Slapstick in higher realms

Wednesday, December 2, 1992 - 11:00

Slapstick in higher realms

Death Becomes Her
Directed by Robert Zemeckis
Written by Martin Donovan & David Koepp
Starring Goldie Hawn, Bruce Willis, Meryl Streep, Isabella Rossellini
Reviewed by Ulrike Erhardt

This is an outrageous black comedy, where Madeline Ashton (Meryl Streep), a narcissistic show business personality, fights with her arch rival, Helen Sharp (Goldie Hawn), formerly a shy book editor who transforms herself into a famous beauty author, for a gifted if hapless plastic surgeon Dr. Ernest Menville (unrecognisable Bruce Willis) for his hand in marriage. For different reasons they all land eventually in the beautiful clutches of the eerie mistress of immortality, Lisle von Rhumans (Isabella Rossellini).

Exciting computer images allow Madeline to break her neck and twist her head backwards while Helen receives a huge hole through her stomach and is put into a fat-suit which helps her to gain momentarily 200 pounds. Bruce Willis had to sit through hours of prosthetic make-up, obviously because it wasn't easy to turn him into an ageing Joe Blow.

The awesome foursome knows how to turn heads, even if Madeline is dead as a doornail and doesn't even know it. Ernest lies through his teeth to get what he wants and Helen resorts to verbal satisfaction to make up for losing him. While she regains posture, Ernest loses his until chance puts him back in control. That's why he can't help but to believe in miracles. When Madeline triggers a shoot-out both women look worse for wear and Ernest wants out. Well, we all know what happens if widows lose their bearings... they go to pieces, right?

Death Becomes Her puts slapstick into higher realms. As nothing is more enjoyable than laughing at others, except laughing at ourselves, both bimbos and smarties will get their kicks out of this black comedy.

Meryl Streep is excellent in mimicking life, afterlife and herself while Bruce Willis doesn't die hard but shows a versatility I didn't expect of him.

Death Becomes Her is sure to beat the festive season blues.