To Die For (1995)
Structured in a documentary style, the film focuses on the life of a woman (Kidman) obsessed with the dream of becoming a media personality. (Sony Pictures Entertainment)
Cast and Information
Directed By: Gus Van Sant
Written By: Buck Henry, Joyce Maynard
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Matt Dillon, George Segal, Dan Hedaya, Illeana Douglas, Joaquin Phoenix, Kurtwood Smith, Casey Affleck, Holland Taylor, Wayne Knight, Alison Folland, Maria Tucci
Genres: Comedy, Suspense/Thriller, Crime
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To Die For belongs to 22 collections
1. Black Comedy (collaborative: moderated by Dorkovsky - 30 stars)
2. Female protagonist (collaborative: moderated by djross - 25 stars)
3. Fourth wall (collaborative: moderated by djross - 16 stars)
4. Metacritic - Universal Acclaim (collaborative: moderated by sengir - 14 stars)
5. Films available in HD (collaborative: moderated by kubricksucks - 13 stars)
6. Journalism (collaborative: moderated by djross - 9 stars)
7. David Thomson's 1000 Films (collaborative: moderated by MMAlpha - 7 stars)
8. Triumvirate of Oscar Winning Actors/Actresses in the Cast (3 or more) (collaborative: moderated by Dunstan-xxx - 4 stars)
9. Solo Genital Stimulation (Male) (collaborative - 2 stars)
10. The Next Picture Show Podcast (collaborative: moderated by trippingly - 2 stars)
11. Television (collaborative: moderated by djross - 1 star)
12. Danny Elfman (composer) (collaborative: moderated by Pickpocket - 1 star)
13. 1995 Wide Releases U.S. (collaborative: moderated by Roman_Herbom)
14. Cinemateca - Grandes Géneros: Comédia (collaborative: moderated by pmpfe)
15. Available on Divicast (collaborative: moderated by Dunstan-xxx)
16. Movies to See (public: gsb)
17. 1995: Year in Review (public: polanski28)
18. 90s fantasy (public: kikifas)
19. seen in 2017 (public: sproost)
20. to-do (public: chxflx)
21. Rough Ratings (public: saudade)
22. Movies I watched in 2022 (public: Dunstan-xxx)
Browse the full list of collections
| Stars | User | Rating | |
| 6 |  |
Paxton | 70 63rd |
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Kidman is wickedly attractive and lesser brothers Phoenix and Affleck are so young! Pretty accessible for Van Sant while still feeling very much a part of his oeuvre. Who amongst us hasn't fantasized about killing Matt Dillon?
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| 5 |  |
juntakinte99 | 77 53rd |
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This picture was so on the nose that it came out the same week the OJ Simpson trial ended. And that made its darkly comic take on how the media turned real life crimes into soap operas hit harder. Gus Van Sant does his usual art school experimentation in a mainstream movie--this time via mockumentary and talk show clips. But this is Nicole Kidman's film as she gives one of my favorite movie star performances of all time. Even with an ending that comes out of left field, this is recommended.
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| 4 |  |
vesupria | 6 61st |
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This is a fairly run-of-the-mill black comedy / satire, with the added twist of it being told documentary style (which works well) and the good performance from Nicole Kidman. It's almost a love / hate affair that she has with the audience, she's definitely gorgeous & has a seductive charm, but she's rotten to the core and highly neurotic and single minded. Parts of this are fairly disturbing, more so because it's a mostly believable reflection of the modern day obsession with fame & notoriety.
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| 3 |  |
Pickpocket | 7 68th |
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Pretty good satire. Some parts were bleh but I enjoyed watching most of it. Kidman gives a good performance as does Joaquin Phoenix - the guy has got some serious range. Also, Nicole Kidman is SMOKIN hot in this film. Seriously beautiful.
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| 3 |  |
Yiannos | 63 53rd |
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Satires of American media and the desire for celebrity were quite typical in the 90s, and To Die For lacks the nerve and aesthetic ambition of Natural Born Killers, which stands out today as the definitive work of that decade on that subject, regardless of flaws. It lives on Kidman's darkly humourous portrayal of a ruthless, fame seeking vamp, and it is her best performance along with the one in Dogville.
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| 2 |  |
twincinema | 80 75th |
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My brain couldn't process Matt Dillon playing a non-sleazebag. Nicole Kidman is so good in this. Also, Joaquin Phoenix really had to grow into his face.
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| 2 | CinemaVerite | 85 85th |
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Extremely funny satire that's endlessly entertaining due to Kidman at near-best and Van Sant.
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| 2 |  |
Vandelay1 | 70 75th |
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Good Movie
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| 2 |  |
hellboy76 | 69 73rd |
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One of if not the best Kidman performance.
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| 2 | Noam Raz | 15 10th |
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If I were an anarchist I would have probably been writing: "Fuck Society" or something like this. Luckily, I'm not interested in politics.
