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- 1992
- PG-13
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 44 m
- 1992
- PG-13
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 44 m
Summary When a woman learns of an immortality treatment, she sees it as a way to outdo her long-time rival.
Directed By: Robert Zemeckis
Written By: Martin Donovan, David Koepp
- 1992
- PG-13
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 44 m
- 1992
- PG-13
- Universal Pictures
- 1 h 44 m
Death Becomes Her
56
8.2
Where to Watch
Summary When a woman learns of an immortality treatment, she sees it as a way to outdo her long-time rival.
Directed By: Robert Zemeckis
Written By: Martin Donovan, David Koepp
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 24 Critic Reviews
56
42% Positive
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
58% Mixed
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Mixed or Average
Based on 24 Critic Reviews
56
42% Positive
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
58% Mixed
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
This wildly black comedy says that in Hollywood, death becomes everyone. [03 Aug 1992]
More cosmetic than cosmic in its approach, it thrives on what it condemns and in its own weird, wonderfully savvy fashion, spanks the liposucked fannies of Hollywood. It's as irresistibly nasty as The War of the Roses and as cheerily Gothic as The Witches of Eastwick.
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 85 User Ratings
8.2
82% Positive
70 Ratings
70 Ratings
14% Mixed
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
4% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 85 User Ratings
8.2
82% Positive
70 Ratings
70 Ratings
14% Mixed
12 Ratings
12 Ratings
4% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
For all its anything-goes, Death Becomes Her never really cuts loose. The director, Robert Zemeckis, had big hits with the three Back to the Future films and with Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Clearly, he's comfortable with pricey effects. But maybe that's all he knows. There's a great, slashing satire inside this movie, whining to be let out. [31 July 1992, p.G5]
The trouble with Death Becomes Her isn’t that its comic vision is too dark but that it has no shadings, no acerbic glee. Zemeckis gives nastiness such a hard sell he forgets to take any delight in it.
As Hollywood experiments go, the new black comedy by Robert Zemeckis has more than its share of witty lines, sight gags and special effects. But even while you're appreciating its better moments, the cast is numbing them with their Arctic charm. [31 July 1992, p.43]
Central problem is that this treat for somewhat specialized tastes must be marketed to the widest possible public due to its clearly big-time budget, and general audiences are very unlikely to warm to this wickedly cold-hearted tale of jealousy, spite and revenge despite the abundance of eye-popping effects.
Death Becomes Her is a black comedy that is so pleased with its blackness it frequently forgets to be funny. [31 July 1992, p.F1]
Amazing acting by Meryl Streep, Bruce Willis, and Goldie Hawn - they had great rapport in this dark comedy. I really loved the unique story and the special effects were great considering it was the early 90's. You won't be disappointed by this hidden gem!
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This is one of the best black comedies I know, even though it suffers from the transversal problems of black humor: it's caustic, it's irreverent, it's sarcastic and has an acidity that isn't for all tastes. And most interesting: it brings together an extraordinary cast full of guys we know well and whose talent needs no introduction.
In the film, two childhood friends come to hate each other to death: they competed with each other for years, mainly in terms of their own beauty and love, stealing each other's husbands whenever possible. After a defeat, one of her friends goes into a deep depression, gains immense weight and ends up in a mental institution, where she develops a murderous obsession against her old enemy. When she steps out into the outside world, however, she looks beautiful, stunning, powerful... and determined to get revenge. All thanks to a mysterious elixir, jealously guarded by a strange woman.
The film is truly unmissable for fans of black humor, and will surely please others thanks to its comic tone and a roguish story, full of twists and turns, in which the characters conspire against each other, determined to kill themselves, and they survive, albeit with hilarious marks on their bodies. It's one of those movies that you lose when you try to explain it, so the best thing is to see it. I saw it many years ago, and now I have been able to see it again and enjoy it again.
The cast, as I said, is full of famous names, starting with the lead duo Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn. The two actresses are great and even better when they're together. It was truly a surprise to see Streep in work so far from what she's used to, but there's no doubt that the hard work of the two actresses is a strong reason to see this film. Bruce Willis is also very good and works well, stripping away his usual charisma and taking on the role of the idiot and deeply comic husband/lover. To make things even more bizarre, we have the iconic Isabella Rosselini, slim and magnificent in the role of an exotic and exuberant malefic figure, as strange and surreal as a sphinx cat.
Technically, the film is an unrecognized gem thanks to the talent of Robert Zemeckis. It was one of the most innovative films of its decade, where several new solutions were tested in terms of CGI, visual and special effects, and where photorealistic human skin software was used for the first time. Everything that would be used later, and with more mastery, in movies that we love and that make this movie even more surreal. The cinematography fulfills its role well and the sets and costumes are truly iconic, with the beautiful mansions of the characters and the dresses worn by the two protagonists (or the almost absence of clothes by Rosselini). The soundtrack doesn't deserve much attention, but it fulfills its role.
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Death Becomes Her is a typical comedy of the early 90s by Robert Zemeckis. In the first line, of course, the viewer will be bribed by the star cast of the main characters. Death Becomes Her itself is a mixture of family comedy and fantasy, which eventually smoothly flows into black comedy. Death Becomes Her uses many visual effects that are no longer tested by time. Now 30 years later, it causes more laughter than surprise. Death Becomes Her can be recommended to everyone if you are looking for a light comedy for the evening and you will forget about it the next day. Death Becomes Her has a great ending demonstrating the meaning of life.
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The fear of aging and the high cost of vanity, dissected with a humor that longed to be black, but this one remains in a pale gray tone, especially in the last twenty minutes. Alan Silvestri's score (Back to the Future) is annoying. Pity! The cast was a pretext in favor.
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Is not one of the best roles of Meryl Streep but maybe it's one where I've seen her more loose than ever, alongside Mamma Mia! And Ricki and the Flash.
Goldie Hawn is a funny companion, yet Bruce Willis is the weak link in this dark comedy.
It's not like it leaves you with a big impression but I wouldn't call it disposable.
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Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Golden Globes, USA
• 1 Nomination
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
• 2 Wins & 9 Nominations
