Death Becomes Her (1992) ****

I remember seeing the trailer for Death Becomes Her (1992) many times around the time it was released and I was familiar with much of the imagery, but I somehow never got around to seeing it until now. At the time I didn't know (and even until recently I always seemed to forget) that it was made by the same director as the Back To The Future trilogy (my review for those films here, here and here) and Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) (review).

Wow, what a fun movie! This is so up my alley in so many ways. Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn are perfect as catty but clever rivals, Bruce Willis is brilliant in the rare straight-up comedic role, Isabella Rossellini is deliciously wicked, and the at-the-time pioneering CG effects largely hold up really well (save a few scenes). Dean Cundey's cinematography is gorgeous, as usual, perfectly complimenting the gothic/art deco production design. The body horror in DBH finds director Robert Zemeckis at his most gruesome and unhinged (as far as PG-13 films go) and it's a joy to watch.

I did not expect to love DBH so much. This loopy, fantastical, supernatural comedy is an hilariously dark satire of vanity—campy, over-the-top, and an absolute blast.

You can find my Robert Zemeckis Feature Films Ranked list here.