Death Becomes Her *** (1992, Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn, Bruce Willis, Isabella Rossellini, Ian Ogilvy) – Classic Movie Review 7995

The 1992 Death Becomes Her is an intriguing attempt at a black-comedy fantasy farce by Robert Zemeckis, the biggest money-spinning director of all time, who gives Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn and Bruce Willis the opportunity all actors love – to show off – and this they do exuberantly and engagingly.

Writer Helen (Goldie Hawn) becomes 20 stone and homicidal when she loses the love of plastic surgeon Ernest (Bruce Willis), married to actress Madeline (Meryl Streep), who discovers a miracle cure for ageing which both women take, becoming immortal.

Hawn and Streep have a furiously fun time as long-time opponents but Martin Donovan and David Koepp’s screenplay lets them down with a low score on the laughometer, although the performances, the weird rejuvenation yarn and incredible special effects entertain and hold the attention.

The amazing visual effects deservedly won an Oscar and a Bafta, and they are the best things about the show. The effects are by Ken Ralston, Doug Chiang, Douglas Smythe, Tom Woodruff Jr, Michael Lantieri and Alec Gillis. David LeRoy Anderson and Lance Anderson created Hawn’s convincing 20-stone prosthetic make-up.

Also in the cast are Isabella Rossellini, Ian Ogilvy, Adam Storke, Nancy Fish, Alaina Reed Hall, Michelle Johnson, Jonathan Silverman, Mary Ellen Trainor, William Frankfather, John Ingle, and Sydney Pollack.

It was costly at $55,000,000, but did reasonably well to take $58,422,650 in the US, and very well to end up with a cumulative worldwide gross of $149,000,000.

In 2019, Zemeckis’s latest is Welcome to Marwen.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7995

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com