DVD REVIEW: DEATH BECOMES HER

Shane | 11 June 2016 | Reply

DVD REVIEW: DEATH BECOMES HER
Directed By Robert Zemeckis
Starring Bruce Willis, Meryl Streep. Goldie Hawn
Shock Entertainment
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
6 ½ /10

Death Becomes Her was royally panned upon its 1992 release – and unsurprisingly, because by Hollywood standards, this is about the blackest and driest of black comedies.

Starring Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn as fading actor and writer respectively, and rivals in love for the affections of Bruce Willis’ plastic surgeon xxxx. Both women buy a magic potion from the stunning Isabella Rossellini, which transform them to their former glamour – even after both die horribly.

It’s a dark premise, but the problems lie in the sheer unpleasantness of all the main characters: with no-one to sympathise with or cheer on, it’s a nasty ride with not enough laughs to sustain it.

Some redemption comes from the excellent special effects – which rightly won an Oscar, BAFTA and Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films Saturn Award. Well ahead of the CGI curve, the physical effects are fascinating, even if they are as grotesque as some of the characterisations.