I Love You to Death

Plot synopsis:
Joey Boca (Kevin Kline) is the owner of a pizza parlor located in Tacoma, Washington, and has been married to Rosalie (Tracey Ullman) for years. Their marriage seems a typical one until Rosalie discovers in the public library that Joey is a womanizer and has been cheating on her for a long time.
Rosalie does not want to allow Joey the pleasure of having every woman he wants, so she refuses divorce. Taking extreme measures, she enlists the help of her mother (Joan Plowright), and her young co-worker Devo (River Phoenix), who's secretly in love with her, to kill Joey in order to put an end to his infidelity. They also hire two incompetent, perpetually stoned hit-men, cousins Harlan and Marlon James (William Hurt and Keanu Reeves).
To her surprise, Joey proves impossible to kill. Even though Rosalie poisons Joey with sleeping pills, he simply gets a stomach cramp, and dismisses it as a virus. When Marlon's cowardice stops him from being present at Joey's murder, Harlan shoots Joey, only wounding him behind the ear. Eventually a convict at the local commissary reveals their plan, and when the police arrive they find the wounded Joey in some pain. Joey is taken to the hospital, and Rosalie, her mother, Devo, and the James cousins are arrested. Recognizing the errors in his ways and at his mother's behest, Joey refuses to press charges and bails everyone out of jail. As he waits for Rosalie with flowers and a box of chocolates, he meets the Jameses, with whom he makes peace. After meeting Rosalie again, he asks her to take him back, but still offended, she runs out. Joey manages to catch her and in the janitors' closet they reveal their love with some intimacy, much to Devo's dismay and the surprise of Rosalie's mother.

Tags: revenge, comedy

Review:
But it takes off from that base and becomes a screwball comedy in the classic style.Wonderfully droll performances are given by everyone in this Hitchcock-like farce about a murder that doesn't quite work and a man who just won't die.
Joan Plowright steals every scene she is in -- which isn't easy in a film that is full of so many zany plot twists and hilarious lines of dialogue.This film is a little gem of a comedy.
I found this dark comedy hilarious in spots and so-so in others, but overall a funny movie.
Also, some Catholics might be offended because the film takes some shots at them, or at least people who go overboard in rationalizing their sins, as Kevin Kline does in here.There is an odd assortment of actors in here and they all contribute to the fun: Kline, Tracey Ullman, William Hurt, River Phoenix, Keannu Reeves, Joan Plowright and James Gammon.Supposedly, this film was based on a real-life happening, which makes it all the more interesting and lending credence to the saying that "truth is stranger than fiction."Plowright almost steals the show from Kline and Ullman, the husband-and-wife team who have problems because of Kline's persistent cheating on her.
Plowright in Ullman's mother and has some of the best lines in the film as mother and daughter plot how to kill the immoral Kline.Phoenis plays a young New Age devotee and Hurt and Reeves are funny as two totally stoned-out hit men.
Hurt is particularly good.This movie is so-so to start until Ullman finds her husband cheating.
Tracey Ullman and Joan Plowright star as Rosalie Boca and her mother Nadja, both so furious at the infidelity of Rosalie's husband Joey (Kevin Kline) that they decide to kill him.
The ensuing misadventures are VERY funny, particularly the attempts by hired hit-men Harlan and Marlon James, not-too-bright cousins played by William Hurt and Keanu Reeves..
I was introduced to this movie by my best friend and barber, and every time it comes on Showtime I am compelled to watch - it never gets old.
Chock full of shock humor and one-liners, it has never failed to bring down the house, no matter who I show it to.I Love You to Death includes many of the best elements of the blackest comedies you will ever see, but without leaving you with a bitter aftertaste.
In spite of Kevin Kline's fractured Italian accent, this is one of the funniest movies ever.
Add  Harlan & Marlon (Hurt & Keanu) and River Phoenix, and a great cameo by Miriam Margoyles are Kleins' mother, and you've got yourself a highly watchable movie..
I love it when you sit down to watch a little cable/satellite television and there's nothing on, but then you stumble on a movie as good as this one.
The fact that it's based on a true story is one of the things that makes this movie so funny.
Kevin Kline is my favorite actor, and "I Love You to Death" strengthens that.
