You might think it would take a deal with the devil to rustle up a worthy remake of Stanley Donen's Bedazzled, a droll 1967 recasting of the Faust fable, which is why Harold Ramis' Y2K update is such a pleasant surprise. Stars Elizabeth Hurley and Brendan Fraser don't have quite the comedic chemistry conjured up by Peter Cook and Dudley Moore in the original, but they certainly don't embarrass themselves. And Ramis and co-screenwriters Peter Tolan (Analyze This, also with Ramis) and Larry Gelbart (Tootsie) have pooled their considerable gifts in a screenplay that's loaded with clever one-liners and zippy exchanges and that puts a fresh spin on the original (while liberally recycling its gags) to boot. The story's familiar framework is quickly laid out: Elliot Richards (Fraser) is a cubicle-bound schmo at a faceless techno-corporation. His workdays are a nightmare of stillborn, faux-jocular attempts to include himself in the camaraderie shared by his office mates, and he constantly pines for lovely co-worker Alison (Frances O'Connor, star of last year's Mansfield Park), who's entirely oblivious to his existence. Things come to a head when Elliot crashes an after-hours confab at a bar and his irritated fellow employees goad him into making a foredoomed attempt to chitchat with Alison. Enter an attractive stranger (Hurley) in a red cocktail dress, who just might be able to make it all better - for a price, of course.

Hurley positively tears into her role. "It's not easy being the Barbra Streisand of evil," she moans, an observation frankly gainsaid by her utterly delectable performance. It hardly need be noted that she's got a body built for sin, but her excellent timing and delivery are a delightful revelation. "Don't ask me if there's a God, I get that one all the time," she tells Elliot. Beat. "Yes, there's a God." Fraser, who leans on the dork button a trifle heavily during the setup scenes, is nearly as good - he's a riot as a multilingual Colombian cocaine jefe - and the two stars' rapport frequently sparkles. Like the original, the movie is mostly a two-player revue, but the supporting cast is still something of a disappointment. O'Connor gamely essays the various women of Elliot's fantasies, but she's the only one who makes much of an impression. Instead of (per the original) the seven deadly sins as the devil's support staff, we get Elliot's office cohorts (including Orlando Jones, the Seven-Up guy) as recurring background players, and their presence is more gimmicky than funny

Rated PG-13 for sex-related humor, language, and some drug content.