to be granted. Sangster shares credit for the plot with screenwriter Mary Rodgers of "Freaky Friday", who apparently added the accoutrements of a single mom and her son looking for a husband and father to love, a teenage nerd who wants to be a motocross champion and a nervous songbird who wants to be a star. Disney, who had not yet developed the Touchstone subsidiary for more grown-up product, was attempting to change their image a bit here, but the swear words and a scary scene down in Hades just seem out of place in a movie about an old softie (Elliott Gould) charming everyone with his rumpled panache. Bill Cosby is cast as Satan, who dresses up for different occasions even though nobody but Gould can see him, and Susan Anspach is the daycare worker burned by broken romances. Both are good, but it's Gould movie and he carries it to a treacly but satisfying finish. **1/2 from ****

This is nothing like any movie I've seen before, a tale about an ungracious man who goes straight to hell and gets the chance to redeem himself by selling his soul for three others. I must admit, Bill Cosby seems more like a mere tormentor than Satan. But then again, this is a family film. If this were simply a comedy, the performance would probably be different. Anyway, this guy, Max, helps three people: a singer, a biker, and a boy who's trying to get his mother to marry. I did enjoy all three of these stories. And I really enjoyed the song "Any Fool Can See". Max eventually does become a better person, but of course, this is not what Barney really intended.*** out of ****

Elliot Gould has always been one of my favorite actors. I feel that he has been so sadly underrated. When he starred in the 1980 Disney film The Last Flight Of Noah's Ark, I felt he should have been named a Disney Legend for the great work he did. The year after TLFONA, he made this film which is a very worthy follow up, in fact I remember at the time it was released that he proclaimed it as the best film he ever made. Despite the fact it deals with the devil and hell, I still feel this is a good family film that teaches a lesson. We see that Gould's character isn't really bad, he just needs a good slap in the face to make him realize how greedy and selfish he is. The scenes in hell that are supposed to be scary are really funny, special effects in 1981 weren't what they are today! Whats interesting is that the young actress who plays the singer in the film looks a lot like Barbara Streisand and Gould was married to her! I really enjoyed the song "Roses and Rainbows" that she sang. What really tickled me about this movie is the fact that it is the only time I have ever seen Bill Cosby, America's favorite TV dad and all around good guy, play a baddie, the Devil himself! I'll be he had a ball making this film! The only thing is that scene where it shows him in full Devil costume screaming at Elliott Gould might frighten small children. Not to be a spoiler, but this film has a very happy ending and you really feel good for Gould's character because he has learned his lesson the hardest way imaginable!

Elliott Gould's career slowed down after a string of R-rated films in the 60's and 70's...and came to a screeching halt in 1981. Disney's attempt in the eighties to modernize their films included casting Bill Cosby and Elliott Gould as The Devil and Max Devlin respectively. The plot involves Gould signing up three good souls for the Devil so as to replace his own soul from going down South. In concept, this is basically the flip side of Oh God! (George Burns and John Denver). Bill Cosby probably seemed like a hip if not fair replacement for George Burns (both being beloved stand-ups) but Elliott Gould was too much of a bad boy to be considered sympathetic in any film. The sort of sympathy evoked by John Denver in "Oh God!" Together, Cosby and Gould had no chemistry with little if any comic opportunities. Cosby was not very believable as the Devil and we could care less if Gould spent eternity in Hell. Singer Julie Budd was cast as one of the "good" souls (the in-joke here is that Julie Budd is a look-alike, sound-alike clone of Barbara Streisand and Streisand is the former Mrs. Gould. Of course kids who saw this film in 1981 didn't have a clue who she was...oh heck, most adults didn't know who she was...so why the trouble in casting Julie Budd?) To make things worse she sings one song "Rainbows and Roses" over and over and over and over and over again. Disney turns out more music than any film studio, couldn't they write a few songs for this film? Adam Rich (former "Eight Is Enough" social tragedy) and David Knell round out the trio in appearances that are a notch below a below-average Love Boat guest spot. Susan Anspach ("Montenegro") plays Adam Rich's mom and Gould's love interest and deserves the most sympathy for that alone.