By Geno McGahee
Bill Cosby playing the devil in a Disney movie….doesn’t sound like a formula for success, but in 1981, THE DEVIL AND MAX DEVLIN was released and it is actually a very good movie. With everything we know now, Cosby seems to be a true devil. A raping, groping devil. I never liked him. Not from day one. I guess my instincts are good. I didn’t like THE COSBY SHOW. I wasn’t a fan of any of his movies or his pretentious attitude and I don’t think his stand up is funny, BUT he isn’t a bad actor. He actually played the role of “Barney Satin” very well.
The film begins with Max Devlin, played by Elliot Gould. He is managing an apartment building and treats the tenants very poorly. He won’t fix anything, won’t get rid of the roaches, won’t allow children to live there…he is not a very nice person. While chasing a tenant, he trips into the path of an oncoming bus and is run over. He begins falling into the depths of hell along with many other souls. He is brought in front of a panel and is told that he will be going to be in hell for an eternity, unless he gets three innocent people to take his place. He quickly agrees.
Back to life and back on earth, Devlin begins hunting down his marks. He has an extra sense and can hone in on them and actually appear anywhere just by thinking of it. His first target is wannabe singer Stella Summers (Julie Budd). She is singing for the first time in front of a tough crowd. Out of nowhere, Devlin appears and promises that she will be a smash if she sticks with him. She rocks the house and is immediately signed to a deal, and close to signing her soul over to Devlin.
Next up is a nerd, Nerve Nordlinger (David Knell), that desperately wants to learn how to ride a dirt bike. Devlin drives up with a bike hooked to the back of his motocross mobile and promises him that he could teach him quickly how to be a great biker. On his first try, he is riding like a pro, and soon becomes racing and winning, becoming a smash with the motocross fans, and close to signing his soul over to Max as well.
The third mark is young Toby Hart (Adam Rich), a young boy that has lost his father and is now on the lookout for a replacement. His mother Penny (Susan Anspach) is struggling to get by, running a daycare, and not really having an interest in remarrying. Devlin meets up with young Toby at a carnival and begins going on the rides with him, which you would never see in a movie now. The priests and Boy Scout leaders have ruined film. An adult male hanging out with a young boy forces the viewer to think that something funny is going on. In 1981, we were in much more innocent times and nobody thought that Max was trying to diddle Toby.
Max wins the heart of Penny and now has his three marks ready to go and if he can get them to sign by the deadline, he will be saved. The group finally begins signing and their attitude changes. They are no longer loving and caring people. They become mean and selfish, and all Max has to do is turn in the contracts and he will be all set, but (spoiler) he cannot do it. Although threatened by the red and horned Cosby-Devil, he burns the contracts and saves the souls of his marks.
THE DEVIL AND MAX DEVLIN is a very good movie. Gould and Cosby work well off each other and there are some amusing moments throughout . I highly recommend it.
Scared Stiff Rating: 7.5/10. Cosby is Satan.
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