The Devil and Max Devlin

This inspiring story of how an out-and-out slob makes a pact with the Devil but is finally converted to the Disney organisation would make better entertainment if the studio hadn't thrown so many disparate elements together in an attempt to grab their audience. We get one played out anti-hero, one winsome child actor, one Streisand clone who keeps belting out the same song, one wry black comic; the wonder is that there's no cute dolphin chortling in the swimming-pool. The script has its moments, especially when Cosby is around as the Devil's aide, but the film finally subsides in a welter of structural flaws and heartwarming sentiment.