Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization, earns a small affiliate fee from Amazon or iTunes when you use our links to make a purchase. Get email alerts on breaking news stories as soon as they happen. As Suzanne's story unfolds, with its series of talk-show-style interviews and talking-head reminiscences interspersed with the actual events, most of it seems to have been assembled for a TV documentary. "We're granting you the privilege of Based on a true story, TO DIE FOR is told in flashback with staged news reports, fake interviews, and more conventional thriller/film noir suspense set pieces. J.B. Pritzker gives a coronavirus update, After Twitter outcry, 5 women detail Chris D’Elia’s alleged sexual improprieties. Drugs and alcohol are used without consequence. Stories of the trial and Flynn's testimony to life; he comes up for parole in April. What would you do if a teacher acted in a similarly inappropriate manner? accomplice to first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison Suzanne is a ruthless, manipulative woman who uses her beauty to seduce the boys in high school include Larry Maretto is kind hearted who want to have a family with Suzanne and married her after few years of dating. The hitman lures Suzanne away from her home, kills her, and then places her beneath a frozen lake. Your email address will not be published. Parents and caregivers: Set limits for violence and more with Plus. Families can talk about the movie's treatment of fame and celebrity. Take your favorite fandoms with you and never miss a beat. to his knees in the foyer. Telling her story in close-up – as she does throughout the film – Kidman lets you see the calculation, the wheels turning, the transparent efforts to charm that succeed in charming all the same ... her beauty and magnetism are electric. "It's your birthday," said Donna Sytek, chairwoman Movie presents a world of characters with few goals and even fewer moral guideposts. When she chats on camera, she ices over your bloodstream. "To Die For," from start to finish, keeps an almost faultlessly sustained satiric tone--a comic balancing act reminiscent of the intensity of Paddy Chayefsky's and Sidney Lumet's "Network" and the dark perfection of that British comedy of manners and murders, "Kind Hearts and Coronets.". Here’s what NOAA’s new outlook says. "I will always feel terrible about what happened 25 years ago," he said. Though Larry's death is ruled as the result of a botched burglary, the police stumble across a Teens Speak Out clip of Suzanne at the teens' school, hinting at a relationship between her and Jimmy. about their affair were picked up internationally, and cameras caught With the help of Russell and Lydia, Jimmy ultimately commits the murder. MPAA rating: R. Language, sensuality, nudity, violence. Joyce Maynard first came to national attention with the publication of her New York Times cover story “An Eighteen-Year-Old Looks Back on Life” in 1973, when she was a freshman at Yale. The interviewees include everyone from Suzanne and the three hapless teens to Suzanne's parents (Kurtwood Smith and Holland Taylor) and Larry's parents (Dan Hedaya and Maria Tucci) to Larry's ice-skating sister Janice (the delightfully skeptical Illeana Douglas) to Suzanne's sarcastic boss at the station (Wayne Knight). It takes place in the small town of Little Hope, New Hampshire. So, when devoted husband starts talking about starting a family and settling down, she knows that something has to change, and enlists the help of two teenage boys to plot his demise. Common Sense is the nation's leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of all kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the 21st century. She marries Larry Maretto (Matt Dillon), using his family restaurant business to keep herself financially stable, and takes a job as a part-time secretary at a local cable station, WWEN, in the hopes of climbing the network ladder. Gregg was officially pronounced dead at the scene, killed by a single gunshot to the head, at 11:19 p.m. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. There are a number of violent and sexually explicit scenes. Meanwhile Suzanne dreams of being a world-famous news anchor, believed Larry's business will help her financially to become news anchor but inserted as weather girl. Parents may also want to discuss the film's student-teacher relationship. She has appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, CNN, Hardball with Chris Matthews, Charlie Rose, and on Fresh Air. When Larry starts asking her to give up her career to start a family and help out at the restaurant, Suzanne immediately begins plotting to get rid of him. Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners. Very strong profanity, most of it uttered by teenagers. always be haunted by the killing. You can help Villains Wiki by expanding it. It inspired the Joyce Suzanne is a ruthless, manipulative woman who uses her beauty to seduce the boys in high school include Larry Maretto is kind hearted who want to have a family with Suzanne and married her after few years of dating. Basking in the media spotlight, Suzanne fabricates a story about Larry being a drug addict who was murdered by Jimmy and Russell, his purported dealers. Jimmy and Russell are sentenced to life in prison. She has been a fellow at Yaddo, UCross, and The MacDowell Colony, where she wrote her most recently published novel, Labor Day. Her plans for national celebrity go awry when her handsome, provincial husband Larry declares his interest in settling down and starting a family. Based on a true story, TO DIE FOR is told in flashback with staged news reports, fake interviews, and more conventional thriller/film noir suspense set pieces. Along with Daphne Du Maurier, Oscar Wilde, Rosamunde Pilcher and Joanne Harris, Joyce Maynard is one of my favourite writers in the world. This