Here we have a film that apparently was never released to the theatres & it is easy to figure out why You have Rob Lowe as one of the Devils messengers in heavy make-up looking years younger than he does on the West Wing, he is not very convincing in farce, an actress named Alexandra Power as an angel she is not very believable either & Michael York a very reliable actor playing Satan,. mr York has a field day & he at least seems to be enjoying the nonsense. Now there is one person I missed & her performance makes the film worth seeing I am talking about SIGNE HASSO she is an old time actress from the late `30s & `40s. She plays with mucho gusto an actress of that period. Its an absolute pleasure to watch her do a take of on herself. The rest of the cast & the entire production is second rate.
8 Reviews
A movie that starts out interesting but devolves into incoherence
gee-155 December 2021
I remember being very disappointed in this film. The notion of a devil trying to corrupt a good person ( and finding himself influenced instead) seemed interesting. But the movie does not do much with that premise. The only funny scene is where Rob Lowe (playing the devilish character) finds himself having to say grace at a meal. His contorted attempts to say it but not say it were pretty comical. But that happens early on and the rest of the film is determinedly unfunny and inept.
Good, especially when characters are bad
vchimpanzee11 August 2005
Nick is in Hell. Literally. The Devil calls him into his office and tells him that he will be sent to Earth to cause trouble in the life of Cassie, the too-perfect waitress at Eddie's Restaurant.
Cassie lives with Vivian, Eddie's aunt and the owner of the restaurant. Vivian believes she was once a movie star but has no evidence to prove this. Rita, another waitress, wants to be Eddie's partner--in more ways than one.
Nick likes his coffee hot and black. He even needs to add hot sauce. The new cook's chili, though, is just right for him.
As Nick starts causing trouble, The Devil watches on a TV screen, sometimes gleefully but often distressed. Monitoring his progress on Earth is Daphne. One possible complication: Nick starts to remember who he was on Earth before he died. Brian, a clerk in Hell, knows Nick's secret but is ordered not to tell.
One of the best scenes, and something that has to be considered unique in film history, was the one where the restaurant's new cook was hired. I enjoyed the movie overall, and most of the actors were pretty good. There were also some amazing plot twists, and a satisfying ending.
Rob Lowe didn't seem to be that good a comic actor. His character's lines were well-written, but his delivery lacked something. He was at his best in scenes that could have fit in a dramatic movie. However, maybe my opinion of him is clouded by the fact I couldn't stand him in 'The West Wing'.
I didn't really care that much for Cassie either. It's probably just my opinion and I'm sure Alexandra Powers did a capable job.
But Michael York did a fine job as a despicable Devil, and Eva LaRue was deliciously evil. LaRue also gave us a sultry jazz performance at the start of the closing credits. Also, Signe Hasso was enjoyably over-the-top as Aunt Vivian.
The comical background music, which also showed up in the closing credits, was very effective. I also enjoyed the big-band music that played in Vivian's house and at the Young Republicans' dance. What I didn't like was the new-age music that was played in some romantic scenes and during the end of the credits.
This was really good.
Cassie lives with Vivian, Eddie's aunt and the owner of the restaurant. Vivian believes she was once a movie star but has no evidence to prove this. Rita, another waitress, wants to be Eddie's partner--in more ways than one.
Nick likes his coffee hot and black. He even needs to add hot sauce. The new cook's chili, though, is just right for him.
As Nick starts causing trouble, The Devil watches on a TV screen, sometimes gleefully but often distressed. Monitoring his progress on Earth is Daphne. One possible complication: Nick starts to remember who he was on Earth before he died. Brian, a clerk in Hell, knows Nick's secret but is ordered not to tell.
One of the best scenes, and something that has to be considered unique in film history, was the one where the restaurant's new cook was hired. I enjoyed the movie overall, and most of the actors were pretty good. There were also some amazing plot twists, and a satisfying ending.
Rob Lowe didn't seem to be that good a comic actor. His character's lines were well-written, but his delivery lacked something. He was at his best in scenes that could have fit in a dramatic movie. However, maybe my opinion of him is clouded by the fact I couldn't stand him in 'The West Wing'.
I didn't really care that much for Cassie either. It's probably just my opinion and I'm sure Alexandra Powers did a capable job.
But Michael York did a fine job as a despicable Devil, and Eva LaRue was deliciously evil. LaRue also gave us a sultry jazz performance at the start of the closing credits. Also, Signe Hasso was enjoyably over-the-top as Aunt Vivian.
The comical background music, which also showed up in the closing credits, was very effective. I also enjoyed the big-band music that played in Vivian's house and at the Young Republicans' dance. What I didn't like was the new-age music that was played in some romantic scenes and during the end of the credits.
This was really good.
