Death Becomes Her (1992)

When a woman learns of an immortality treatment, she sees it as a way to outdo her long-time rival.

Director:

Robert Zemeckis

Writers:

Martin Donovan, David Koepp

Stars:

Meryl Streep, Bruce Willis, Goldie Hawn

Won 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Meryl Streep	...	Madeline Ashton
Bruce Willis	...	Ernest Menville
Goldie Hawn	...	Helen Sharp
Isabella Rossellini	...	Lisle Von Rhuman
Ian Ogilvy	...	Chagall
Adam Storke	...	Dakota
Nancy Fish	...	Rose
Alaina Reed-Hall	...	Psychologist (as Alaina Reed Hall)
Michelle Johnson	...	Anna
Mary Ellen Trainor	...	Vivian Adams
William Frankfather	...	Mr. Franklin
John Ingle	...	Eulogist
Clement von Franckenstein	...	Opening Man
Petrea Burchard	...	Opening Woman
Jim Jansen	...	Second Man

Storyline

In 1978, in Broadway, the decadent and narcissist actress Madeline Ashton is performing Songbird, based on Tennessee Williams' Sweet Bird of Youth. Then she receives her rival Helen Sharp, who is an aspiring writer, and her fiancé Ernest Menville, 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 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 ...

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Plot Keywords:

rival | potion | plastic surgeon | alcoholic | revenge | 

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Taglines:

Some people will go to any lengths to stay young forever. But Madeline Ashton and her old friend Helen Sharp are about to go TOO far.

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some nudity and off-color humor

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 July 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

La muerte le sienta bien

Filming Locations:

The Ebell of Los Angeles - 743 South Lucerne Bouelvard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$55,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$58,422,650 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the scene where Madeline punches in the entrance code and enters the gate as Helen slips past her unseen, you get a brief glimpse of her license plate. It reads "2HYE305", not "ZHEMEKIS" as previously noted

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Goofs

Seven years pass and we see Helen with her cats being evicted. Another seven years pass and we see Helen at her book signing party. However when Madeline catches up with Helen at the party Madeline says "twelve years."

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Quotes

Helen Sharp: You're a powerful sexual being, Ernest.
Ernest Menville: I am?
Helen Sharp: Yes, you are. If I never told you before, it was because I wasn't the sort of girl who could say the word "sexual" without blushing. Well I can now. Sexual... sensual... sexy... sex... sex... sex...

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Connections

Referenced in Nostalgia Critic: Top 11 Dumbest Spiderman Moments (2011)

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Soundtracks

Bridal Chorus
(uncredited)
Written by Richard Wagner

User Reviews

Witty satire cleverly done

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.