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111 out of 130 people found the following review useful: It just gets funnier every time I watch it, 20 October 2003 Author: Leonard Petch (leonardpetch) from London, England
I love this movie and have watched it more than any other film I own. What makes it for me is the subtle face acting of the two leads whose comic timing is perfect. Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn have never been so good (plus this is the only film in which Bruce Willis doesn't do his trademark smirk even once).Every role is played to perfection and the script is a comedy work of art.I won't bother defending it to those people who need their jokes hammered home to them by comedy actors whose only way of getting a laugh is to gurn and fart. Each to their own.
88 out of 94 people found the following review useful: From The Sublime To The Ridiculous, 12 March 2006 Author: bethlambert117 from United States
There is so much greatness in this unexpected Hollywood comedy that the cheap shots are really cheap and, quite frankly, unbearable. Buried somewhere between the special effects (extraordinary by the way) is one the wittiest satires to come out of Hollywood in many, many moons. Meryl Streep is sensational and Bruce Willis is, I swear, unrecognizable in the best possible way. The movie hits the highest moments when, for instance, Meryl asks Isabella Rossellini how much the magic potion costs and Isabella replays: "Oh the sordid topic of coin" sublime, exquisite, funny but with enormous regard for its audience. But when Bruce calls Goldie Hawn to explain the "incident" at home he goes through a TV style monologue that seems to belong to a sit-com and not to the elegant vulgarity of this three sad, magnificent wannabees. The dialog, for the most part, is the best in any American serious comedy since Billy Wilder. The structure of the script is flawless and inventive. The costumes are atrocious and certain scenes seem directed by a 3rd assistant. I don't know how to explain it. However, I have it, I own it and sometimes I put it on with my finger in the fast forward. What's good is so good that makes the whole thing really worth it.
76 out of 86 people found the following review useful: Witty satire cleverly done, 11 February 2004 Author: melwyn from Australia
I must have seen this film about 15 or so times now. I love the vain, shallow characters of Madeline and Helen who are the ultimate example of what might happen if you took the advice of our "obsessed-with-perfection" media to its illogical conclusion. Meryl and Goldie play their parts with unrestrained enthusiasm, pushing them to the limit to emphasise that these two who believe they are truly beautiful are, after all, just caricatures of perfection. Like Icarus, Mad and Hell take no advice and pursue the unattainable regardless of the cost. That they see every mountainous obstacle as a mere minor inconvenience helps reinforce the humour of the film. Bruce Willis is marvellous as Ernest, the unhappy mouse caught in the middle of their game; the voice of reason amid lunacy.The writing is witty and sometimes painfully sharp, emphasising in almost every scene that beauty does not equal happiness, and the closer you come to attaining an obsessively pursued physical perfection, the further you get from real happiness and fulfillment. Stylistically our attention is focused on this concept over and over again, with mirrors and reflections used very creatively throughout the film.We don't see a lot of clever satire these days, which is a pity. This is a fabulous film.
71 out of 82 people found the following review useful: Enjoy Goldie, Meryl and Bruce in this spectacular piece of art!, 21 August 2003 Author: Jatoy from Oulu, Finland
Death becomes her has a really good idea: what would it be like to live forever, stay young and beautiful? I don´t consider this movie gives an answer to that, but it represents one over-exaggerated view - a particularly well-carried out view. Goldie Hawn and Meryl Streep make an unique performance and fit perfectly to their roles. Interesting was also to see Bruce Willis in so different kind of movie I have used to see him. The plot was a little bit too easy to guess beforehand, but I didn´t mind. Just great!
46 out of 46 people found the following review useful: A Cult Classic, 10 November 2007 Author: juliereed50 from United States
I never saw "Death Becomes Her" when it first come out because of a review I had read somewhere. The review was dismissive and made a lot of sense, so I decided to give it a miss. What a terrible mistake! This is a movie I would love to see on a big screen. The script is so brilliantly clever. Disguised as a silly comedy there is a world of serious themes executed by a knowing cast. Meryl Streep in particular, playing convincingly an actress without talent. I remember the bad review criticized the writers for setting the story in a rainy, stormy Los Angeles when California was going through a drought. Imagine if a comedy about magic potions should worry about the accuracy of the weather. In fact the Los Angeles of "Death Becomes Her" feels more like Los Angelers than most realistic movies and it does it with nerve and wit. "In 12 years in Los Angeles have you ever seen a neighbor?" screams Meryl to his mousy Bruce. An absolute delight. Other hidden treasures are a cameo from Sidney Pollack and a very funny and very sexy "76 years old" Isabella Rossellini. A new cult classic and a total must.