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| 2 |  |
Bagger | 70 48th |
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A decent movie that suffers from the same fault as a lot of "psycopath tales" of the previous century, American Psycho namely. Which is that it's kind of hard to sense any sort of progression or "descent" in the character when they start out the story, or at least narrating the story, from a point where they have already completely lost their shit and started chewing the scenery (or recording booth) like it's a piece of gum. Worth one viewing for curiosity.
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| 2 |  |
nobamba | 75 83rd |
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This film didn't miss a beat in maintaining my interest. Nicole Kidman attractive with delightfully colorful outfits. Great troubled kids and manager Wayne Knight. Great shots that show, not tell, including her fate when they go around the corner. Her motives were never fleshed out (though we go against trope and see Dillon isn't horrible to her) and many plot points were predictable. Fav scene: going outside to the reporters after her husband died to finally get her spotlight with her doggie.
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| 2 |  |
edward | 91 84th |
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I greatly enjoyed this in spite of the fact that I don't think Nichole Kidman was a good choice for the lead role. Van Sant did something he never does by not casting the right lead. He turned down Jodie Foster, Holly Hunter, Melanie Griffith, and Michelle Pfeiffer before ultimately choosing Meg Ryan (which I also don't understand), but then she obviously turned it down too. Van Sant is master of filmmaking though and doesn't need to rely too heavily on acting to make a great film, which this is
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| 2 |  |
Quintonjamin | 50 36th |
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Thought it wasn’t very interesting. I just think there are so many better portrayals of psychopaths in film. I also didn’t enjoy the documentary style filming used some.
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| 1 | spoonerspot | 78 52nd |
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Nicole Kidman is way too hot for Matt Dillon. Glad she had him killed.
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| 1 |  |
Moribunny | 43 30th |
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There is something vulgar about the plot.
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| 1 | phlash | 70 45th |
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First time I realized she could act...a very funny take on "blonde anchors" and the evening news...not a bad movie...
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| 1 |  |
wayofthegun | 70 41st |
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Pretty good comedy/satire. I think the filmmakers accomplished what they wanted to with the movie but, at times, it felt a little over-the-top; I would've preferred something more realistic/less goofy, I think. Nicole Kidman gets a very plum role here though for her star-marking turn.
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| 1 |  |
irvinejump | 80 84th |
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The best thing Nicole kidman's done, EVER
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| 1 |  |
TheDiceman | 60 62nd |
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Great film.
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| 1 |  |
krytonix | 70 57th |
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When it first came out, I was creeped out and I felt conflicted (i was 13). How could someone so hot be so evil?
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| 1 |  |
Suture Self | 8 81st |
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Kidman and Phoenix are really good in this.
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| 1 | topaz420 | 80 60th |
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Nicole Kidman has made about 80 movies. I only remember 3: Dead Calm (nice thriller), The Others (great ghost story), and this movie, which is probably the best performance of her career. She interprets the real-life character as a cross between The House Bunny and Hannibal Lecter. Add in Joaquin Phoenix in full-on creep mode, and you've got a winner.
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| 1 |  |
constantine | 81 80th |
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This and Birth are the best movies and best performances of Nicole Kidman. No, I will not argue with you about this.
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| 1 |  |
wetwillies | 80 37th |
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This is Nicole Kidman's best performance. It plays to all her strengths so she ends up being absolutely fantastic. Otherwise, I don't know how much there is here to recommend. Cool David Cronenberg cameo.
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| 1 |  |
closedmouth | 70 41st |
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Pretty good for the most part, especially acting-wise. Kidman's frustrated mannerisms are great; I loved the interview scene with Wayne Knight. (The shaky American accent goes without saying.) Loved Illeana Douglas, though she was badly underutilised (and don't tease me with a character's lesbianism, Gus, you'll just make me want the rest of the movie to be about her). And there's ultimately an emptiness to it that frustrated me. Character motivations and arcs are unclear and unsatisfying.
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| 1 | ericambler | 70 45th |
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TO DIE FOR's satire of a media culture that prizes fame at any cost hasn't aged perfectly, as there are better examples of faux documentaries and sudsy female-driven thrillers. But that's also another way of saying that reality has become more outlandish in ways the filmmakers couldn't have predicted. Nicole Kidman sinks her teeth into her role as a Type-A nightmare whose inability to feel discouraged is a credit to her persistence, as well as her utter lack of shame and empathy.
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| 1 | myfavchords | 84 86th |
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Nicole Kidman gives by far the best performance of her career. The supporting cast is good as well in this film. A great story about how some people will do anything to get what they want.
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| 1 |  |
3dRevelation | 85 91st |
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I loved this movie. Kidman was great as a cold, manipulative woman, and I thought Joaquin Phoenix did a good job. I loved the film structure, and I thought Van Sant did a great job. The David Cronenberg cameo was also awesome. The whole film worked great for me.
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| 1 |  |
Yoshinaruto | 40 11th |
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Nicole Kidman is great (as is some of the supporting cast), but the film has very few decent laughs, resulting in a surprisingly boring dark comedy.
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| Average Percentile 52.4% from 1634 Ratings |  |