So, Rosalie and her mother (Joan Plowright) decide to hire two outside men (William Hurt and Keanu Reeves) to do the dirty work.
The whole fiasco ends in a really crazy situation.Kevin Kline's Italian accent isn't totally believable, but his manic performance makes up for that.
Kevin Kline is brilliant as Joey Boca and Tracey Ullman is hilarious as his oblivious and then vengeful bride.
This has got to be one of the great all time classics in a Dark Humor Comedy.
She plays the live-in Mother of Tracy Ullmans charater, (Rosalie) who is married to Joey Boca, (played by Kevin Kline).
Put that together with the late but very talented River Phoenix who plays the role of the busboy in the Boca's Pizza Parlor who is very in love with Rosalie; and you have one fine mix of fun, mayhem, and laughter, as they all take turns in trying to knock off Joey.
But then if that wasn't enough, they then seek outside help, which only gets more funnier, as Keanu Reeves and William Hurt try to come to the aid, playing druged out druggies, who together make Dumb and Dumber look like Yale graduates.
This Movie is absolutely hilarious, with everything from the cheeky smile of Kevin Kline, to the dopey persona of Keanu Reeves and the mysteriously weird River Phoenix.
Every character is a different character, and that is partly what makes this movie so funny, it's like a commune of different personalities put in a certain situation, and what is funny is the way in which they each try to deal with it.It is, of course highly underrated, which is really disappointing because it is so good and more people should see it!I personally came across it as a River Phoenix fan, and I must be the only person who thinks it is one of his best roles, although he didn't get to do many....But, this film is great and if you haven't seen it, do!.
This movie takes some serious subjects and make them funny and something to joke about- not to mention its a true story.
Also, Keanu Reeves who usually does serious movie roles like the matrix and sweet November is hilarious in this movie, he plays a total druggy and does a really good job at it.
Anyways I have seen this movie tons of times and recommend that you watch it, maybe you'll like it maybe you wont..
He is great as the oblivious victim, and you almost feel sorry for him.I had a chuckle watching this film and I own a tape of this one,crazy movie.
Tracey Ullman plays the wife of a pizza man who decides to kill her husband when she finds out he's cheating on her.
The actors are excellent and Kevin Kline is SO funny as the macho Italian and River Phoenix is perfect as the love struck wannabe killer.
I've seen the movie a couple of times and I always laugh until I fall off my  bed when I see Keanu Reeves and William Hurt as the two cousins with one brain cell (together) who are called in to finish the husband off.
Borrowed from a real-life account of a woman who wanted her cheating husband dead, this dark, dry comedy certainly had possibilities, but in the last quarter of the film the characters turn into bungling sillies and all hope is lost in the muddle.
Kevin Kline is the pizzeria proprietor and womanizer, Tracey Ullman is his devoted wife, Joan Plowright is her Yugoslavian mother, River Phoenix plays an employee with a crush on Ullman, and William Hurt and Keanu Reeves are drug-addicts and would-be hit men.
My main problem was that it seemed contrived, I mean actually the movie kind of made me bewildered, I didn't understand the humer in it.Well, I saw it again, the person I saw it with told me it was based on a true story, this was confirmed by imdb user comments.
I honestly had no idea an incredible event like this ACTUALLY happened and knowing that can view the film differently and understand why so many loved it.I love you to death will never be my favoroite movie but knowing what I do now I can say it's an interesting one(I just wish I'd known the true facts when I saw this years ago)..
Ya' have to stick with it to reap the full rewards, but the ensemble cast including Joan Plowright, Keanu Reeves, RiverPhoenix, and William Hurt is a brilliant mix of comedic talent!
this film is a true gem...kevin kline and tracy ullman are perfectly cast...i am not a big keanu reeves fan (as a leading actor) but he is fantastic, along with william hurt, in the role of drugged-up, clumsy hit-men...the mother-in-law is perfect, the cop is perfect, river phoenix is perfect...everybody is perfect!!!
Loosely based on an attempted murder that happened in 1984, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where a women named Frances Toto repeatedly tried to kill her husband, Anthony, 'I Love You to Death' is An Entertaining Black-Comedy with Memorable Performances!
