Let's just start with that first -- supernatural comedy -- this used to be a legit goddamn genre (just like cop thrillers and straightforward suspense film). And the '80s were the height of this particular type of high concept film.
Some downright bizarre movies (if you think about them long enough) like Ghostbusters and Beetlejuice could be blockbusters, and The Witches of Eastwick, in my estimation, is one of the best.
First off, I'm biased. Jack Nicholson is my favorite actor of all time and he just feasting in this movie. It let's him do a little bit of everything he does best -- and it employs what I have always thought is his secret weapon as an actor: his total lack of vanity (at least on-screen).
It also boasts the dynamic trio of Cher, Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pfeiffer in peak movie star mode. Sarandon in particular was a revelation this time around. She made the conscious choice that her character, Jane, would be the most unabashedly into Jack (a.k.a. the Devil) and her characterization here is a blast. In fact, I enjoyed her so much in this it dawned on me how much my distaste for her public persona (remember the 'revolution' she predicted?) had clouded my appreciation for her as a performer.
There's also a great, gonzo supporting performance here from the underrated Veronica Cartwright that's a real tour de force of physicality and over the top hysterics.This is also a showcase for the great George Miller, whose mercurial filmography (Mad Max: Fury Road and Babe: Pig in the City...) is mostly dazzling and far too short. He manages to put his unique visual stamp on this material (especially in a bravura careening car sequence) which was adapted from an allegedly problematic novel by John Updike.
It could never be made today -- not only because it is a dialogue driven movie aimed at adults -- but also because it can't be easily categorized, which is what Hollywood seems most adept at doing nowadays.
Instead, this is thematically a movie in many ways about pleasure -- how you get it, how you owe it to yourself, how we all seek it and get. It has all these simple pleasures -- some extraordinary gross out humor, an earwormy score by John Williams, Nicholson's mellifluous voice -- but it also, whether it was meant to or not -- seems to have it's head screwed on right when it comes to the battle of the sexes, no small feat for a film from over 30 years ago.
For the uninitiated, Nicholson plays the devil -- summoned to a sleepy, WASPy town by three women with witching powers they just haven't tapped into yet. Ironically, Nicholson positions himself as a #NotAllMen smoothie, flattering these women and not so coyly suggestion that their rode to liberation goes straight through his bedroom.
But once he overstays his welcome and the women begin to turn on him, he reveals himself to be as selfish, needy, venal and vengeful as any entitled man. Meanwhile, Cher, Sarandon and Pfeiffer get amble opportunity to riff on the blooming independence of each other their characters and when they turn the tables it's tremendously satisfying. Pfeiffer in particular has a monologue that really hit me hard this time -- about men's need for rationality and order and women's ability to both recognize, accept and adapt to chaos. It's great, perceptive writing. What a concept!
Even if you don't want to go that deep, this is just a super fun movie that is totally on brand this time of year, especially for folks who want to cautiously dip a toe into horror. This isn't a scary film, at times its a bit macabre but in a merry, whimsical way.
I couldn't recommend it more.
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