To Die For
A manipulative weather girl conspires with a love struck teenager and his gullible friends to get rid of her husband permanently. Suzanne is obsessed with becoming famous and with the help of three teens forms a dangerous bond that threatens their idyllic suburban lives. Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 12/21/2004 Starring: Nicole Kidman Alison Folland Run time: 106 minutes Rating: R Director: Gus Van Sant
If anyone ever doubts whether Nicole Kidman is a good actress, they should immediately be required to watch this outrageously wicked comedy from 1995, for which Kidman deservedly won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Leading Role. While director Gus Van Sant handles the fact-based satire with razor-sharp precision, Kidman delivers a deliciously devious performance as Suzanne Stone, a small-town New Hampshire housewife who fancies herself the next Barbara Walters, Jane Pauley, Diane Sawyer, and Maria Shriver all rolled up into one meticulously coiffed package. So determined is she to have a successful career on TV that she'll stop at nothing--even the calculated murder of her husband (Matt Dillon)--to get the attention she feels entitled to. To carry out her scheme she recruits some unwitting local teenagers including one boy (Joaquin Phoenix, matching Kidman's excellence) whose infatuation with Suzanne leads to sexual escapades and predictably troublesome consequences. It's a satirical comedy in Van Sant's capable hands, but it's so close to tabloid reality that the film never seems implausible--which only gives it a funnier, more blood-chilling quality of humor. Featuring Illeanna Douglas, George Segal, and Seinfeld alumnus Wayne Knight in memorable supporting roles, this is one of the best comedies of the '90s--especially if you prefer comedies with a decidedly darker edge. --Jeff Shannon
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To Die For Reviews
It's cool to see a young Joaquin Phoenix and Casey Affleck but other than that there's not much else here. Cruise. (Now we're waiting for the same from the newest Mrs. Cruise). With a screenplay that screams movie of the week-Nicole Kidman turns in a stunning a funny performance-at the time, one that established her as being more than just Mrs.
Web of Tyranny, etc. Gus Van Sant directs, with his usual brilliance; the film was just as haunting this time around and well worth a visit (or revisit). The teenagers, however, with their serious limitations, soon are manipulated into the midst of a nefarious plot.
Lately I have been revisiting old favorite films, perhaps to see if they are as good as I recall. And nothing will ever be the same again. When she marries a young Italian-American musician, (played by Matt Dillon), whose parents own a restaurant, and who sets aside his dreams to become someone she envisions as an appropriate husband - an insurance salesman - he hopes there will be trade-offs for him.
The teen boys - played by Joaquin Phoenix and Casey Affleck - are convincingly cast as the mentally and emotionally challenged pawns.
Chasing Stardust,.
Author of:.
Based on the novel by Joyce Maynard - who, incidentally, plays the lawyer in the film - we learn of a beautiful young woman's quest for a life in front of the television camera; despite her limitations, she imagines herself as the next Barbara Walters.
By Laurel-Rain Snow.
He constantly brings up his desire for a family.
When Suzanne embarks on a "project" with teenagers at the local school - New Hope, New Hampshire - she believes that the documentary will propel her into big-time journalism.
But his wife only cares about her own career, her little dog, and the condo they own.
And this one, To Die For, with Nicole Kidman as Suzanne Stone, the self-obsessed ambitious TV personality - actually, a "weather person" for a cable station - whose blind drive leads her down a very dark path, is every bit as good as I remember.
But still a good movie to watch. THis is one of Nicole Kidman's earlier movies that is just fun to watch. Unfortuately the fun is loosely based on a true story.
I also enjoyed the supporting performances by Illeana Douglas and Dan Hedaya who managed to make their small roles seem larger than they really were. Luckily for me, Van Sant is at the top of his game here and matches Kidman's brilliance step for step, pace for pace. She brilliantly manages to coat her satirical performance with enough genuine sincerity that her character becomes a real person instead of a farce. What I found was not just Kidman's finest screen performance ever, but quite possible Gus Van Sant's finest film ever.
Joaquin Phoenix, Casey Affleck and Alison Folland are wonderful as the three dimwitted students whom Stone uses and abuses. Jimmy, Russel & Lydia are putty in Stone's hands, easily manipulated and convinced to go along with Stone's scheme to rid her of her husband and catapult her to the spotlight she so longs for. Fame comes at a cost; and that cost is something Stone will soon have to pay. Van Sant films this black comedy as if it were part mockumentary, which aids in adding connectivity to the film, for it allows the characters to engage to audience and make them a part of the film. Nicole Kidman is a force in this film, a dynamic ball of comedic energy. Kidman plays Suzanne Stone, a young and ambitious woman who will do anything to achieve the fame she knows she is destined for. Matt Dillon is sorely underused as Larry, Stone's unsuspecting husband.
