Madeline Ashton (played by Meryl Streep) is a narcissistic and selfish actress performing on Broadway when she meets her friend Helen Sharp (Goldie Hawn) and her fiancé, reknowned plastic surgeon Ernest Menville (played by Bruce Willis) backstage. Madeline and Ernest hit it off and before Helen knows it, the two have run off together and gotten married, leaving her behind. Helen naturally sinks into a deep depression over the next seven years, growing more and more obsessed with getting even with Madeline, even going so far as watching an old movie she did where her character dies and rewinding the death scene over and over again. She even winds up in a mental hospital for a time. Meanwhile, married life has taken it's toll on Madeline and Ernest. Her career has faded and she is constantly worried about how much she is aging. Ernest has lost his ability to practice and has been relegated to becoming a mortician, sending him spiraling into alcoholism. To their surprise, they get invited to a book launch party for the release of a book written by Helen. They are both even more surprised to see Helen, now looking gorgeous and youthful. This inspires Madeline to follow up on a mysterious business card she got at a spa for Lisle von Rhuman (played by Isabella Rossellini). Lisle offers Madeline a potion promising rejuvenation along with eternal life and beauty. She purchases the potion and takes it, almost immediately regaining her youth. Meanwhile, Helen meets up with Ernest and seduces him. She convinces him to help her kill Madeline and then the two can be together again. When Madeline returns home and gets into a fight that results in Madeline falling down the stairs and breaking her neck. While Ernest calls Helen to tell her what happened, he doesn't notice that Madeline magically revives and in his shock considers her resurrection a miracle. When Helen shows up to find out what has been going on, Madeline discovers what Helen and Ernest had been plotting and greets Helen with a shotgun blast to the abdomen. Of course, they quickly discover Helen also took their potion, leaving Ernest in quite the predicament with two undead women who are going to need his unique talents as an undertaker.
The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis from a script by David Koepp and Martin Donovan. The film plays out as a black comedy with horror elements that I frequently found hilarious. There is a certain exaggerated quality to the film that adds to the humor of the film. When I found out that they had originally been toying with this film being a spin-off from the then current HBO series Tales from the Crypt, which was co-produced by Robert Zemeckis, I was not surprised. The film strikes a very similar tone as many of the episodes from that series did, especially with the ongoing theme of scheming and selfish people getting their due comeuppance. Much like the series, this movie very much has a certain tongue in cheek sensibility to it that I love. There is a lot of humor derived between the two bickering frenemies which only escalates when they both discover the other is effectively immortal, leading to such comedic bouts of violence as sword fighting with shovels with Ernest just wandering off resigned to having to patch them both up later. The filmmakers utilized pretty cutting edge special effects for the film to depict some of the injuries sustained throughout the film, including Madeline's head being twisted all the way around or a large, perfectly round hole in Helen's stomach that the other actors can see right through. Even now, almost 30 years later, the special effects still hold up reasonably well except for a couple, all done with CGI effects done by Industrial Light and Magic. I also have to give credit to the fantastic score by Alan Silvestri that sets the campy mood for the film perfectly.
The film has an fantastic cast, especially the main trio of stars. Meryl Streep is clearly having a lot of fun playing the vain Madeline Ashton as she obsesses over her looks and even insists her maid compliment her on her looks every morning. It's a very entertaining performance as Meryl hits just the right notes with the character. Helen Sharp is a departure of sorts for Goldie Hawn from her usual bubbly and warm characters and I really enjoy it. Helen Sharp has her own obsession with getting even with Madeline Ashton and is clearly willing to do whatever it takes, including a rather elaborate murder plot (that needs to be seen to be believed). Bruce Willis likewise is playing against type as this sort of nebbish, neurotic and beaten down man who has more or less given up and is hiding from life in a bottle. It remains a refreshingly different performance from the actor and really shows his skills as a comedic actor.
Overall, revisiting Death Becomes Her reminded me of what a fun movie it is, especially in the intervening years after I discovered and became a fan of the Tales from the Crypt horror anthology series. It is a slice of wicked fun that is perfect for the Halloween season and perhaps a bit more unique than the usual seasonal fare. It is a film that has gone on to become a bit of a cult classic, especially with LGBT audiences with Madeline Ashton and Helen Sharp in particular being favorite characters for drag queens to portray. It is certainly one I enjoyed just as much as when it came out, perhaps even more so now.
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