Death Becomes Her (1992) is a Hilariously Twisted Tale

I took a potion so I will live forever.

Death Becomes Her is a 1992 film. When famous actress Madeline Ashton steals the love of her life, Helen Sharp is out for revenge. Years later, Madeline’s career is fading. Upon learning of a potion that entrusts immortality, it may be the answer to outdo her longtime rival.

Death Becomes Her is a dark comedy at its best. I had a good time watching this movie, laughing through its entirety. Death Becomes Her is a proper example of the consequences if you ever wish to live forever.

Meryl Streep, Bruce Willis, and Goldie Hawn are a sensation! They each did a fantastic job. The women take their desire to be beautiful too far which leads to humorous (and dark) consequences. Streep and Hawn were fantastic in the scene where they’re beating each other up.

Bruce Willis is the real star of Death Becomes Her. He is unrecognizable as Ernest who has suffered a great deal from his love interests. I have only seen him in action films where he manifests a completely different personality. Willis has a hidden talent for comedy. I love his over-the-top reactions to the situations.

The cast has a fun time working on this comical film. As the seller of the potion, Isabella Rossellini is striking in her performance. The ER doctor (Sydney Pollock) is the best. Pollock’s performance is how you make a small role stand out.

The CGI, makeup, and special effects deserve their own shoutout. For the time, the effects were cool! There’s a couple of CGI flaws, but then again, movies hardly do practical or digital effects like these anymore. Some effects involve body gore which may make viewers uncomfortable with how certain body parts are angled.

The comedy is one of the best parts of Death Becomes Her thanks to the actors' over-the-top reactions. Death Becomes Her excels in its ability to take the absurd to the extreme while delivering genuine laughs.

Why have movies stopped with background comedy? The staircase scene is one of the best examples of the craft. My grandmother and I vocalized our surprise during the scene. I have gone back to watch this scene on YouTube several times.

The film gets right into the story, mulling over any unneeded exposition. Sources say that scenes were filmed depicting the relationships early on in the film. Films will learn from Death Becomes Her that it’s funnier to cut unneeded exposition and skip to the point or to an ironic punchline of a joke.

Death Becomes Her is zany but Robert Zemeckis incorporated a significant moral. The ability to live forever sounds like a dream, but really take the time to think about the idea if it’s ever offered to you. As much As I’d like to live forever all that zest for life disappears. Now that you’re free to do everything that you want there’s a lot of time to spare.

The original ending of the film was deleted. As funny as the chosen ending is for Death Becomes Her showing the women’s bodies crumbling apart, it didn’t fit the tone of the story. The way the film ends is too comical. It gave me Thelma and Louise vibes with how Madeline and Helen bicker with each other.

If you are not satisfied with the ending, look up the alternative ending. Hawn describes the ending perfectly. It’s not bad to grow old. Live life to the fullest.

Death Becomes Her is a fun thriller-comedy. For viewers who don’t like scary horror films, Death Becomes Her is a break.