Death Becomes Her (1992)
A blend of comedy, fantasy, and horror centered around aging and female rivalries.
Laura’s Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Plot: Young Helen loses her fiancé to her friend Madeline and goes insane with jealousy and anger. Years later, Helen has transformed herself and Madeline tried to discover the secret to her beauty and success.
Opinion: Balancing comedy and horror is not always easy, but I felt that the tone of this movie was consistent throughout and the genre mashup worked well. The movie is zany and campy from the start and ends in just the same way. It had a similar feel to Clue, Joe vs. The Volcano, or The Burbs, with a serious and potentially scary subject being treated as a kooky comedic setup.
I see similarities between this movie and a story based on the appearance of perfection like The Stepford Wives. I also think this film potentially set the stage for movies like The Craft or Jennifer’s Body, which also focus on female friendships and combine genres, to be made later.
Meryl Streep does an excellent job, playing her role seriously with just a touch of humor and sarcasm. I personally thought she upstaged Goldie Hawn and Bruce Willis, but their performances were decent as well.
The obsession with youth and beauty and the desire to do whatever it takes to remain untouched by time feels even more relevant in today’s world. With countless surgeries, fillers, and other cosmetic procedures available, it seems we are more obsessed with stopping and reversing the aging process than ever before. Because of this, a movie that may otherwise be discarded as dated remains relevant today. I’d give Death Becomes Her a watch if you’re looking for a fun and campy movie.
Comments