The Late/Great River Phoenix is impressive, while William Hurt & Keanu Reeves deliver some of the best laughs.
I Love You to Death is based on the true story of a woman who's many attempts to have her adulterous husband murdered prove unsuccessful (sort of).
So the two women, with the help of her weird, but loyal, new age pizza shop employee (Phoenix), hire a few imbeciles (including cousins Harlan and Marlon--Hurt and Reeves) to do the job.
Though the movie morbidly parodies what may not really be something to laugh at, the results are so damn hilarious, making this probably one of the funniest movies I have ever seen -- particularly with Plowright as the sarcastic mother-in-law and Harlan and Marlan as the most dim-witted criminals you've ever seen.
If you feel like laughing, this is indeed a good title to see.It tells the story of a Pizza maker, who is the typical 'macho latino', and his wife, who finds out that he his having a love affair with other girls..She decides to kill him, but when she tries to do so..
I Love You To Death tells a [true] story about a cheating husband trying to be knock off by his wife.
Kevin Kline, Tracey Ullman, Joan Plowright are very good playing this slightly dysfunctional family.
Nothing works.In another movie, Kevin Kline's performance could be called racist.
Kevin Kline and Tracey Ullman are the stars of I Love You To Death and he's the exponential alpha male owner of a pizzeria in Tacoma, Washington where for the female customers he makes personal deliveries.
But there isn't a pair of breasts between 18 and 45 he can't pass up.In I Love You To Death Ullman has decided she's up to HERE with Kline's serial infidelities.
They were more successful than this team of assassins were with Kline.Adding to the hilarity when Phoenix enlists them to help are brain dead druggies William Hurt and Keanu Reeves.
Reeves and Phoenix met on this film and the next project for both would be My Own Private Idaho the best film both of them ever did.Dame Joan Plowright a.k.a Lady Olivier is also very funny with another cheesy accent.
First, reading other reviews here that Plowright stole the movie, is a bit overboard...it was difficult most of times to make out what she was saying...awful Italian accent, if that was, what it was.
Most amazing thing is that the funniest lines ("When you get shot in the head, it makes you think...") are from the real life story.
Sure, Kevin Kline is good, but the movie is not worth it.
With a title like "I Love You to Death", it's bound to be a bad movie.
Kevin Kline, Tracy Ullman, and River Phoenix are good, but it's not their best work.Basically, a nice woman tries to get her Italian husband killed after he cheats on her numerous times.Pure screwball.I'd suggest renting it if your crazy uncle Roger was over, but otherwise, you probably won't love this movie to death..
keanu reeves and william hurt play once in a life time roles, and incredibly enough, it's based on a true story!
Kevin Kline is hilarious and the things they do to him are just too funny..
The names say it all: Tracey Ullman, William Hurt, River Phoenix, Keanu Reeves (it seems playing the dumb is his strong point?).
excellent performances from all actors involved ....Kevin Kline is a gem as the cheating husband...all actors are perfect for their characters ...funniest movie i have seen ....
While there are laughs throughout I Love You To Death, the scenes with Harlan (Hurt) and Marlon (Reeves) are knee-buckling funny.
(no, I won't tell you - see the movie!) Surprisingly, this movie is "based on a true story." I've seen it a number of times.
I find it very interesting that people give this movie a poor review and then when they find out it's based on a true story, they love it!
I love the parts of Keanu Reeves and William Hurt.
Keanu Reeves, and William Hurt are also stellar in this movie..
It was 1993 or so and my roommates and I were flipping channels and came upon a movie in a singles bar scene and I noticed both Kevin Kline (Joey) and Phoebe Cates (girl at bar).
This is a very funny movie and it is worth watching for that scene alone.
My husband and I watch this movie whenever it is on, and laugh out loud every time.
Let me start to say that this little 'under the radar' black comedy flick, it's one of my all time favorites from the genre and a severly underrated film that deserved a much better praise and needs to be rediscovered as a comedy gold cult film nowadays.Lawrence Kasdan, who never disappointed (at least during the 80's, until the mid 90's) directed this quirky story based on actual facts about an italian womanizer, Joey Boca (Kline), the chauvinist owner of a Pizza Parlor, who repeatedly cheats on his devoted wife, Rosalie (Ullman), even if her loyal employer, Devo (Phoenix) and his eccentric mother, Nadja (Plowright) were trying to warn her against Joey's way of life.
