Deal of a Lifetime (2000)

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

I suppose because I went to Arcadia High School that this movie is more meaningful to me than it otherwise might be. A movie about high school kids with some sentimental moments and it makes you reminisce on what it was like to be a high school student in the late 1990's. Every "nerd" in high school wanted to date the head cheerleader, and in this movie the guy actually gets to. It sort of reminds me of the movie "Can't Buy Me Love" with Patrick Dempsey except not as good and with a lower budget. Some people on here like the opening scene where hell is depicted as some sort of boiler room, sweat shop. I found these scenes boring and difficult to watch. I really enjoyed the rest of the movie.

Imagine a very early Tim Burton flick, before Beetlejuice, before Peewee, and cast a subdued Robin Williams in the role of Jerry the lesser demon, make it a high school teencom, and maybe you'll have an idea what this movie is like.Highlights include: creative visuals without flashy FX (I love the depiction of Hell as an office sweatshop, not unlike a few where I've worked before), excellent acting by the teen stars, and a particularly vibrant performance by Kevin Pollack, all of which bring this otherwise dusty story to life. The plot is exactly what you'd expect: a mephistophelean figure promises to make a nerd into the most popular kid in return for the kid's eternal soul. No surprises with that premise. But Kevin Pollack acting as the lovable, detestable demon is what wakes up this age-old story. He's every bit as memorable as impish as Elizabeth Hurley playing the Devil in "Bedazzled" (only Liz has MUCH better legs in a dress ...as you will see, ugh!).Though not quite as over-the-top as Robin Williams, Pollock delivers his own unique, highly colorful contribution. The fun is seeing what form he will take next (my fave is the ice cream man who grabs kids' money and hands them "Tabasco swirls" in return... haha before pelting them with vanilla scoops). Pretty early on you realize the plot is not nearly as important as the random, surreal gags like that.If you do decide to pay attention to the story, you'll see that the high school setting is the perfect setting for the Faustian legend. High school society is the perfect microcosm to illustrate the fleeting glamor and material temptations of life. What nerd wouldn't sell his soul to date the head cheerleader?I think adults and teens alike will get a kick out of this film. It's good, clean fun, no filthy language, no contrived sexual situations, nothing really disturbing at all. Just a cute re-telling of an ancient morality tale.With its surreal vibe, I would compare "Deal of a Lifetime" to other bizarre teen classics like "Better Off Dead" (about a high school kid trying to kill himself in ridiculous ways), maybe "Back to School" (featuring middle-aged Rodney Dangerfield trying to be the big freshman on campus) or even "Ferris Bueler" though overall not as wacky as those masterpieces. But if you grew up with those movies, "Deal of a Lifetime" will be a nice nostalgic trip back to the fun we experienced with those 80s gems.

Okay i admit the plot was okay. It was watchable. The only thing worth seeing in this movie is Shiri Appleby. Her acting is brillant. She looks beautiful and comes across on screen very well. I like the movie because Shiri is brillant in it. But if your not a fan of hers, then i wouldn't recommend it. The story is alright, but it lacks creativity and suspence. It could have been better. Overall a good film for something to watch if you have nothing else to do!!!

This is an imaginative, visually distinctive film that stands apart from the current, hum-drum collection of high school pics, mostly because it treats its audience with respect and has the visual chops to back it up. This is a romantic comedy for kids and their young parents, with a smart variation on Faust as the agent for the Devil takes the soul of an amoral kid. It's a great idea for young people to be exposed to these themes--temptation, redemption--particularly in the post-Columbine period.