GOLDIE HAWN: CRISSCROSS, DEATH BECOMES HER, HOUSESITTER
For Zemeckis, Hawn went from showing no vanity to poking fun at her vanity, and in general, Hollywood's vanity. This movie was seen by many as another cynical attempt by Meryl Streep to try and make a box office hit in a genre she wasn't known in - here, a big-budget special effects comedy. Also, some thought the special effects overwhelmed the story. What they missed was a gleefully nasty comedy.
Hawn plays Helen Sharp, who has been on the losing end of a battle with her childhood acquaintance Madeline Ashton (Streep) since they were young. Mostly, it involves Madeline, a vain actress, stealing men from Helen. The latest is Ernest Menville (Bruce Willis), a plastic surgeon. When they catch Madeline in action at a musical version of "Sweet Bird of Youth," Helen tries to warn Ernest off, but Ernest is smitten, and Madeline sees not only a conquest, but someone who can give her free plastic surgery. For Helen, this is the last straw; she becomes fat and lands in a psychiatric ward. It's therefore a shock for Madeline, then, to see Helen seven years later looking svelte and young. Madeline, meanwhile, is aging, and Ernest, thanks to her oppresive personality, has turned into an alcoholic Mr. Joyboy (there's a hilarious scene where he explains his technique).
But just as she's at her lowest ebb, Madeline is approached by a mysterious woman named Lisle Von Rhoman (Isabella Rossellini), who dangles before her a potion that's a fountain of youth. Naturally, Madeline grabs at it, and sure enough, the potion does its job; after looking at herself in the mirror again, she exclaims, "I'm a girl!" Except Lisle leaves her with a warning: "Take care of yourself." That, however, is easier said than done, as Helen, who still loves Ernest, plots to kill Madeline. Of course, she doesn't end up dead - but after Ernest pushes her down the stairs, it does end up bent in strange ways. And Helen has a secret as well.
Some also accussed Zemeckis and writers Martin Donovan and David Koepp of not going deep enough. It's true their attempts at a message are two half-hearted speeches near the end. But that shouldn't distract you from the fact that there are plenty of laughs to be had, and they get a lot of them. For starters, the special effects, rather than overwhleming the story, fit in nicely, and are used
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