When Rosalie catches him cheating on her in a public library, she bows to revenge for years of infidelity and with the support of Mother Nadja, Devo and two doped (un)professional killers (Reeves & Hurt) they plan to eliminate him, but a sinful task like this, will not be easy to concretize...Kasdan was always a great director of actors, since his debut in "Body Heat" ('81) to "The Big Chill" ('83), "Silverado" ('85) or "The Accidental Tourist" ('88), his entire cast always gave superb performances way adequated to the given material and "I Love You to Death" is not an exception.
Kevin Kline, one of the funniest actors that ever graced the screen, fresh from his truly deserved Oscar win for "A Fish Called Wanda" the year before and collaborating with the director for the 3rd time, is splendid and hilarious playing Joey Boca, a derivative performance of his Otto character from "Wanda", but equally effective and stealing every scene he's in.Tracey Ullman is impressive in her first co-leading role in a theatrical released picture, but veteran Dame Joan Plowright as her cranky Serbo-Croatian Mother Nadja, delivers a marvellous performance, her responses and facial expressions' are a riot to follow.River Phoenix is ok playing Devo, practically playing himself at that time.
William Hurt (joining Kasdan for the 4th time) & Keanu Reeves as the two hippie druggies, play one of the most memorable screen duo in a comedy movie ever (Cheech & Chong next to them look like a pair of lucid fellas), it needs to be seen to be believed, even the always subpar, Keanu, delivers here probably one of his best performances, some may say that he's just playing a part of himself, but so as River, the main difference is that the River's role and performance are bland & merely passable and Keanu is extremely amusing.The movie also features an early appearance on-screen by Heather Graham and a cameo by Phoebe Cates (from the "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" & "Gremlins" fame), the real life wife of lead star, Kevin Kline, who shot the scene with her husband in a break of filming "Drop Dead Fred" ('91).The music score by James Horner is spot-on to the events on the screen and largely contribute to the burlesque feeling of the whole.In short, "I Love You to Death" is a skillfully directed farce from a delightfully immoral screenplay from John Kostmayer and a 'must-see' for fans of such movies as "A Fish Called Wanda" ('88); "Weekend at Bernie's" ('89); "Oscar" ('91) or "My Cousin Vinny" ('92).
Telling me it's "based on a true story" instantly puts me off, makes me not want to see the movie at all.
Kevin Kline and Tracy Ullman are outstanding, William Hurt is hilarious, and James Gammon was absolutely perfect as the detective.
Joey works with Rosalie in their pizza parlour.She is convinced that he works all of the time for them and her world dissolves when she finds that he has been cheating on her for years.Being Catholic, divorce is out of the question, so she and her mother and her best friend decide to kill him.Hopelessly incompetent as killers, they hire incompetent professionals as they beat, poison, and shoot Joey, who remains oblivious to their attempts.....Very loosely based on a true story, this film is one of those old fashioned farces that we haven't seen in years.Inexplicably ignored on release, and to some extent ever since, this film does drag a little toward the end, but thanks to some great characters and Kline in one of his best roles, it has some truly funny moments.Reeves and Hurt almost steal the whole movie as the drug addicted hit men, using physical comedy as much as verbal, when they are on screen, the film is at it's most entertaining.Ullman is okay, but she is overshadowed by Plowright, who is basically in every scene Ullman is in.The script is sharp and very observant, and despite the sickly sweet ending, it has a very dark streak running through the movie.Funny and at times very slapstick, it will put a smile on your face.Be sure to catch it when it's on TV..
Kline's character was a bit stereotypical as the womanizer Italian,that all women loved, but it worked.
Overall a great movie, funny and entertaining.
Knowing Lawrence Kasdan ("The Big Chill", "Grand Canyon", "Raiders of the Lost Ark") wrote and directed this, I knew it would be good, but was not prepared for how absolutely hysterical it is.Kline is at his accent-slinging (remember "A Fish Called Wanda"?) best as Joey Boca, the Tacoma "Pizza Man" who compulsively cheats on his overly trusting wife, Rosalie (Tracey Ullman).