Death Becomes Her (1992)

Amazon Prime Video UK recently added this flick to the free section and Rewatching this after many many years has me still liking this film, but not as much as i liked it back in the 90s.The main plot is about 2 women who fell for the same man, looks play a major part with all 3 of them, and we see that the women are obsessed with wanting to stay young.This film is trying to make a point about many women's issues about wanting to stay young, i'm sure there are some men who have that same mindset, but i haven't looked at the statistics. Death Becomes Her is clever in some aspects.The part of the story line about taking a potion to remain young forever is where the fantasy genre comes in, it sounds like someone sat, thought and wished that they could take some type of potion to remain young forever and live forever and made that into a movie script, but that is not reality, everyone dies.The black comedy genre is one of the weakest genres of film, i can't think of any black comedy movies that are worth watching except for this one, and this film is only halfway entertaining at best.It's understandable why this movie won an Oscar for best visual effects, the special effects are good for its day. The trivia says that "Meryl Streep did not really like shooting this film and that she said it's the last VFX Movie that she will ever do", regardless she still gave a brilliant performance and so did Goldie Hawn and Bruce Willis. The performances are over the top at times, but i get the feeling they are supposed to be. Goldie Hawn's character at the beginning of the film (before she loses all the weight) is over the top and as someone who loves animals i dislike the scene where she is neglecting all of her cats, they are constantly meowing (probably because they are hungry) and all she is doing is feeding herself until security or whoever they're supposed to be comes in and physically removes her from her chair and apartment. I get what the Director Robert Zemeckis was trying to portray (The overweight cat lady with no self-esteem and unhealthy obsession with the woman who "stole" her husband) but i as an animal lover still do not like that scene.We see 2 female characters being pathetic with wanting revenge and hating each other over a man to the point that they resort to attempted murder, and on top of that they don't want to get old which becomes a 100% obsession to the point where they eventually completely lose interest in the man and only want to keep him around so they can use him to further their vanity and narcissism.The final conclusion of this movie is clever, it shows us the consequences of this unhealthy desire and mindset that these women have.

Directed by the amazing Robert Zemeckis, "Death Becomes Her" features a clever script, an awesome cast, and mind-blowing special effects that most Hollywood films lack nowadays. Meryl Streep plays Madeline Ashton, an actress who is obsessed with keeping herself looking young and beautiful. Helen Sharp (Goldie Hawn), is a plain looking author with a brilliant surgeon, Dr. Ernest Menville (Bruce Willis), for a fiancé. Madeline and Helen have hated each other for years, but things become even worse when Madeline steals Ernest from Helen and they get married. Years later, Madeline is even more obsessed with keeping her youth, willing to do anything to keep from aging physically. On the other hand, Helen is obsessed to get revenge on Madeline for stealing her fiancé. But it seems that there is one thing in common between the two rivals, in that both seem to know the same woman, Lisle Von Rhoman (Isabella Rossellini).The film revolves around the concept of vanity with the female protagonists looking to get their lives back with simply changing their appearances. Is it a comedy? Yes, "Death Becomes Her" could be called a comedy. But it has a very twisted sort of humor, you'll have to be someone who enjoys all forms of comedy to really enjoy and understand the humor. There is both laugh-out-loud slapstick humor, then there's the dry type of humor which takes a few seconds to really getting you chuckling. But more than anything, the satire and irony of the story is so well embedded into the plot that there's really no specific part you can pinpoint as the funniest part of the movie. Overall, I would recommend this to any one that likes off-beat comedies.Overall rating: 8 out of 10.

When a woman learns of an immortality treatment, she sees it as a way to outdo her long-time rival.This film was intended to be a sequel to the "Tales From the Script" television show, and although the TFTC name is not attached, you still get a strong sense of the humor we have come to expect. David Koepp and Martin Donovan (who last worked together on "Apartment Zero") had intended to write a few short films, like an anthology, but this story just grew... and Robert Zemeckis added his own brand of humor, with the dark side of Hollywood bubbling to the surface.Along with Zemeckis comes some of his associates. That includes Dean Cundey, the cinematographer who started on low budget horror, then made John Carpenter's work look great, before moving on to the high-profile films of Zemeckis. And also producer Steve Starkey, who came up from the "Star Wars" films. Zemeckis is sort of the lesser-celebrated member of a triumvirate with George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, but perhaps he should in many ways be more celebrated... his range and aesthetic are impressive.There is no denying Robert Zemeckis is really a master of genre. He takes what could be a niche and makes it mainstream. "Back to the Future" is loved by all, not just science fiction nerds. And "Death Becomes Her" could have been horror, but with Zemeckis at the helm it was more mainstream, and is now classified as "fantasy / comedy" -- not even horror at all, despite the themes! Although Meryl Streep was great (as always), she has said that it "was like being at the dentist" having to work in such a way to accommodate the special effects. She vowed never to work in such a film again, and for the most part I think she has stayed true to this vow. Which brings up an interesting divide between the actors of Streep's level (constant Oscar nominees) and those who appear in genre films again and again. Maybe Oscar acting is not better, but merely employs a different skill set? Speaking of Oscars, "Death Becomes Her" won the Academy Award for Visual Effects. That is so well-deserved. Anyone who watches this film should be impressed by what they were able to do. Why is it that today (2016) we spend millions of dollars to make things look like animation, but already in 1992 they had perfected a way of making it look like heads were falling off and holes were being blown through people? We are regressing! Scream Factory comes through with a Collector's Edition blu-ray. Although the features on the disc are a bit scant for a collector's edition, they were able to put together a series of interviews to make a retrospective. Streep and Goldie Hawn did not participate (not surprisingly), but Zemeckis did, which is really quite a coup. And David Koepp! And legendary cinematographer Dean Cundey, who had come with Zemeckis from "Back to Future"! Fans of the film who want to know a bit more about what went into this picture are strongly encouraged to pick it up.

In 1978, in Broadway, the decadent and narcissist actress Madeline Ashton (Meryl Streep) is performing Songbird, based on Tennessee Williams' Sweet Bird of Youth. Then she receives her rival Helen Sharp (Goldie Hawn), who is an aspiring writer, and her fiancé Ernest Menville (Bruce Willis), who is a plastic surgeon, in her dressing-room. Soon Menville calls off his commitment with Helen and marries Madeline. Seven years later, Helen is obese in a psychiatric hospital and obsessed in seeking revenge on Madeline. In 1992, the marriage of Madeline and Menville is finished and he is no longer a surgeon but an alcoholic caretaker. Out of the blue, they are invited to a party where Helen will release her novel Forever Young and Madeline goes to a beauty shop. The owner gives a business card of the specialist in rejuvenation Lisle Von Rhuman (Isabella Rossellini) to her. When the envious Madeline sees Helen thin in a perfect shape, she decides to seek out Lisle and buys a potion to become young again. Further, she advises that Madeline must take care of her body. Meanwhile Helen seduces Menville and they plot a scheme to kill Madeline. When Madeline comes home, she has an argument Menville and he pushes her from the staircase. She breaks her neck but becomes a living dead. When Helen arrives at Menville's house expecting that Madeline is dead, she is murdered by Madeline. But she also becomes a living dead and they conclude they need Menville to help them to maintain their bodies. But Menville wants to leave them. "Death Becomes Her" is an American black comedy with excellent special effects even after twenty-three years after the release and great cast. The trash storyline is strange and original and the black humor may not be pleasant for everyone. But there are funny and witty quotes and situations and this film has not aged. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "A Morte Lhe Cai Bem" ("Death Fits Well to Her")