Death Becomes Her

PG-13

7/30/19921h 44m

Theatrical Release (US)

~ In one small bottle...The fountain of youth. The secret of eternal life. The power of an ancient potion. Sometimes it works...Sometimes it doesn't. ~

Overview:

Madeline is married to Ernest, who was once her arch-rival Helen's fiancé. After recovering from a mental breakdown, Helen vows to kill Madeline and steal back Ernest. Unfortunately for everyone, the introduction of a magic potion causes things to be a great deal more complicated than a mere murder plot.

Director:

Robert Zemeckis

Status:

Released

Language:

English

Buget:

$55,000,000.00

Revenue:

$149,000,000.00

Key words:

jealousy
immortality
beauty
rivalry
potion
drinking
mischievous
playful
body horror
hilarious

Cast

Goldie Hawn

~ as ~

Helen Sharp

Bruce Willis

~ as ~

Dr. Ernest Menville

Meryl Streep

~ as ~

Madeline Ashton Menville

Isabella Rossellini

~ as ~

Lisle von Rhuman

Ian Ogilvy

~ as ~

Chagall

Adam Storke

~ as ~

Dakota

Nancy Fish

~ as ~

Rose

Alaina Reed Hall

~ as ~

Psychologist

Michelle Johnson

~ as ~

Anna

Mary Ellen Trainor

~ as ~

Vivian Adams

View full cast & crew

Reviews (1)

CinemaSerf
Written 3 year(s) ago
7
"Helen" (Goldie Hawn) has always lived in the shadow of her friend, the successful actress "Madeline" (Meryl Streep), but when she loses her fiancée - renowned, if rather dowdy, plastic surgeon "Dr. Menville" (Bruce Willis) to her, she loses the plot. Eventually twice the size and evicted from her apartment with her hands still glued to the ice cream pot, she is sent to a mental institution were she finally concocts a plan for revenge. Meantime, the marriage has rather gone to seed. "Madeline" seeks comfort in the arms of younger men, but when her latest beau rejects her, she finds herself - via the kindly intervention of an almost unrecognisable Ian Ogilvy ("Chagall") - in the lair of the seductive "Lisle von Rhuman" (Isabella Rossellini) who offers her eternal youth. Of course there is a price - but will she pay it? What ensues for the last forty five minutes is really quite entertaining. Streep and Hawn look like they are enjoying themselves as their antics become comically macabre. Willis, the now bottle-hitting doctor - who has been largely reduced to manicuring corpses - is also clearly having some fun and Rossellini hams up wonderfully. The ending isn't my favourite, but I suppose it was "fair" and desserts were just. This is an amiable, feel-good, comedy with everyone on good form, some lovely snide dialogue and I liked it.