Death Becomes Her

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Death Becomes Her

PG-13

1992

1h 45m

Comedy

Fantasy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

58%

Tomatometer

59 Reviews

62%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

When a novelist loses her man to a movie star and former friend, she winds up in a psychiatric hospital. Years later, she returns home to confront the now-married couple, looking radiant. Her ex-husband's new wife wants to know her secret, and discovers that she has been taking a mysterious drug which grants eternal life to the person who drinks it. The actress follows suit, but discovers that immortality has a price.

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Critics Consensus

Hawn and Streep are as fabulous as Death Becomes Her's innovative special effects; Zemeckis' satire, on the other hand, is as hollow as the world it mocks.

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David Denby

New York Magazine/Vulture

05/11/2021

The target of the movie's jokes is female vanity, but since Zemeckis exhibits not a trace of affection for the actresses (or for any of the men, either), one feels humiliated merely watching his crude-spirited wit.

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Jay Boyar

Orlando Sentinel

01/03/2019

This new horror-comedy has to be one of the most heartless mainstream pictures ever made.

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Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

01/03/2019

If there were something resembling genuine satire of human behavior beyond the simple pretexts for fancy special effects and relentless sadism, I might have found some of this funny.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Jan 1

2.5/4

The script by Martin Donovan and David Koepp never lacks for cleverness, but it's ultimately more frantic than funny.

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Noah Gittell

Washington City Paper

02/11/2025

It’s funny, horrifying, and tightly plotted. It goes down a little too smooth, but it may have been all that was possible at the time.

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Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

11/04/2024

4/5

Streep and Hawn are divine in their respective roles, but it's Bruce Willis who steals the show in Robert Zemeckis' special effects showcase.

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Lair H.

@Fenrazor 6d

If you havent seen it, see it NOW! FANTASTIC PRACTICAL FX!

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Jonathan C

@jonathan8888 Jan 8

Funny. Clever. Great special effects. Vicious. Catty. Witty. ...and now, a brilliant musical on Broadway.

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timmy b

Dec 15

Before there was the Film "The Substance" there was "Death Becomes Her". Such a brilliant, funny and thought provoking Movie for the time. It really was, in its own way, a foretelling of sorts of what Hollywood and the 1st World would be like 35 years later. Obsessed with youthfulness but with no substance. How ironic. Robert Zemeckis Directed this brilliantly. Meryl Streep really was incredible. Goldie Hawn shines brightly and Bruce Willis gives a Career Highlight.

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Zachary K

@ZacharyKing Dec 6

The 3 main cast members all did an excellent job with the given material. With a different script and maybe new director too, this movie could be great. 5/10

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Nov 26

Funny in 01 hour, 43 minutes, and 54 seconds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ages 13 and older!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $58,400,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Kim P

Nov 22

Underrated film. I've not seen any that do the premise better.

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Robert Zemeckis

Director

Meryl Streep

Madeline Ashton

Bruce Willis

Ernest Menville

Goldie Hawn

Helen Sharp

Isabella Rossellini

Lisle Von Rhuman

Ian Ogilvy

Chagall

Death Becomes Her: Official Clip - Helen Pays Ernest a Visit

1:30

Death Becomes Her: Official Clip - Plotting Madeline's Death

2:00

Death Becomes Her: Official Clip - Eternal Youth

2:59

Death Becomes Her: Official Clip - Medical Mystery

2:59

Death Becomes Her: Official Clip - Madeline Takes a Fall

2:35

Death Becomes Her: Official Clip - Shovel Showdown

2:48

Death Becomes Her: Official Clip - Ernest's Escape

2:35

Death Becomes Her: Official Clip - Madeline's Revenge

2:58

Death Becomes Her: Official Clip - Friends Forever

1:18

Death Becomes Her: Official Clip - At Home With Helen

1:54

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Synopsis

When a novelist loses her man to a movie star and former friend, she winds up in a psychiatric hospital. Years later, she returns home to confront the now-married couple, looking radiant. Her ex-husband's new wife wants to know her secret, and discovers that she has been taking a mysterious drug which grants eternal life to the person who drinks it. The actress follows suit, but discovers that immortality has a price.

Director: Robert Zemeckis
Producer: Robert Zemeckis, Steve Starkey
Screenwriter: Martin Donovan, David Koepp
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Universal Pictures
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 31, 1992, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 17, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $58.4M
Runtime: 1h 45m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

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