Shortcut to Happiness (2003)

Down-and-out writer Jabez Stone (Producer and Director Alec Baldwin) sells his soul to The Devil (Jennifer Love Hewitt) in exchange for fame and fortune.

Director:

Alec Baldwin (as Harry Kirkpatrick)

Writers:

Stephen Vincent Benet (story "The Devil and Daniel Webster"), Archibald Macleish (play)

Stars:

Virl Andrick, Ray Aranha, Kaniel Arocho

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Virl Andrick	...	Dick
Ray Aranha	...	Mailman
Kaniel Arocho	...	Skateboard Kid #1
Jorge Arocho	...	Skateboard Kid #2
Mary Ashton	...	Production Assistant
Howard Atlee	...	Award Audience Man
Dan Aykroyd	...	Julius Jensen
Alec Baldwin	...	Jabez Stone
Gregg Bello	...	Rick Fusco
Bobby Cannavale	...	Cop
Jann Carl	...	Herself
Kim Cattrall	...	Constance Hurry
Antoni Cornacchione	...	Security Guard
Bill Corsair	...	Aging Writer
Grenville Cuyler	...	Taxi Hailer

Storyline

In Manhattan, ambitious writer Jabez Stone (Producer and Director Alec Baldwin) is a complete loser. He is not able to sell his novels, he lives in an awful apartment and he does not have success with women. When one of his friends, Julius Jensen (Dan Aykroyd), sells his novel for one hundred ninety thousand dollars to an editor, Jabez feels envious and promises to sell his soul to the devil for success and accidentally kills a woman with his typing machine. The Devil (Jennifer Love Hewitt) knocks on his door, fixes the situation, and seals a contract with Jabez. His low quality novels have bad reviews but become best-sellers; Jabez enriches; has success with women, but has no time for his friends. Jabez meets with publisher Daniel Webster (Sir Anthony Hopkins) who offers him a chance to break the contract with the devil.

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Plot Keywords:

devil | writer | fortune | fame | new york city | 

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Taglines:

the devil is in the details.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language and sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Yari Film Group [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 August 2007 (Kazakhstan)

Also Known As:

The Devil

Filming Locations:

Bethpage, Long Island, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Yari Film Group (YFG), Cutting Edge Entertainment, El Dorado Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sir Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin appeared in The Edge (1997).

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Goofs

While showing Jabez his new apartment, the Realtor says Irving Berlin wrote "White Christmas" there. In fact, the song was written while sitting at the pool at the Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa in Phoenix, Arizona in 1940.

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Quotes

Daniel Webster: And so it was that the chariot of the devil smote down Jensen. You see, Jensen was a loose end. And the devil doesn't like loose ends, if you know what I mean.

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Connections

Version of The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941)

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Soundtracks

Style
Written and Performed by Richard Glasser
Courtesy of Billabong Music

User Reviews

I'd like to see the director's cut.

One of the reviews says there were three versions of the film. I'd like to see Baldwin's original cut of this movie. The last version was cut badly, there are many unnatural breaks in the film. like it was edited for commercial breaks. The breaks where scenes were cut seem apparent.

Apparently the 1941 movie suffered a similar fate, with many titles and severe editing.

The story runs counter to the traditional American ethic of money equaling happiness.

The film was purchased out of bankruptcy for a fraction of production costs, and renamed and hacked for a fast return on investment.