The film opens as we see and incredibly miserable writer Jabez Stone (Alec Baldwin) trying to get his story published. One of the first doors he knocks on belong to a star publisher Daniel Webster (Anthony Hopkins). While there he notices a strange trophy on Webster's wall, a tail like thing framed and hanging above his desk. After weeks of trying Jabez is almost quitting when he gets an unexpected visit from an unknown woman who turns out to be Devil herself (Jennifer Love Hewitt). She offers Jabez a deal: if he sells her his soul she will make his dreams come true. He of course accepts and soon he is a well-known and rich writer. Unfortunately not everything is as it seems, and Jabez realizes that, due to his new fame and fortune, he has been ignoring his old and good friends, one of which died of cancer a while ago. Fiding that he has gotten more than he has bargained for and he wants out of the deal but the Devil stays reluctant. Than Daniel Webster comes back into the story to defend Jabez in a trial in the depths of hell whose judge is Jabez's former friend Julius (Dan Aykroyd) who was killed in a car accident. More surprises follow when he finds that the jury is made of: Ernest Hemingway, Truman Capote, Charlotte Bronte and all the other writers the scriptwriters of this film could come up with.
In one word 'Shortcut to Happiness' is atrocious. In more than one word 'Shortcut to Happiness' is one of the worst would-be comedies I ever saw. It's bland, wildly uneven, badly written and horribly directed. Thou it has a few amusing moments 'Shortcut to Happiness' is a no-no. As expected thou Anthony Hopkins delivers a top-notch performance but unfortunately his fifteen minutes of screen time are blundered with more than an hour of Alec Baldwin's chewing of the scenery. Another thing that particularly annoys me is the fact that years ago the name Dan Aykroyd stood for quality, enjoyable, hilarious movies (Ghostbusters, Blues Brothers, 1941, Dragnet, Spies Like Us), now it stands for bad, boring and bland would-be comedies (Nothing But Trouble, North, Exit to Eden, Casper, Getting Away with Murder, Blues Brothers 2000, Yogi Bear).
All in all 'Shortcut to Happiness' is terrible but it has one redeeming quality and that's Anthony Hopkins who went out on the limb to deliver a quality performance and he makes it. If someone were to cut out only his scenes in the film (minus the courtroom ones) you would get a well acted short about a rich and powerful publisher this way you get a dull and annoying comedy of which even Alec Badlwin is ashamed of. Compare it to "Cat in the Hat".
RATING: * (1/5)
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