Death Becomes Her (1992)

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Helen loses her man, and control over her life, due to the glamour of the atractive Madeline Ashton. Fixated on revenge, Helen discovers a secret that will change her life forever, but beauty comes at a price.It's hard to think that Death become her was made back in 1992, it's so fresh and current. The humour is wonderfully witty, the delivery is subtle. A great trio in Streep, Hawn and Willis, each has impeccable comic timing, they combine so well. I'm struck by just how glamorous Meryl Streep was, perfect for this role. Some truly funny lines throughout, it's a shame the comedy horror genre has all but died out, Death becomes her serves as a reminder at just how good the genre can be.Big thumbs up from me.

Death Becomes Her (1992) ** 1/2 (out of 4)Madeline Ashton (Meryl Streep) is a cruel and self centered woman who will do anything to hurt her rival Helen (Goldie Hawn) and this includes stealing her fiancé Ernest (Bruce Willis). Fast forward seven years and Helen is now overweight with no life but after a stint in a mental hospital she straightens out and plans her revenge. It turns out both women have taken a certain potion to keep them young but they're not quite ready for the side effects.DEATH BECOMES HER features two legendary actresses, a more than capable actor and a director like Robert Zemeckis and yet it never really takes off. It's really too bad because all of the elements are here for a good movie but it falls just short thanks to one major problem with the screenplay. It does feature some wonderful special effects that sets it apart but this wasn't enough to completely save the film.The problem with the movie is the fact that all three characters are rather ugly, annoying and you just don't like them. This would work just fine if this were a black comedy but it really doesn't go for much dark humor and instead most of the humor comes from the silly special effects. The screenplay offers up two women fighting over a man but is this really anything we haven't seen before? The entire story is just on the boring side and it takes nearly a hour for the effects to kick in.Once the film turns into a special effects showcase it picks up a little bit. There are some funny sequences once both women realize that they're dead and their bodies can do all sorts of strange things including their necks breaking, gunshot wounds healing and various other forms of violence. Just think of The Three Stooges with two ladies and you get the idea. The only problem is that it's not nearly as funny as it could have been. Or should have been considering the talent involved.Streep is certainly game for the role of an uptight you know what. She turns in a good performance as does Hawn in her supporting bit. THe two have a nice chemistry together but their characters suffer from a lesser screenplay. Willis is also good in his role playing a mad Dr. Frankenstein type of character. Isabella Rossellini is fun in her supporting role,DEATH BECOMES HER is mildly interesting for its cast and special effects but this is clearly a film where the story took a backseat because everyone wanting to showcase the new effects.

In 1978, Broadway star Madeline Ashton (Meryl Streep) invites rival Helen Sharp (Goldie Hawn) backstage and steals her plastic surgeon fiancé Ernest Menville (Bruce Willis). Madeline marries him sending Helen on a downward spiral. Seven years later, Helen is obese and mad with thoughts of revenge. Seven more years later, Madeline's career has faded. Ernest is a drunk with a failed work life. Their marriage is on the rocks. They are invited to Helen's party celebrating the release of her book Forever Young. Helen is shockingly young and beautiful. Mysterious Lisle Von Rhuman (Isabella Rossellini) sells Madeline a magic potent. Helen convinces Ernest to kill Madeline but it goes wrong.These characters are all pretty ugly. They do sad ugly things. I would rather not spend time with this trio. However, the special effects are great and they're done in interesting ways. I wish the characters get some rewrites to make one of them with rooting interest. It's fun to see Goldie Hawn get shot with a hole in her stomach but it's not that interesting as a story element.

The reason I enjoy DEATH BECOMES HER is for the cutting way it explores the obsession with anti-ageing in America (and particularly Los Angeles) and the increasingly desperate efforts by women (and men) to combat it. This is a film which takes plastic surgery to new extremes when a couple of rival women discover a magical immortality serum and use it to devastating effect.Other than the spot-on satire, it's fair to say that this film really isn't all that good. The goofy slapstick comedy feels forced and the plot is so limited that it barely sustains the running time. Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn are both given free reign to ham things up as much as is humanly possible, while Bruce Willis is miscast in a slightly desperate comedic turn. The supporting acts of Isabella Rossellini and Ian Ogilvy are better, but given little to work with.Watching this film over twenty years after it was made, it becomes apparent that it was designed as a special effects showcase in which human bodies are turned into cartoon-style creations with all manner of outlandish violence. Unfortunately, the CGI isn't all that great, and some of it looks really, really awful these days; the bit with the backwards head is the film's nadir. To say that it's dated is an understatement...