Helen and Madeleine have hated each other for years, ever since Madeleine stole Helen's boyfriend Ernest and married him. Helen plots her revenge, but after Madeleine discovers a drink that provides eternal youth, their problems are only just beginning.
by William Thomas |
Published on
Release Date:
01 Jan 1992
Running Time:
104 minutes
Certificate:
PG
Original Title:
Death Becomes Her
Improving with age, Robert Zemeckis' black fantasy sees Goldie Hawn and Meryl Streep play bitchy actresses battling it out for the secret of eternal youth. Years after Streep steals dumpy Hawn's man (Bruce Willis), Hawn returns in improbably youthful form to win him back. In trying to get to the root of her former friend's sudden makeover, Streep too discovers the secret to staying young and beautiful in Hollywood - and the strange price that you pay for it.
Charged with a baroque cartoony feel, ILM's groundbreaking CGI effects and Zemeckis' filmmaking flair are expected. The blackness of the tale and Bruce Willis' skill at playing a henpecked husband is not.
Both leading ladies display great willingness to send up themselves and Hollywood, and Willis' quiet nervous breakdown showcases his previously unguessed-at comic skills. But it's the pitch-black comedy and celebrity satire that make this so enjoyable.
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