To Die For 8/10

To Die For (R) 1995
Reviewer’s Tilt (8)
Dark Comedy-106min
Special DVD Features worth a look-None

“To Die For” is a satirical look at media’s fascination with the sensational. Instead of descending into farce, director by Gus Van Sant and writer by Buck Henry add a keen edge to this satire. Based on Joyce Maynard's novel, To Die For follows Suzanne Stone Maretto (Nicole Kidman) as she attempts to ply her spectacular looks into a career as the next Jane Pauley. Susanne’s mantra is “What's the point of doing something good if nobody's watching.” Despite her blinding ambition, Susanne finds it difficult to parlay a small mind and a dearth of talent into a gig as a big time television reporter. Her lack of talent and the lack of stories in her small town conspire to keep her out of the limelight. Suzanne finally decides to muster all of her wiles, cunning, ambition and amorality to create her own opportunity.

Borrowing a trick from a famous female reporter, she lands a job as a local weathergirl. Everything is looking up, until Susanne learns her husband Larry (Matt Dillon) wants a baby. Terrified over what a baby would do to her incredible figure, she hatches a plan to simultaneously save her physique and launch her career. Susanne enlists three troubled teenagers Jimmy (Joaquin Phoenix), Lydia (Alison Folland), and Russell (Casey Affleck) to film a documentary. Leveraging the teens’ hidden desires, she uses sex, friendship, and compact discs to convince them to kill Larry. If all goes right, she should have her story and be able to leave her small life in a small town behind.

Fortunately, Larry’s sister Janice (Illeana Douglas) uses her family’s mafia ties to protect her oblivious brother. Although Susanne succeeds in immortalizing her beauty, she never realizes the error of her ways. While the entire cast turns in incredible performances, Kidman shines as the personification of immorality and drive. Van Sant and Henry also hit their marks precisely, conspiring to simultaneously make you laugh at the media, and leave you cringing that the story may be more empirical than satirical. More importantly, they bear witness to the destructive impact the blurred line between news and entertainment has on our children and our society.

Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
Extras: Trailer.