The Devil and Max Devlin
Year: 1981
Studio: Walt Disney Productions
Director: Steven Hilliard Stern
Cast: Elliott Gould, Bill Cosby, Susan Anspach, Adam Rich, Julie Budd, Sonny Shroyer
Crew: Steven Hilliard Stern (Director), Jerome Courtland (Producer), Mary Rodgers (Screenplay), Mary Rodgers (Story), Jimmy Sangster (Story), Buddy Baker (Original Music Composer)
Runtime: 96 minutes
Release: Mar 06, 1981
IMDb: 5.80/10 by 36 users
Popularity: 1
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Budget: 0
Revenue: 16,000,000

With Bill Cosby's life and career in tatters these days with a myriad of past date-rape accusations against the actor/comedian, I have been intrigued to investigate both his earlier filmic oddities and the comedic albums of his stand-up routines from years gone by. This was a decent, Disney (to add a touch of irony) comedy just before he was going to hit a purple patch in his life with the mega-success of 'The Cosby Show'. I wish when I came across them in a London music store a few years back, that I had pulled the trigger and bought a pair of jazz albums he had made with Quincy Jones. I have a feeling they would have proved a lot more interesting than this was.
I'd recommend 'The Devil and Max Devlin'. Of course it is slightly hampered by the fact it's a Disney film, but I feel it manages to leave a mark in what it does tackle in regards to the premise. I felt attached to the dilemma that Max (Elliott Gould) faces, despite it being a fairly predictable situation. Gould is good in the lead role. He is joined by, um, Bill Cosby, who suitably plays a character from the less appealing afterlife. Julie Budd (Stella) is the best of the rest, especially when it comes to the music; she's got a great voice. Disney's best film up until this point of the 1980s, which they begin poorly. Happy with this one though, I like it.