The Witches of Eastwick [from the novel by John Updike] is a brilliantly conceived metaphor for the battle between the sexes that literally poses the question must a woman sell her soul to the devil to have a good relationship?
With a no-holds-barred performance by Jack Nicholson as the horny Satan, it’s a very funny and irresistible set-up for anyone who has ever been baffled by the opposite sex.
Sukie Ridgemont (Michelle Pfeiffer), a writer for the local newspaper, is the intellectual; Jane Spofford (Susan Sarandon), a high school music teacher, is the woman of feeling; and Alexandra Medford (Cher), a sculptress, represents the sensuous side. They’re all divorced and they’re all looking for a Mr Right.
Enter Daryl Van Horn (Jack Nicholson), the answer to their collective longing for a man of wit, charm and intelligence. For Nicholson it’s the role of a lifetime, the chance to seduce these women and be cock of the roost.
Spectacle of the film is really Nicholson. Dressed in eccentric flowing robes, odd hats and installed in a lush mansion, he is larger than life, as indeed the devil should be. The witches, lovely though they are, exist more as types than distinct personalities.
1987: Nominations: Best Original Score, Sound
