Shortcut to Happiness (The Devil and Daniel Webster)

2007

Shortcut to Happiness (The Devil and Daniel Webster)

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Total Count: N/A

44%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 23,475

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Shortcut to Happiness (The Devil and Daniel Webster) Photos

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Movie Info

Alec Baldwin, Anthony Hopkins, Kim Cattrall, Dan Aykroyd, and Jennifer Love Hewitt star in this re-imagining of Walter Huston's The Devil and Daniel Webster - this time concerning a struggling writer who sells his soul to Old Scratch (Hewitt) in a desperate bid to find fame and fortune on the literary circuit.

Rating:

PG-13 (for language and sexual content)
Genre:

Comedy, Drama, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Directed By:

Harry Kirkpatrick
Written By:

Peter Dexter, Bill Condon, Nancy Ellen Cassaro
In Theaters:

Jul 13, 2007 wide
On Disc/Streaming:

Jul 16, 2019
Runtime:

105 minutes
Studio:

Yari Film Group

Cast

Anthony Hopkins
as Daniel Webster

Alec Baldwin
as Jabez Stone

Jennifer Love Hewitt
as The Devil

Dan Aykroyd
as Julius Jenson

Kim Cattrall
as Constance Hurry

Barry Miller
as Mike Weiss

Amy Poehler
as Molly Gilchrest

Mike Doyle
as Luke

George Plimpton
as Himself

Calvert DeForest
as Bailiff

Darrell Hammond

View All

Critic Reviews for Shortcut to Happiness (The Devil and Daniel Webster)

All Critics (4) | Top Critics (2) | Rotten (4)

Has to be seen to be believed -- a very rare case of a movie that's such an utter train wreck you can't stop watching.

July 13, 2007 | Rating: 1/4

Lou Lumenick
New York Post
Top Critic
Baldwin, like so many thesp-helmers, lacks an instinctive sense of how to place and move the camera.

July 12, 2007 | Full Review…

Scott Foundas
Variety
Top Critic
Much of the fault can be distributed to Hewitt's performance which has neither the zing nor the menace to effectively sell us that she has any credible advantage over heavyweights like Baldwin and Hopkins.

July 12, 2007 | Rating: 2/4 | Full Review…

Erik Childress
eFilmCritic.com
Awkwardly paced, indifferently acted and laughably hokey.

July 12, 2007 | Rating: 1.5/5 | Full Review…

Josh Bell
Las Vegas Weekly

View All Critic Reviews (4)

Audience Reviews for Shortcut to Happiness (The Devil and Daniel Webster)

Jan 30, 2011

This film took me by surprise. I thought cause the film was on the shelf for so long that I wasn't gonna like the film, but I was wrong. I found the film very entertaining. I thought everyone in the cast did a great job. It was predictable but that didn't bother me. It did remind me of Bedazzled which I liked better than this film.

Sol C Super Reviewer
Jun 20, 2010

A failing writer Jabez Stone ((Alec Baldwin) sells his soul to the devil (Jennifer Love Hewitt) for fame and fortune and ultimately decides that he wants to get it back. Anthony Hopkins adds his superstar status as the wise sage who offers to get Jabez out his pact with the Devil when he realizes that it wasn't quite what he expected it to be. With a star studded cast of Anthony Hopkins, Alec Baldwin, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Kim Cattrall and DanAykroyd, I was expecting a whole lot more. Baldwin assumes the responsibilities of director for this movie.

Deb S Super Reviewer
Jan 21, 2010

Great role for <a href="http://www.flixster.com/actor/jennifer-love-hewitt">Jennifer Love Hewitt</a>, but offers little else. This would have worked better as a lighter, more comedic film.

Ed K Super Reviewer
Feb 03, 2009

3-stars, but what really keeps me tuned in, starts with the last few sentences of jabez stone's novel before the phone call etc... other than that, anthony hopkins with his always charismatic composure (his closing statements in front of renowned writers/authors) with that awe-inspiring dialogue makes me stare at the screen in awe... but sadly to say, the climax didn't really hit the spot, and the whip thingy doesn't have that much of a relevance to the whole context... besides that, nothing much that wow-ed me other than what i have mentioned... with the soul and contract with blood reminds me much of movie 'ghost rider'...

d Teh tHe TeA j Super Reviewer