black comic thriller, shot in pseudocumentary style by Gus Van Sant, features Nicole Kidman's most accomplished performance to date. The board granted Flynn parole on his first attempt To Die For is a 1995 American black comedy and crime drama film directed by Gus Van Sant, and written by Buck Henry based on the novel of the same name by Joyce Maynard, which in turn was inspired by the story of Pamela Smart. And as we piece it together, through a web of dovetailing testimony that suggests a TV talk show variation on "Citizen Kane," we discover that Suzanne's actions may stem from a private, post-Marshall McLuhan creed. On Aug. 1, 1990, Smart was arrested. Everything about Kidman's Suzanne seems right: the impeccably blond, superficially wholesome looks; the insinuating hint of secret sexiness in her eyes and slightly twisted smile; the overloud and overclear diction; and the go-go aggressiveness of her offscreen manner. Joyce Maynard also runs the Lake Atitlan Writing Workshop in Guatemala, founded in 2002. Teens verbally abuse each other. Lydia makes a deal with the police to converse with Suzanne while wearing a wire, and Suzanne unwittingly reveals her hand in the murder. killed his school instructor's husband and launched a global spectacle All rights reserved. Her writing has also been published in national magazines, including O, The Oprah Magazine; Newsweek; The New York Times Magazine; Forbes; Salon; San Francisco Magazine, USA Weekly; and many more. (expletive) life.". Recruited by Suzanne for her own documentary, "Teens Speak Out," the threesome are her acolytes (and in Jimmy's case, her lover). Some, generally muted and in the background. She, ... exclusive interviews and never-before-seen photos and video to tell the story of infamous murderers. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. When Suzanne reads the weather report, she chills your spine. Parents should also know that although the film's treatment of sexual and violent situations is generally muted, a younger teenager is likely to miss the satiric thrust of the movie and remember the scenes of cruelty and psychological abuse. [7], The film was screened out of competition at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival. A multi-layered character, Suzanne is a sociopath, completely without conscience and a gifted manipulator. He wrote her love poems and songs, sent her flowers, and even bought her a little Lhasa apso puppy.11 Apparently, Larry crossed the line by suggesting that Suzanne have kids and give up her cable career to help him in his family's restaurant. A man is killed while begging for his life. But, as reshaped by screenwriter Buck Henry, director Gus Van Sant and a terrifically deft, miraculously tongue-in-cheek cast anchored by Kidman, the story becomes something more. Randall got 28 years parole.". The "It was Smart's manipulation of Flynn that caused this crime to occur.". Lydia gains national attention by telling her side of the story in a televised interview, becoming a celebrity. Thursday, his 41st birthday. parole eligibility date of June 4 and only after his final parole plan [6] Kidman, who was later cast in the role, was paid $2 million. Searching for streaming and purchasing options ... Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. It says something about Kidman's triumph in this part that, even though she's an Australian playing a small-time, small-town New England cable reporter with dreams of grandeur, she so perfectly incarnates the mainstream American TV personality that there probably isn't a station in North America that wouldn't hire her if she sent in some of her scenes here as audition tapes. William Flynn, teen killer in case that inspired 'To Die For,' paroled after 25 years To Die For is a mixture of styles, combining a traditional drama with darkly comic direct-to-camera monologues by Kidman's character, and mockumentary interviews, some tragic, with certain of the other characters in the film. I first came across her shortly after I started blogging, when I was sent a copy of Labour Day to review, which I absolutely loved. "For 2 1/2 decades, she has been paying for his crimes," Pam said. Learn how your comment data is processed. And somehow, three not-very-bright local teenagers--naive Jimmy Emmet (played by the late River Phoenix's brother Joaquin), boorish Russell Hines (Casey Affleck) and shy Lydia Mertz (Alison Folland)--have all become involved in the plot. I really enjoyed To Die For so I hope you love it as much as I did – and yes, unlikeable characters definitely make for more interesting reads! Russell gets his sentence reduced while Lydia is released on probation. Join now. [8] To Die For was very well received by critics, with Nicole Kidman's performance being especially praised. In response to this assertion, Suzanne convinces a naïve teenage dullard Jimmy Emmett (Joaquin Phoenix) and his equally vacant-eyed friends to murder him. As it turns out, that isn't quite what we're watching. Sex is mentioned and shown without nudity. Be the first to review this title. She is portrayed by Nicole Kidman, who also portrayed Marisa Coulter in The Golden Compass. We are a participant in the Amazon services LLC associates program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites. "[12], Emanuel Levy wrote, "mean-spirited satire, told in mock-tabloid style, this film features the best performance of Nicole Kidman to date (better than The Hours for which she won an Oscar), as an amoral small-town girl obsessed with becoming a TV star. Flynn testified in Smart's 1991 trial that she threatened to break up with him if he didn't kill her husband. A man is murdered while begging for his life. In fact, Suzanne Maretto wants to be a ... Larry, lead a middle-class life, complete with a condo, a sports car and a dog named Walter (as in Cronkite).
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