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 4 wins & 11 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

Helen, a writer, and Madeline, an actress, have hated each other for years. Madeline is married to Ernest, who was once Helen's fiance. After she recovers from a mental breakdown, Helen vows revenge by stealing back Ernest and plotting to kill Madeline. Both rivals have secretly drunk a miracle cure for aging; they accidentally discover, when each tries to eliminate the other, that they have become immortal and that "life" will never be the same again.

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Plot Keywords:

rival | potion | immortality | actress | betrayal | 

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Taglines:

Your basic black comedy.

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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 Helen sits down onto a shovel handle, she didn't sit in the way she was expected to do, so the SFX people had to morph the image to make it look like the shovel handle was pushing up into her chest.

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Goofs

When Ernest runs away from Lisle, after he nearly drinks the live-forever potion, he runs down a hallway and commences to open a door with a doorknob on the left side of the door. It then cuts to the other side of the door, of Ernest walking through the door (into the party), and now the doorknob is also on the left side of the door, yet is should be on the right side.

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Quotes

Lisle: We are creatures of the spring, you and I.

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Connections

Referenced in Charmed: Styx Feet Under (2004)

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Soundtracks

"Me"
Written by Geoffrey Aymar
Lyrics by Martin Donovan & David Koepp
Arranged by William Ross
Performed by Meryl Streep (uncredited)

User Reviews

It just gets funnier every time I watch it

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.