To Die For Movie Review

To Die For (1995)

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Written by: Joyce Maynard (book), Buck Henry (screenplay)
Directed by: Gus Van Sant
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Matt Dillon, Joaquin Phoenix, Casey Affleck, Illeana Douglas, Dan Hedaya, Wayne Knight, Kurtwood Smith
Rated: PG-13
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Plot
Naive Suzanne Stone is dead-set on making her dream of being on television come true, but her husband wants her to stay at home. Suzanne coerces a lovesick teen to help her execute a devious plot.

Verdict
It's a dark comedy about fame, manipulation, and how the quest to be famous can lead to deplorable plots. Kidman does a great job. Suzanne seems like an airhead, but she has a plan for fame. She gets her fifteen minutes, but staying famous isn't the same as becoming famous.
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Review
She frequently appears to be dumb, but she crafts quite the plot. A lot of that is leverage for humor. This is wry comedy. Suzanne starts at the bottom and works her way into the spotlight through deception and manipulation. You get the feeling this is a plot she's hatched based on a movie she watched.

She's determined to become famous, reciting facts about famous people and spending very little time in the sun, less it age her prematurely. She manipulates a teen, played by Joaquin Phoenix into removing an obstacle to her fame.

It's an interesting juxtaposition where a network exec implies sexual favors will help Suzanne get a job in the industry. Suzanne appears unaware of what he's insinuating, but I wouldn't be surprised if she had taken the offer. She then courts a teenager, taking advantage of him to get ahead. She's unscrupulous. As soon as she's gotten what she wants, she drops them. It's a level of devious I didn't know she had.

The entire plot seems like something that could happen, though not as exactly as depicted. Many people want to be famous and resort to silly or dangerous tricks to make that happen. Sometimes that works, sometimes that person becomes a footnote on the news.