*Get "To Die For" on Amazon here*
*Get "To Die For" Original Motion Picture Soundtrack on Amazon here*
*Watch "Murder in New Hampshire: The Pamela Smart Story" on Amazon Prime Video here*
*Get Teach Me to Kill: The Shocking True Story of the Pamela Smart Murder Case by Steven Sawicki on Amazon here*
Nicole Kidman stars as a local television personality who will stop at nothing to get what she wants, but it is Gus Van Sant's direction that really shines.
Kidman plays Suzanne, a none-to-bright woman who decides she wants to be a giant media personality. She marries Larry (Matt Dillon), a restaurateur, and settles for doing the weather at a dead-end television station. Suzanne sees that Larry is not behind her career, and uses a trio of teens to kill him. She begins her plan by befriending them while shooting a documentary, then begins sleeping with James (Joaquin Phoenix), who in turn conspires with Russell (Casey Affleck) and Lydia (Alison Folland). Most of the film is told in flashback by the killers and families of Suzanne and Larry, and Suzanne herself.
"To Die For" is a strange film. Acting wise, the professional cast is saddled with one-note characters. While top-heavy with supporting players, Suzanne never really changes much, or offers enough menace to feel anything for her. Dillon fades into the background as Larry, trying too hard to make him normal. Buck Henry's screenplay is full of fits and starts, never gathering enough darkness to become a successful dark comedy, nor enough edge to become a successful satire. This is a shame, since murderers -as-celebrities are such a part of our lives today. The film never takes that final step and calls the media on the carpet, instead trying to get the viewer caught up in the mechanics of Suzanne and Jim's relationship, and Suzanne's progressively strange certainty that she will be famous.
Gus Van Sant's direction is absolutely fantastic. The interior of Larry and Suzanne's home is hysterical. His camera always finds the perfect tone for a scene, even if the scene is not especially well-written. I am one of the few who did not think much of "Drugstore Cowboy," although I do appreciate many of the films Van Sant has done since.
"To Die For" gets the viewer geared up for a no-punches-pulled look at popular culture, then throws in the towel before the bell rings. I cannot recommend it, despite the fine direction, the rest is a disappointment.
Stats:
(1995) 106 min. (6/10)
-Directed by Gus Van Sant
-Screenplay by Buck Henry based on the book by Joyce Maynard
-Cast: Nicole Kidman, Matt Dillon, Joaquin Phoenix, Casey Affleck, Alison Folland, Illeana Douglas, Dan Hedaya, Wayne Knight, Kurtwood Smith, Holland Taylor, Susan Traylor, Maria Tucci, Tim Hopper
(R)
*BAFTA*
-Best Actress- Nicole Kidman (lost to Emma Thompson "Sense and Sensibility")
*Golden Globes*
-Best Actress- Comedy or Musical Motion Picture (won)
