“Death Becomes Her” fooled me the first time I saw it. I saw the weird effects and the hole in Goldie Hawn’s stomach, and wrote it off as a glossy, over-the-top comedy.
But after rewatching it years later, it’s clear this movie knew exactly what it was doing. "Death Becomes Her" is actually a razor-sharp satire disguised as a campy farce, and it’s way more ruthless — and relevant — than it gets credit for.
There's actually a lot of substance here. It serves up some brutal commentary on aging, beauty standards, and how women are punished for daring to lose their youth. Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn go all in, and Bruce Willis gives one of the weirdest, most satisfying performances of his career as a nervous, aging plastic surgeon stuck between two immortal narcissists.
People remember “Death Becomes Her” for its outrageous visuals (or they're reminded now thanks to its popular Broadway-inspired TikTok memes), but what’s aged best is the writing. The jokes are mean. The characters are absurd. The message still lands. It predicted the influencer era, Botox addiction and toxic body culture with almost uncomfortable accuracy. And it's free to watch right now on YouTube.
What's 'Death Becomes Her' about?
"Death Becomes Her" is a dark comedy about two women who are obsessed with youth, beauty and destroying each other. One of them is Madeline Ashton (Meryl Streep), a former stage star who thrives on attention and can't stand the idea of aging.
Her longtime rival, Helen Sharp (Goldie Hawn), is quieter at first but just as driven by jealousy and resentment. The two have been locked in a petty and extremely toxic competition for years, mostly centered around one man.
That man is Ernest Menville (Bruce Willis), a plastic surgeon who was originally Helen’s fiancé, but Madeline stole him away just to prove she could. By the time the main story begins, the marriage has fallen apart. Ernest is bitter and drunk, Helen has vanished, and Madeline is starting to panic about her fading looks and stalled career.
Then Helen shows up again, looking younger than ever. That’s when things spiral into madness. Madeline discovers a secret potion that grants eternal youth, sold by a mysterious woman named Lisle (Isabella Rossellini).
Of course, there’s a catch, and soon both women have taken the potion. Instead of solving their problems, it turns them into indestructible corpses who keep fighting, literally tearing each other apart in a war of insults, injuries, and perfect outfits.
Why you should stream 'Death Becomes Her'
"Death Becomes Her" is a sharp, strange comedy that doesn’t really feel like anything else from the early ’90s. The cast is great, for one thing. Meryl Streep, Goldie Hawn, and Bruce Willis all play against type, and it works.
Streep and Hawn are two aging rivals fighting to stay young, and Willis is stuck in the middle as their unhappy, slightly terrified plastic surgeon. And you won't find anything as crazy as Streep's performance here. If you're a fan of her work, it's a must-watch.
You don’t have to be into dark comedies or ’90s movies to enjoy this. If you’ve ever watched a movie about people going too far to hold onto their youth or image, this one goes all in. The effects are intentionally over-the-top, and it might even turn a few stomachs. But it's nothing so creepy that it veers off into horror. It's still catty, lighthearted fun that only Streep and Hawn could provide.
The movie also holds up better than you might expect. It moves quickly, the jokes still land, and the themes haven’t aged at all. Watching it now, it’s easy to see why it became a cult favorite, especially with how it balances comedy with something a little darker underneath. And I'm so glad that it's come back to please TikTokers with its Broadway adaptation.
Watch "Death Becomes Her" free on YouTube
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