Shortcut to Happiness

Jabez Stone is a struggling writer in New York whose career and personal life have gone nowhere. When a friend lands a major book deal, Jabez, consumed by envy, declares he would trade his soul for success. The Devil arrives to take him up on the offer, and a contract is sealed: fame and fortune now, his soul in ten years. His books become best-sellers despite hostile notices, and wealth and women follow, but his old friendships fall away. As the decade runs out, the publisher Daniel Webster offers him a way to challenge the bargain, setting up a contest over whether the contract can be broken.

Alec Baldwin directs and stars as Bez Stone, the role renamed from Jabez. Jennifer Love Hewitt plays the Devil, Anthony Hopkins is Daniel Webster, and Dan Aykroyd, Kim Cattrall and Barry Miller appear among a credited cast of 54. The screenplay is credited to Archibald Macleish, Peter Dexter and Bill Condon, with Baldwin producing alongside David Glasser and Adam M. Stone. The film draws on the Faust legend and on Stephen Vincent Benet's story about Jabez Stone, which Macleish had earlier adapted for the stage.

Released in 2007, the film runs 102 minutes and blends comedy, drama and fantasy. It stands early in Baldwin's work as a director, with a credited crew of 47 behind it. On TMDB it holds a rating of 5.6 out of 10 from 193 votes.