To Die For

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Joaquin Phoenix, Matt Dillon, Casey Affleck, Illeana Douglas, Dan Hedaya, Wayne Knight
Directed by: Gus Van Sant
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
1995

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Suzanne Stone (Nicole Kidman) is determined to have a successful television career. She achieves some fame by taking a job as a weathergirl, but she soon feels like her husband (Matt Dillon) is holding her career back. She starts an affair with a high school student (Joaquin Phoenix) and slowly convinces him to kill her husband so they can be together.

Review:

Tim: To Die For is a movie that has some identity problems. Is it a drama, a comedy, a dramedy, or something else? I would say that it tries hard to be a drama, but inexplicably throws in these bizarre comedic moments which don't necessarily work and detract from the overall film. I just didn't see this movie as an effective comedy, which much of it tried to be. The subject matter was just too dramatic and tragic for that. While watching, I couldn't figure out what this movie was trying to be. That hurt my enjoyment of the film. It also felt like a pretty loose movie- director Gus Vant Sant needed to tighten up a few areas for this movie to be truly effective.

The movie does features some decent performances. Nicole Kidman certainly received some deserved accolades for her work her. She received a Golden Globe for her performance. It is quirky, different, and certainly unique. I don't think this was her best role, but she deserves some credit for putting in a strong effort. Joaquin Phoenix is decent, but his star power hadn't yet blossomed yet. The same goes for Casey Affleck's small role- he is often stupid and unmemorable. Matt Dillon is likewise decent, but not great. The entire cast works well, but besides Kidman, no one really shines.

I still struggle with what to think about this movie. To Die For sets out to be a very, very dark comedy, but it just isn't funny. I don't think I laughed even once. Dark comedies are certainly difficult to do, and I don't think this movie worked especially well. The based-on-a-true story aspect does make the movie fairly interesting, but I don't think this is a great movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 6



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