''Shortcut to Happiness'' is a 2007 film adaptation of the Stephen Vincent Benet classic 1936

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

The Devil and Daniel Webster "The Devil and Daniel Webster" (1936) is a short story by American writer Stephen Vincent Benét. He tells of a New Hampshire farmer who sells his soul to the devil and is later defended by Daniel Webster, a fictional version of the noted 19th-c ...

". It stars Alec Baldwin, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor, director, and producer. One of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins has received many accolad ...

. Baldwin also directed the film. Shot in early 2001 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, the film was plagued with financial difficulties and was shelved for several years. Yari Film Group eventually bought and released the film to theaters in 2007.

Plot

Jabez Stone is a desperate, down-on-his-luck writer who hits rock bottom when his close friend, Julius Jensen, finds success. In his attempts to get his work published, he meets a beautiful stranger who offers him a chance at fame and fortune in exchange for his

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest att ...

. Stone, having lost faith in himself, agrees to the offer. After accepting the deal, Jabez is quickly lavished with all he had ever dreamed of: a book deal, money, women, notoriety, Stone now has it all. However, despite the success, he is losing the friendship, respect and trust of those around him. Coming to the realization that he did not quite get everything that he bargained for, Stone begs the

devil A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of ...

to release him from their deal. When the devil scoffs, he turns to famed orator Daniel Webster. The two conclude that they should take the battle to court with Webster defending Stone in an otherworldly trial against the devil in the ultimate battle of wits in a fight over the fate of Stone's soul.

Cast

In addition, authors Gay Talese and George Plimpton make cameo appearances as themselves.

Production history

Shot in early 2001 in

, the film was plagued with financial difficulties. Baldwin said the movie was taken from him during post-production, because " me of the film's investors are being investigated for bank fraud". Due to this and other creative differences, Baldwin had his name removed from the directing credit; the name was ultimately replaced with the pseudonym "Harry Kirkpatrick". Bob Yari bought the film from a bankruptcy court for an undisclosed amount, which was said to be several million dollars. Once the film was cleared to be sold for distribution, a rough cut was screened at film festivals in 2003 and 2004, though much of the film's post-production work was not finished. The film needed further financing to complete the editing and special effects, and to replace temporary music. In July 2006 it was announced that Yari's company would work on finishing the film. In 2007 the Yari Film Group announced the acquisition of the film and distribution plans.

Rating

This film is rated PG-13 by the

MPAA The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the five major film studios of the United States, as well as the video streaming service Netflix. Founded in 1922 as the Motion Picture Producers and Distrib ...

for language and sexual content.

Reception

Box office

''Shortcut to Happiness'' grossed $686,846 at the box office, against a budget of $30 million.

Critical response

''Shortcut to Happiness'' received negative reviews from critics.

References

External links

* * * {{Bill Condon 2007 films Films directed by Alec Baldwin Films based on short fiction Films about writers Films scored by Christopher Young The Devil and Daniel Webster 2000s English-language films MoviePass Films films Films with screenplays by Bill Condon Films set in 2001 2007 directorial debut films American comedy-drama films 2000s American films