Word: deviled
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PLUSCA CHANGE, plus e'est lameme chose:" one of the more memorable lines in The Devil Always Wins, it could, in fact, serve as its thesis statement as well. Not that the basic idea is bad, mind you, though somewhat familiiar, man sells out to the devil, thinks he has gotten the better end of the deal, and discovers otherwise. We've seen what's been done with this theme in the past; let's see what's been done here...
...else. A reasonable request. "Can't you talk of something else besides the weather, vegetables, and domestic animals?" Nicholas demands, as he proceeds to undertake this task with twice as much time as Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy but with only half the wit. Luckily for him, the Devil (Bill Saunders) intervenes at just the right moment, stepping out inexplicably from the cupboard. (Has he been at those Pop-tarts again?) Through various ruses, he manages to finagle Flatford into signing away his soul in return for a large number of material goods to be provided before the following morning...
...desire), the ghastly Prudence Tomb (Martha Coffin). Rabid purveyor of the go rich-quick-after-B-School American Drench, Martha, ever the killjoy, nags at Ernest to do his reading between intermittent snatches of an idiotic love duet. Just as we begin to feel at home, the Devil appears once again, in a new guise, armed with a repertoire of tired Harvard Jokes, after enough references to "666" to exasperate even the most cretinous. He cajoles and coerces Ernest into agreeing to attend an interview with his "firm" Watch out. Ernest, we cry, but it is too late...
...occurs in Hell, the program informs us; yet, the skyline seen through the picture windows is suspiciously familiar, as is the interior. Shock of recognition, presumably: it is, in fact, an executive office, complete with intercom; and here's the Devil, complete with cigar and sinister Texan accent. Ah, the evils of big business. Ernest begins his meteoric rise to the top as overseer to the Seven Deadly Sins (Norma Lindabl), here a collection of painfully unwitty caricatures: Envy, for instance, wears a Yale sweatshirt. Bring on Lee Lacocca instead and spare us the trouble. Well-prepared...
...Green River. You'll spend three days with eagles and sheep and enough sleepers and rapids to make you happy to get back to the safety of Cambridge. Not only is Legal an expert raftsman, he's a gourmet cook, and after you've survived the hell of Devil's Elbow, he'll rustle you up some trout that'll make you even happier you're alive...