Release Date: July 31, 1992
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Goldie Hawn, Meryl Streep, Bruce Willis, Isabella Rossellini
Favorite quote: “You’re a fraud, Helen! You’re a walking lie and I can see right… THROUGH YOU!”– Madeline Ashton, looking through a hole in Helen Sharp’s abdomen
I’ve been wanting to write about Death Becomes Her for about a month. For one reason or another, I’ve pushed it back. It’s not for lack of love for the movie; I absolutely ADORE this movie! I just felt another movie warranted attention at that moment. No longer. This is a great movie, and I feel ashamed – and my 15-year-old daughter has judged me – for taking this long to talk about it.
Robert Zemeckis is known to many movie buffs. His resumé as a director, producer, and writer is only surpassed by someone on the level of Steven Spielberg, and even then, not by much. Some of the most iconic movies of their time passed through Zemeckis’s fingers. I’m talking about Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Romancing the Stone, Forrest Gump, and Cast Away. All of those movies are unassailable classics!
(I really want to add Contact to the list, as I am a huge space nerd and I feel many parts of the movie hold up well. But I can’t. Everyone always points to “The alien is Ellie’s dad!” as their breaking point for hating this movie, but I called bullshit the moment I realized Matthew McConaughey was cast as a priest. THAT is a special effect I can’t buy!)
When I think about Zemeckis, however, I think of two movies that don’t seem to get as much buzz as his more noteworthy titles. The first is Used Cars, a 1980 Kurt Russell comedy that I love for pure nostalgia and borderline-naughtiness (and one I may revisit in a future Have You Seen). The second, of course, is the topic of this article.
Death Becomes Her is a fun, but really black, comedy. The premise plays on everyone’s fear of getting old, but does so in a way that is both uproariously funny and exceedingly macabre. As great as the story is, however, it is nothing without its cast. And what a cast it is!
Actress Madeline Ashton (Meryl Streep) manages to seduce plastic surgeon Ernest Melville (Bruce Willis) away from fiancée and long-time rival Helen Sharp (Goldie Hawn), an aspiring writer. Seven years later, Madeline and Ernest are still together but miserable. Madeline’s career has fizzled out, and Ernest has retreated into a bottle (like me!), reduced to being nothing more than a renowned reconstructive mortician. Helen, meanwhile, has become a successful author. She invites Madeline and Ernest to an event celebrating Helen’s new book, partly as a way to rub Madeline’s nose in it.
They attend the event, and find Helen to be very youthful and radiant. The years have been much kinder to her. Madeline, of course, is furious that her rival had one-upped her in beauty. In addition, Madeline’s young lover, who she turns to for solace and satisfaction, has scorned her for someone his age. It’s then then she remembers a card the owner of her spa gave her when she went to get a treatment prior to attending Helen’s event. It referred her to a woman named Lisle von Rhoman (Isabella Rosellini).
Madeline meets Rhoman at her home. Rhoman is 71 but looks like she is under 30. It is then that Madeline learns of the existence of an expensive potion that promises eternal youth. Madeline agrees to purchase the potion, drinks it, and watches in awe as the potion reverses her aging, reverting her to the person she was when she wooed Ernest away from Helen.
Buoyed by her restored youth, Madeline decides to confront Helen, who has been plotting to have Ernest kill her. It’s then that both women discover two things. First, Helen also took the same potion, which explains her youthful appearance. Second, the potion has unintended consequences, which both Madeline and Helen discover in horrific but hilarious-in-context ways.
Look at the photo above and you can start to guess how horrific. Watch the move to see how hilarious.
Every element of this movie is set up beautifully. Zemeckis’s touch is present in every speck of this film, from the setup for Madeline’s deceit to the almost slapstick style of brutality later. But the real stars of this movie are, well, the stars. Streep, Hawn, and Willis are absolutely perfect in their roles.
Hawn is no stranger to comedic movies, having started her career on comedy variety show Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In, as well as having starred in such movies as Private Benjamin and Wildcats (whoa, more Have You Seen candidates!). And Streep has proven time and again that she can assume any role effortlessly when she wants to.
The funny thing is, many people forget that Willis was a pretty decent comedic actor before he became Action Movie Hunk John “AMERICA, FUCK YEA!” McClane. He cut his teeth as David Addison, Jr. in the TV series Moonlighting opposite Cybill Shepard, and he did pretty well for himself. In fact, casting Willis as McClane in Die Hard was considered a risk seeing as he was only known as a comedy actor. How about that?
(Random fact: before accepting the role as John McClane, he was peddling Seagram’s wine coolers and making more money than he would make in Die Hard. He cut ties with Seagram’s and signed on to the movie that would launch his career only because he gave up drinking. A part of me admires his dedication to staying dry, but I’m an alcoholic. So part of me also calls him a quitter. Thankfully, only the reprehensible part of me calls him a quitter.)
The stars’ performances were so great; they even overshadow the special effects in the movie. And those special effects are noteworthy. Zemeckis is known for having an eye for special effects in movies, and his touch is ever present here. Like his other noteworthy movies, the effects shown are meant to accentuate the story, not take away from it. And they’re all done hilariously, as the quote I referenced above should have pointed out.
All in all, Death Becomes Her is an incredibly entertaining romp. It took me a month to talk about it, but it hasn’t dimmed my enthusiasm for it. My daughter positively loves this movie; she’s seen it at least 20 times; I’ve got her beat at least fourfold. Fans of dark comedies will already know how awesome this movie is. For those who have never seen it, you should remedy this immediately. It is a Robert Zemeckis movie through and through, full of the same humor and charm that made Back to the Future so iconic.
Well, except Doc Brown didn’t have a youth complex and also didn’t have a hole in his abdomen.