One Hell of A Guy-Far from Down to Earth *
edwagreen7 February 2009
Warning: Spoilers
What a loser this 1998 film is.
It's a shame that Signe Hasso, a great actress so many years ago, allowed herself to get into this productive mess. I want to remember Signe Hasso for "The House on 92nd Street," not this mess of a film.
For Rob Lowe, the film is perfect. He lacks talent and this picture allows him to display it.
One of the previous comments says that Michael York is similar to the late James Mason. Is that true and I congratulate the writer for stating this.
Cassie was just too sweet of a girl to be left alone here. Go know that she led a previous life which is true of the Lowe and Hasso characters.
Ms. La Rue is no Lola. That's what was needed for her part as well as far better writing. The film appears amateurish at times.
It's a shame that Signe Hasso, a great actress so many years ago, allowed herself to get into this productive mess. I want to remember Signe Hasso for "The House on 92nd Street," not this mess of a film.
For Rob Lowe, the film is perfect. He lacks talent and this picture allows him to display it.
One of the previous comments says that Michael York is similar to the late James Mason. Is that true and I congratulate the writer for stating this.
Cassie was just too sweet of a girl to be left alone here. Go know that she led a previous life which is true of the Lowe and Hasso characters.
Ms. La Rue is no Lola. That's what was needed for her part as well as far better writing. The film appears amateurish at times.
One hell of a movie.
acearms9 January 2004
A fun movie reminiscent of Ghost (1990). Lowe was better than some of his other movies in the comedy. Michael York, the devil, was really interesting to watch; remember him from 1968 Romeo and Juliet? He is reminiscent of James Mason. Aleaxandra Powers was love at first sight for her role in this one. And Frank McRae is a winner even off the foot ball field. A delightfully light hearted movie about a devil hey boy and an angle who fall in love. Worth the time.
Childhood Memory
Allara6 March 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Granted- I haven't seen this movie in quite some time- but I had to drop by and defend it's honor after reading some of the others reviews written about it. I once stumbled upon this movie, a couple years back, as a young teenager and adored it! In fact I am always checking to see if it comes on again but unfortunately I haven't been able to find it since. I remember that Rob Lowe played someone in debt to the Devil and fell in love with an Angel who was working in disguise as a waitress. There were many funny scenes and Michael York made a fanstastic Devil; they always filmed scenes with him after taking the usual 'express elevator' to Hell. Anyway, I believe - if I'm not mistaken - that the Angel's duty was to in fact 'save' him in the end. It was very touching and magical in a sense. If you do not expect more, than you will love it, just don't take things too seriously.
Hell is a pretty boring place!
JohnHowardReid3 October 2014
Warning: Spoilers
I'd never heard of screenwriter Laura Levine before I watched this movie but I thought to myself that it was Manhattan to Clapham Junction that she was a television writer. Sure enough! All but one – this one! – of her numerous credits are for her contributions to some TV series. Probably "One Hell of a Guy" was also slated for TV but her agent sold it to the short-lived 7.23 Productions instead. How can I tell? The script is divided into segments. In my day, the segments had to be exactly 7 minutes in length, plus three minutes for commercials and station identification. No tolerance was allowed whatever. If a segment ran over 7 minutes, it had to be trimmed. If it ran less, some inconsequential dialogue had to be added. Another pointer was that the main characters – usually three or four – had to be on screen almost continuously and assigned lots of close-ups rather than two-shots. The only good thing about TV writing is that it doesn't discriminate against aged performers the way movies now do. Thus it was good to see Anne de Salvo in a major role in "One Hell of a Guy", despite her position way down the cast list. On the other hand, the segments themselves were a varied bunch. Some were entertaining, some were overloaded with inconsequential dialogue, others were plain boring especially those in which Michael York figured so repetitively, and those in which Rob Lowe and Alexandra Powers dominated the screen whilst they exchanged inconsequential chit-chat. York's scenes are so lacking in fire power, they were probably all filmed in a single day.
An Unseen Film with Illogical Plot!
Sylviastel17 April 2013
The story of Rob Lowe's character Nick is that he must go to Earth from Hell where he is assigned to capture the soul of Cassie Springer in a small town. She is a diner waitress played by Alexandra Powers. The film's best moments are with Michael York as the devil. Eva La Rue plays his helper who has to keep Nick from discovering his past life on earth. I don't get Sandra Bernhard's performance as God. I loved Signe Hasso as Cassie's Aunt Vivian. She is fabulous in perhaps one of her last great roles. You can tell that she was a great film actress. Bruce Weitz and Anne De Salvo are a couple who worked at the diner and dream of their own business one day. Still, they have to convince the courts that Aunt Vivian is unable to manage her estate. Nick's weak plan is to get Cassie to lose Aunt Vivian to the funny farm and end up turning a gun on someone else.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