38 out of 45 people found the following review useful: The Question of Immortality, 17 March 2006 Author: parhat from Bangkok, Thailand
When I first watched this movie, I felt like it is just one of those movies that I would give a 6 score. But I found myself watching this movie again and again. As conversations or question of immortality arises, I found myself quoting or referencing the movie.Because the movie is so watchable after so many viewings, I think this is a classic movie. It is about two woman trying to steal a man and fighting over their differences and jealousy. These woman wants to pursue immortality while another man wants to choose mortality and live a full life. It is the question of superficiality and immortality that struck me deep. The other issue is the desire to find that fountain of youth at the same time. The issues are as old as time. How do you feel when someone comes to you and say "You are old!". That was one of the phrases when a young man complains to Meryl Streep. These are some of the things you will ponder.Bruce Willis really surprise me this one as he no longer plays the tough man image. While Goldie Hawn and Meryl Streep play great opposite roles as the two jealous fighting women who fight over differences and yet have to live together inspite of it. Yes, I have people I really detest and must live with them. Therefore, a lot of issues in this movie really hits me deep.
31 out of 33 people found the following review useful: Let the Cat-Fight Begin, 19 May 2005 Author: nycritic
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
If only Bette Davis and Joan Crawford could be alive today and see this! Two emasculating she-wolfs battling it out - they think - because they want one man, but really, it's all about ego and oneupmanship, and with two equally established actresses such as Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn, both looking exceptionally beautiful in their mid-40s, DEATH BECOMES HER is a visual treat that throws back an unintentional but hilarious reference to the aforementioned divas who preceded them. Very tongue-in-cheek, and whoever saw (and read) the sustained repulsion Davis and Crawford sustained throughout their life, mirrored in WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? will not be lost on the background reference.A simple premise presides: Madeline Ashton (Streep), a fading B-movie actress, relegated to performing an awful musical based on SWEET BIRD OF YOUTH, sets sight on renown surgeon Ernest Manville (Bruce Willis) whom Helen Sharp (Hawn) has taken to meet her as a test to prove he will still be hers after their meet. Needless to say, he drops his commitment to Helen, marries Madeline, and sends Helen into a spiraling self-destruct mode. Years later she becomes a bloated whale - a shell of her former self - living in total abandon, watching Madeline's movies obsessively, seething in hatred, until she is evicted from her apartment and has a brilliant idea while in a mental facility: she must eliminate Madeline.Madeline, on the other end, is no less happy. A total, absolute bitch, she has reduced Ernest to blubber. She hates the way she looks at 50 and the way young girls preen their perky looks. Both live in marital hell. An invite to attend Helen's book party (on beauty) has her howling in laughter - beauty tips from a disgusting fattie? Please! - but when she sees that Helen is now a svelte redhead, she balks - and their reunion is one of dripping, beautiful venom, the highlight of the entire movie. Distraught, she seeks the advice of a mysterious woman, Lisle von Rhuman whom she was referred to earlier, and she gives her what seems an innocent potion to drink which will restore her looks. Meanwhile, Helen is planning to have Ernest dispose of Madeline and rekindling their botched affair. When Madeline returns home, she gets into a heated argument with Ernest and he pushes her down the stairs. She is dead.Or is she? A marvelous setup that until this point in the story works, but one which later takes a left turn to be overcome by silly fight scenes and cartoonish special effects that recall Tim Burton circa 1987. The triangle of actors work absolutely perfectly here, Streep drips with venomous lines reminiscent of Elizabeth Taylor's overwhelming performance as Martha in WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?; however, Hawn and Willis, while established as personalities more than actors of considerable range, fare better than Streep in that she is "expected" to play hers to perfection. Hawn on the other hand proves she's capable of very dark roles that suggest more than they give. Willis, stripped of his usual machismo, comes across as a broken man who throughout most of the film is emasculated but makes one crucial decision which saves him from an uncertain fate. Casting these three actors are cast against type works in this edgy comedy, and if anything, it's final act is its own weakness, as if the writers had somehow not known where to go with the inevitable, violent encounter between them but all in all, it's still very enjoyable.Robert Zemeckis, though, makes one glaring mistake during one of the key scenes. When Streep rises from the ground, we see Willis in the foreground talking on the phone to Helen who wants to know if she is dead. We know she is not; the deep focus has established she is not. As she slowly makes her way to where Willis is, Zemeckis chooses to cut to Hawn for a brief second. Big mistake. We don't need to see her sitting in front of her shrine of hatred for Madeline - we know she hates her, it's quite clear - so he should have held that scene perfectly still, allowing us to see Streep get closer and closer to the forefront. That is suspense in itself: how will Willis react to seeing his wife shuffling her way to him. But the use of deep focus is something that has fallen out of vogue in film-making, as if they've lost the interest to really tell a visual story, and the quick cut to Hawn being the need to give her a moment's screen time.