Phoenix has the most screen time, for he plays Jimmy, the student who falls for Suzanne and thus becomes the focus of her attention. There is no denying that Van Sant has talent and he has vision, and I respect that, but at times that talent and vision is muddled and produces films I don't feel are really up to par. Regardless though, I still longed to see `To Die For' if not for Kidman and Kidman alone. Even though the film has some devastating situations (murder and adultery) they are played out much like a Coen film, used for comedic effect and so while we are allowed to judge we are never allowed to judge too harshly. I had heard a lot of great things about Nicole Kidman's performance in this black comedy, so many good things that I had to check it out.
`To Die For' is just that, a film that is to die for. He manages well with what he is given, but the film (like Stone) is pretty much uninterested with him. She marries Larry Maretto, a good looking Italian man who supports her dreams and believes in her, but his support is not enough for it alone won't get Stone what she wants. As each actor talks directly to the viewer we begin to feel like a part of their schemes and thus feel an intimate relation to the film. When Stone takes her ambitions to the next level, trying to engage some high school students in a news segment, she meets three particular students who prove to be the key to Stone's inevitable success.
He captures the mental level of his character, which isn't high mind you, and manages to make him interesting. Sure, it may seem far fetched at times but that's what a satire does; it blows truths out of proportion in an effort to cause the audience to realize the facts resting before their eyes. Then, gloriously, it came on Encore the other night and so I DVR'd it and settled down to take in the gift that is Kidman. It is funny, smart, witty and darkly powerful; a film that plays to its strengths, and thankfully it has many of them. He has a unique style that I appreciate when it is channeled properly (ala `Elephant') but find myself put off when it is misdirected (circa `Psycho').
Phoenix has surely turned in finer performances (it's nice to see the fine actor he's become) but this is far from a bad performance. His first line in this film alone is priceless.
The way she can consume her character, delivering each and every line with precision and dedication, creating a character that is funny as can be yet serious as heart attack. In the end `To Die For' is a brilliant satire, a fantastic film about the dangers of fame and obsession.
The problem was that I could never find it anywhere. He attempts to commercialize his talent with mixed results, at times drawing enough star power to make up for lack of material (witness `Good Will Hunting') but then there are times when even his best efforts result in mediocre offerings (take `Finding Forester' for instance). Gus Van Sant is a hit-or-miss director with me.
In a world so obsessed with being on the top of everything, of being in front of the cameras and in the magazines and on the lips of every living breathing human being, `To Die For' is a wonderful example of why that particular thinking is so far off the mark.
When she perceived that her husband (Matt Dillon) is standing between her and fame, she enlists the help of three teenagers (including Joaquin Phoenix and Casey Affleck), whom she is working with on a documentary, to murder her husband for her. Suzanne Maretto (Nicole Kidman) wants to be a star. However, I thought this film was great. For her whole life she has focussed on her goal of becoming the next Barbara Walters.
Clearly this film had a reasonable budget and it stars Nicole Kidman (in the best role of her career), but the director is Gus Van Sant and the cast is a who's-who of indie regulars (Affleck, Phoenix, Matt Dillon, Ileana Douglas, etc). Add to that a script by Buck Henry (who co-wrote "Get Smart"), and as far as I'm concerned, you have a classic. I suspect the reason why many of the critics didn't like this film was because it is a black comedy and as with most black comedies, if the humour isn't to your taste, it can end up falling flat or not being understood at all. The film is also made in a documentary format, which I can imagine might also annoy some viewers (generally, I don't like this format, but in this case I didn't mind it. When this film was first released, most of the reviews that appeared in the newspapers were less than glowing, which put me off this film for a number of years, and when I finally did see it, I was astounded by just how good it is. "To Die For" is a cross between a well-budgeted studio film and a high quality indie.
"To Die For" is a highly underrated movie, based on a novel that you probably didn't know existed (although, it is also excellent - the book is by Joyce Maynard). The result is a combination of the best aspects of each of these types of film. The problem is that she's not all that bright and not all that talented, not that she is aware of this. It doesn't get in the way of the storytelling).
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