Very disappointing...

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Nicole Kidman is right on target in this notable dark comedy, an adaptation of the Joyce Maynard novel which was itself inspired by a notorious real life story. Nicole, looking absolutely ravishing throughout, is a completely self-serving sociopath named Suzanne Stone who's simply hellbent on achieving her personal American dream of being a TV personality. When she realizes that her nice guy husband Larry (Matt Dillon, in a solid change of pace performance) is going to be an obstacle in her path, she turns on the heat and convinces dumb as dirt, lovelorn teenager Jimmy Emmett (Joaquin Phoenix, in his breakthrough performance) to bump off Larry. She then proceeds to play to the media to her hearts' content.22 years later, this film version remains pretty damn relevant, in the era of reality television where just about any person can become a celebrity for no really good reason, and fame & fortune is still seen as a worthwhile goal. Working from a screenplay by actor Buck Henry, director Gus Van Sant gives us a thoroughly absorbing film with a fair amount of ideas to mull over. Just like any good dark comedy, it's funny in a twisted sort of way. I'm sure some people who've followed the story, or read the book, or seen the movie, must know one or more people like Suzanne Stone.An exceptional cast full of familiar faces is the real drawing card: Phoenix, Casey Affleck as his degenerate "friend", Alison Folland as the awkward girl who hangs out with the two of them, Dan Hedaya and Maria Tucci as Larry's parents, Kurtwood Smith and Holland Taylor as Suzannes' folks, Tim Hopper and Michael Rispoli as investigating detectives, Wayne Knight as the manager of a local TV station, and especially Illeana Douglas as Larry's sister, a cynical sort who has Suzanne pegged right early on. Making cameo appearances are author Maynard (as Suzannes' lawyer), screenwriter Henry (as a huffy teacher), and filmmaker David Cronenberg as the mysterious man at the lake. Kidman is a marvel as she really struts her stuff for the camera.Ultimately, one does feel somewhat sorry for Jimmy when it's seen just how pathetic he really is. He's just one of many characters who get jerked around by Suzanne, a master manipulator if ever there was one.Eight out of 10.

This is hands down my favorite Nicole Kidman film ever!! Nicole plays an extremely convincing career driven psychopath who uses her sex appeal to manipulate people to do just about anything she wants. Matt Dillon plays her unsuspecting husband, with whom she uses in order to get what she really wants. Then there's Joaquin Pheonix, who plays a very uneducated trailer trash high school student that becomes very infatuated with Nicole's character Suzanne. And Suzanne takes advantage of him, and uses lures him in using her sex appeal. She must earn his trust in order to get him to do whatever she so chooses. She also befriends a female high schooler, because she has resources that Suzanne can use to her advantage. It was very cool to see how her plan fell into place. The dialogue was very clever and smartly written. Nicole was the perfect choice to play this female psychopathic villain. And Joaquin was spot on with his role, a very uneducated trailer trash high schooler. This film was just so cleverly written, directed, and acted! 10/10. All the actors gave it their all, that was very evident.

This film has a great cast. Nicole Kidman, who plays Suzanne Stone Maretto, is amazing in this film. Talk about committing to a role! So why do I feel so lukewarm about the film? Maybe because it is considered a black comedy, but I find little funny in it. More probably because the story is not very compelling. We have seen other films with this basic premise. I think it is easy to lapse in caricatures when filming a black comedy. In this case, some characters did feel like caricatures while others seemed totally real. The juxtaposition of those two types of entities is distracting.It has been suggested that "To Die For" is a satire that skewers reality TV and the idea that television grants importance to a person or subject. The director hits the viewer over the head trying to sell that theme. But that's not how I perceive the story, which feels more like a character study.The structure of the film, while interesting, eventually proves tiring. Interspersing montage, faux interviews and a documentary-style is innovative, but they undercut the scenes that are straight narrative.This is not a grest film. It is not one of the season's best. But it is interesting. I would view this film just to watch Nicole Kidman walk her tightrope of a performance and deliver a memorable portrayal.

'To Die For' is a dark comedy about a small town weather reporter who is determined to be famous -at any cost, using her feminine wiles to arrange for some mixed up teens to murder her husband. It's been filmed in a documentary style with various interviews from the teens, husbands family and Suzanne Stone. Kidman does a pretty fantastic job as Stone, appearing seductive, cold, naïve and driven to the point of, well, murder. It was nice to see her back in the day when she still had some meat on her bones and the use of facial expressions.Joaquin Phoenix blew me away here especially when you see how young he is, he's just a boy. The movie itself was okay, no big twists or anything. 7/21/14