35 out of 47 people found the following review useful: I love this movie, 1 August 2003 Author: Dale Eurone from cali
This was way fun. One of my favorite guilty pleasures. All the actors are in top form here and I loved Bruce, Goldie, and Meryl. This is truly a classic in the black comedies. The score was terrific, set design fantastic, and all around excellent.
40 out of 60 people found the following review useful: Absolutely Fantastico!, 1 September 2003 Author: jenjen21
I saw this film when i was about 9, since then i have been hooked on it! Its hilarious and cool. Meryl Streep, is superb and funny and knows how to light up the screen. This is definatly one of my favourite films of all time and very good if you want a laugh. Death Becomes Her has great special effects and is an excellent 'black comedy'.
23 out of 27 people found the following review useful: Goofy Madness, 19 November 2003 Author: Kristine (kristinedrama14@msn.com) from Chicago, Illinois
Classic 90's time, this is one of those movies that I kind of remember seeing on TV five million times as a kid. I always loved watching it, it had the most incredible effects and I thought it was so funny. I was such a deranged 7 year old I guess. But still to this day, I really enjoy watching Death Becomes Her. It has a very clever story, amazing effects and three great actors: Bruce Willis, Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn. Who said dark comedies can't be good? Death Becomes her shows the true competitive side of women that scares most of the human race, how far we will go to be the hottest, the smartest, the kindest, etc. But also the whole essence of eternal youth, beauty and living forever, and Death Becomes Her handles the subject very well.Actress Madeline Ashton and writer Helen Sharp are longtime rivals. Helen's life falls apart when glamorous Madeline steals Helen's fiancé, plastic surgeon Ernest Menville, and marries him. Seven years later, Helen is now an obese, depressed woman, and is arrested and placed in a mental institution. Obsessed with getting revenge against Madeline, she struggles in the institution with healing. Madeline's career on Broadway ends, and 14 years later she is still struggling with her fading looks and bygone acting career. Ernest, now an alcoholic and miserable in his marriage, has been reduced to working as a high-end mortician. When Madeline and Helen meet again at Helen's book-signing party, Helen appears miraculously rejuvenated, thin, and youthful. Madeline is first dumbfounded then jealous. As part of Helen's plan, she plays both Madeline and Ernest, telling them each she has never blamed them for her ruined love life. Madeline resorts to the aid of the mysterious Lisle Von Rhoman, who claims she has discovered the secret of eternal youth. Madeline purchases the potion, drinks it, and is delighted to see her body visibly losing the signs of aging as she watches in a mirror, leaving her thin, firm, and young. Helen, meanwhile, seduces Ernest and reveals to him a detailed and foolproof plot to kill Madeline. Ernest kills Madeline, Madeline is still alive… Madeline kills Helen… Helen is still alive… death has become them.The film is flawed no doubt, it should have developed the characters a bit more, we never really understood why Madeline and Helen were friends in the first place as it seems like they've always hated each other, they could have just explored the friendship a little further. As well as why we should care what is happening to these pretty horrible characters. But still this is one of those films that for some reason keeps me watching it every time it pops up on TV. I think it was a lot of fun and had some good laughs, especially the fight between Madeline and Helen, they discover that there's really no point to inflicting physical pain but keep going at it with each other. This is a recommendation to those who have a strange sense of humor, it's something only a few will get.7/10
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