Death Becomes Her

Movie Name: Death Becomes Her

Year of Release: 1992

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Stars: Meryl Streep, Bruce Willis, Goldie Hawn, Isabella Rossellini, Ian Ogilvy, Adam Storke, Michelle Johnson, Sydney Pollack, Mary Ellen Trainor, Nancy Fish

Genre: Comedy

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 6
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Synopsis:

After finishing the "Back to the Future" trilogy, director Robert Zemeckis tackled a very different type of comedy, this time around a dark comedy around the concept of eternal life. The film follows the story of three main characters, Madeline Ashton, a fading actress trying to recapture her fame, a childhood friend of hers, the meek Helen Sharp, and her fiancee, the plastic surgeon Ernest Menville. Madeline manages to scoop and marry Ernest, much to the despair of Helen. After years of estrangement, Helen re-surfaces, and looks stunning, while Madeline has progressively gotten older (and her marriage to Ernest has virtually disintegrated). Madeline in her pursuit of beauty, discovers a serum, provided by the enigmatic Lisle. She claims that her serum will keep her forever young. What she discovers, as well as Ernest, is that the potion hides some extra secrets that none of them were expecting.
"Death Becomes Her" is indeed a minor film in the rich career of Robert Zemeckis, but it is a satire filled with hilarious moments, featuring a campy turn from the always phenomenal Meryl Streep. Zemeckis has built a career based on mixing smart concepts with a polished and impeccable technical execution, which makes his films always engaging. "Death Becomes Her" is a satire focused on the myth of eternal youth, particularly in Hollywood, where plastic surgery is a regular commodity. However the film manages to make that satire particularly biting, by placing these youth-seeking characters as zombie-like creatures. It's a light film, without much dimension to the characters, other than the surreal premise. But it does feature some impeccable set pieces, including a great opening musical with the fantastic Meryl Streep, and some impressive visual effects, which earned the film the respective Oscar in 1992. A funny, yet quickly forgotten film from a very talented film maker.