She-Devil (1989)

A surprisingly resourceful housewife vows revenge on her husband when he begins an affair with a wealthy romance novelist.

Director:

Susan Seidelman

Writers:

Fay Weldon (novel), Barry Strugatz (screenplay)

Stars:

Meryl Streep, Roseanne Barr, Ed Begley Jr.

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Meryl Streep	...	Mary Fisher
Roseanne Barr	...	Ruth Patchett
Ed Begley Jr.	...	Bob
Linda Hunt	...	Hooper
Sylvia Miles	...	Mrs. Fisher
Elisebeth Peters	...	Nicolette Patchett
Bryan Larkin	...	Andy Patchett
A Martinez	...	Garcia
Maria Pitillo	...	Olivia Honey
Mary Louise Wilson	...	Mrs. Trumper
Susan Willis	...	Ute
Jack Gilpin	...	Larry
Robin Leach	...	Himself
Nitchie Barrett	...	Bob's Secretary
June Gable	...	Realtor

Storyline

Ruth is a wife and mother who tries to please her husband (Bob) but finds him pulling away and spending more time at the office than at home. When he begins an affair with a famous romance novelist (Mary) and leaves Ruth to raise their kids, she decides she's had enough of playing nice docile housewife. Ruth endeavors to show Bob and Mary the truth about themselves and each other, while creating a new successful life of her own.

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Plot Keywords:

revenge | infidelity | extramarital affair | dysfunctional marriage | battle of the sexes | 

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Taglines:

Revenge Is Sweet... And Low.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

8 December 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

La diabla

Filming Locations:

Belle Terre, Suffolk, New York, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$15,351,421

Company Credits

Production Co:

Orion Pictures,A Seidelman/Brett Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Prior to this picture, considered Meryl Streep's first ever full comedy feature film, the closest thing to full comedy movies that Meryl Streep had appeared in, were the comedy-drama Heartburn (1986) and the romantic-comedy drama Manhattan (1979).

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Goofs

When Mary Fisher is making faces in the mirror in her bedroom you can see the shadow of the cameraman on her reflection after she puts her white brush down on the dressing table.

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Quotes

Ruth Patchett/Vesta Rose: [picks up Mary Fisher's book] Mary Fisher, any relation?
Mrs. Fisher: My daughter.
Ruth Patchett/Vesta Rose: Oh how nice.
Mrs. Fisher: She's a slut. Bitch keeps me in this dogpound while she lives the life of a princess in her gar damn mansion!
Ruth Patchett/Vesta Rose: Well that doesn't seem fair.
Mrs. Fisher: Yeah I ought to drop in on her one day, that'd scare the shit out of her.
Ruth Patchett/Vesta Rose: You have rights, if you wanted to go see your daughter nobody could stop you.
Mrs. Fisher: I'm too old.
Ruth Patchett/Vesta Rose: You are a mature and vibrant woman, and don't you let anybody tell you anything different.
Mrs. Fisher: Yeah? I suppose I ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Mad About You: Met Someone (1992)

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Soundtracks

Party Up
Performed by Chubby Checker & The Fat Boys
Provided Courtesy of Tin Pan Apple Records

User Reviews

In defense of She Devil

Reading the comments for this film, two aspects appear as the concentration to the films perceived flaws. The one is a lack of sympathy for Roseanne's character, Ruth. The other is a lack of appreciation for Meryl Streep's performance. Having watched this film many times since it's release, I think I can safely dispute this argument.

This film certainly I feel has all the markings of a cult favorite. It's dark humor, over charged performances as well as the overall look and feel wedges it someplace between "Heathers" and "Ruthless People". More on the nuances that I feel set this film apart from others later, but lets first deal with the Roseann/Streep problem.

Quite frankly, I see no problem. Meryl Streep's Mary Fisher is one of the screens funniest inventions. It seems quite clear to me that she enjoyed playing this role because there is no other way such a wonderful performance could have been created. On a number of occasions, there are lengthy shots with no change of camera where she drives through a range of hilarious emotions. How she handles a scene involving a dog licking her feet while she awakes is tremendous. I feel it is one of her strongest performances; she never turns it off, and always delivers it in the correct dosage.

The issue with Roseanne's character, Ruth, is she is seen as manipulative, uncaring, a monster hell bent on revenge. Ruth, like everything else in this picture is a caricature. This is very much the sort of role we would expect from Roseanne, the domestic goddess taking it all a step further. True, she does wallow in a mean spirited negativity, but it results in a positive outcome for nearly all involved. She takes control of her life and liberates Linda Hunts Nurse Hopper as well as countless women through her Vespa Rose Employment Agency. She returns life to the geriatrics in her care at a nursing home. As a result of Ruth's revenge, Mary Fisher at last becomes recognized as the serious writer she wished to from the start. We even know that Begley's Bob Patchett gets his comeuppance, and accepts it with grace and humility.

There are dozens of touches brought here which make this a movie so enjoyable to watch. Firstly, there is the remarkable physical change in many of the characters as the story progresses. Roseanne goes from looking like a reject from a freak show to a rather zaftig Joan Collins. Linda Hunt and Sylvia Miles likewise transform, and Streep goes from a pink, frosted confection of a romance novelist, to a black turtle necked, bespectacled writer with a gift for the "post modern metaphor". A certain tone is set when the establishing shot of Mary Fisher "pink palace by the sea" reveals her initials, M F, emblazoned on the massive gate. Streep is given countless occasions to do great business for the camera, as in a scene where her complete lack of comprehension in doing laundry leads her to put half a gallon of bleach and several dryer sheets in a washing machine. Best of all, she manages to give the finger to the "serious critics" while on the Sally Jesse Raphale Show. I honestly don't feel this film is as bad as many would like one to think. If you sit back, and let it unfold as I believe it was intended to, you will find a clever picture that has just the correct amount of overarched villainy and cynicism as many of our favorite black comedies.