- Genius Bonus: Early on in the film, when Max finds himself in Hell, he's condemned to Level 4. According to The Divine Comedy, Level 4 is reserved for the prodigal and avaricious—and Max is definitely the latter before the accident that sends him down.
- Harsher in Hindsight: In light of Bill Cosby's sexual scandal in 2014 and eventual conviction in 2018, his portrayal of the Devil himself in this film now feels shockingly appropriate, rather than the ironic casting it initially was. Special mention goes to the scene of Cosby leering at an attractive young female singer, saying, "Just the way we like 'em."
- Nightmare Fuel: When Satan shows his true, demonic form to scare Max into obeying him.
- What Do You Mean, It's Not for Kids?: Even though Disney made it and it received a PG rating (before the creation of the PG-13 rating), the movie still isn't for kids because it revolves around a man who gets hit by a car and makes a deal with the devil to take three people's souls to avoid spending eternity in hell. This reason caused the movie to fail at the box office. Since Disney made it, parents assumed it was for kids and sent angry letters to Disney about the film's content, damaging its reputation and causing it to flop. Indeed, this movie is one of the reasons Disney created Touchstone Pictures. The blurb on the 2006 DVD for the film, claiming it is something "the whole family will enjoy," also doesn't help.
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/YMMV/TheDevilAndMaxDevlin
FollowingYMMV / The Devil and Max Devlin
Go To
