Product: To Die For (1995)
Rating: 5.0
Underrated classic
Suzanne Maretto (Nicole Kidman) wants to be a star. For her whole life she has focussed on her goal of becoming the next Barbara Walters. The problem is that she's not all that bright and not all that talented, not that she is aware of this. When she perceived that her husband (Matt Dillon) is standing between her and fame, she enlists the help of three teenagers (including Joaquin Phoenix and Casey Affleck), whom she is working with on a documentary, to murder her husband for her."To Die For" is a highly underrated movie, based on a novel that you probably didn't know existed (although, it is also excellent - the book is by Joyce Maynard). When this film was first released, most of the reviews that appeared in the newspapers were less than glowing, which put me off this film for a number of years, and when I finally did see it, I was astounded by just how good it is. I suspect the reason why many of the critics didn't like this film was because it is a black comedy and as with most black comedies, if the humour isn't to your taste, it can end up falling flat or not being understood at all. The film is also made in a documentary format, which I can imagine might also annoy some viewers (generally, I don't like this format, but in this case I didn't mind it. It doesn't get in the way of the storytelling). However, I thought this film was great."To Die For" is a cross between a well-budgeted studio film and a high quality indie. Clearly this film had a reasonable budget and it stars Nicole Kidman (in the best role of her career), but the director is Gus Van Sant and the cast is a who's-who of indie regulars (Affleck, Phoenix, Matt Dillon, Ileana Douglas, etc). The result is a combination of the best aspects of each of these types of film. Add to that a script by Buck Henry (who co-wrote "Get Smart"), and as far as I'm concerned, you have a classic.