Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Struggling novelist, unable to get anything published much less an actual audience to read his work, enters into a pact with a comely female Satan: fame and fortune in exchange for his immortal soul. Archibald Macleish's play "Scratch" becomes an updating of "The Devil and Daniel Webster" (filmed in 1941, with a panicked farmer as the tempted central figure); producer-director Alec Baldwin portrays the leading character opposite a terrific supporting cast, including Anthony Hopkins as lawyer Daniel Webster and Jennifer Love Hewitt as the Devil. Unfortunately, the movie was edited against Baldwin's wishes after sitting on the shelf for years, debuting on the Starz television network in 2007 after some brief theatrical bookings. It begins well but quickly loses its footing once Baldwin's writer gains the success he so desired, turning the picture into a yuppie treatise on the old money-can't-buy-happiness ploy. The filmmakers are so out-of-touch, they don't even consider the fact that maybe some of the writer's needs ARE fulfilled by his newfound celebrity. Instead, he turns into a sad sack with money in the bank and women at his feet--clearly not something struggling writers in real-life can identify with. Worse, there's never a moment when this man's heart is actually detectable; Baldwin is so callow an actor (not to mention as the director) that all we perceive are his handsome, unmodulated externals. He purses his lips and gazes intently at the camera, hoping to smolder, while viewers lose track of the character's roots. The final courtroom battle is well-played, though so much of the writing is smarmy, and executed without style, that the overall results are distinctly unsatisfactory. *1/2 from ****

I went for this movie believing it had good ratings. Firstly, it is ridiculous that they're releasing a movie originally made in 2001, seven years later in 2008 here in India. Everything in the movie looks dated. Even for 2001 the movie looks like its been made on a shoe string budget. There is a scene where a taxi hits a man to elaborate how low budget you can get. Anthony Hopkins doesn't seem to know what he is doing in the film. He ends up giving a long monologue towards the end. If the film had bright sparks during that scene, I missed it as I was sleeping on my seat. Nothing about Jennifer Love Hewitt resembles a Devil. She wears ill-fitting trite clothes and scowls at random kids. As for Alec Baldwin a scene where he goes to meet Webster for the first time is not to be missed. What a waste of money! As Anthony Hopkins rightly put it, "Go back home and write better!"

I also saw this movie at the Naples Film Festival. I disagree with the other comments that Cattrell and Baldwin were good or great. They were the worst of the cast. I couldn't figure out if Catrell was really such a bad actress or if she was acting as a bad actress. I can't stand Baldwin on general principle.Hopkins, and surprisingly Hewitt, were great! The bedroom scene wasn't that bad and is cute when it reveals something about Hewitt.The story has been told dozens of times before under different names. This isn't the best version but it's worth seeing, especially since Baldwin has removed his name and association with it.Edwina

This gem of a movie will probably not be a blockbuster when it finally is released. The storyline, which has been used many times before and most people will consider that a negative, could be summed up as, "everyone deserves to get a second chance to appreciate what you've got". Nevertheless, this is a classic story and it has all the ingredients to make this an interesting film. This must be the sort of movie that every good actor and actress would love to have a role in as the screenplay has been written by an accomplished screenwriter. It is a farcical melodrama rather than a comedy but nonetheless highly enjoyable. It has a wonderful cast and it was well-acted so I'm not sure I could ask for more. All in all, I heartily recommend this film.