To Die For

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2:17

To Die For

R

1995

1h 43m

Comedy

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

88%

Tomatometer

67 Reviews

66%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Suzanne Stone is a weather reporter at her small-town cable station, but she dreams of being a big-time news anchor. However, she feels that her middle-class husband is holding her back, so she decides to have him murdered. For this, she enlists Jimmy, a high school boy who is enamored with her. The plan doesn't work exactly as she intended, though, and her husband's family starts to suspect that she was involved in his death.

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Critics Consensus

Smart, funny, and thoroughly well-cast, To Die For takes a sharp - and sadly prescient - stab at dissecting America's obsession with celebrity.

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Jake Cole

Slant Magazine

Mar 22, 2024

In the way it cavorts with teen melodrama, black comedy, and docu-realism to reflect Suzanne’s contradictory masks, To Die For is a comic precursor to Gus Van Sant’s Elephant.

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Anthony Lane

The New Yorker

Jun 12, 2023

The film, adapted by Buck Henry from Joyce Maynard’s novel, is smartly structured, but Van Sant’s touch is uncertain: the story’s satirical bite begins to loosen as his camera lingers more and more on the disaffected teen-agers.

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Manohla Dargis

Spin

Dec 27, 2022

Furiously paced and sharply funny, To Die For doesn't try for subtlety; its laughs are delivered with self-consciously heavy hands.

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Tom Fitzgerald and Lorenzo Marquez

Tom & Lorenzo

Jun 16, 2026

Kidman is an utter force of nature in the film.

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Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

Oct 7, 2025

4.5/5

A star-making role for Kidman, who chews every bit of scenery she is in in Gus Van Sant's masterful satire.

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Aug 23, 2025

6/10

The script is quite clever.

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Gareth V

@geewah Oct 17, 2026

Some of the commentary feels obvious, and the supporting characters can seem thin, but the dark humour keeps it engaging. A sharp, cynical film anchored by a memorable lead performance.

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Brian H

@RT25736836 Sep 28, 2026

Not a great script. Roughly based on real life events you'd think the script would of been easier. Is Kidman that bad in this movie or is she phenomenal because we are supposed to hate her. Dillon is quite good, Douglas is once again very good with what she is given. She never is given enough for her talent. Not good but not terrible either. Interesting take at it's time of celebrity. Kind of humorous at this point with "influencer" being an actual career.

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Juris O

@Juris100 Aug 31, 2026

What a shame to waste time on a cheap film in every sense.

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Anonymous D

@RT31350931 May 27, 2026

so boring, had nothing to say. not funny.

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Henry D

@Henry_Domke May 5, 2026

The remastered print is perfect, and the movie is very funny and beautifully constructed. Nicole Kidman is impossible to take your eyes off of. She looks great, and her performance is terrific. It was also fun to see Joaquin Phoenix so early in his career.

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David H

@DavidQHarris May 2, 2026

I loved it when it first came out. I enjoyed it a little less when I re-watched it the other day, but I think it mostly still holds up. The characters are all well cast, and the script is well written.

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Gus Van Sant

Director

Nicole Kidman

Suzanne Stone Maretto

Matt Dillon

Larry Maretto

Joaquin Phoenix

Jimmy Emmett

Casey Affleck

Russel Hines

Illeana Douglas

Janice Maretto

To Die For: Official Clip - Arresting the Teen Killers

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To Die For: Official Clip - Rain Dance Seduction

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To Die For: Official Clip - Nicole Kidman Does NOT Want Kids

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To Die For: Official Clip - Joaquin Phoenix Shoots Matt Dillon

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To Die For: Official Clip - Move Your Body

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To Die For: Official Clip - Nicole Kidman Confesses to Murder

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To Die For: Official Clip - All the Places They Had Sex

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To Die For: Official Clip - David Cronenberg Kills Nicole Kidman

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To Die For: Official Clip - Nicole Kidman Tries on Bras

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To Die For: Official Clip - Joaquin Phoenix Crushes on Nicole Kidman

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Synopsis

Suzanne Stone is a weather reporter at her small-town cable station, but she dreams of being a big-time news anchor. However, she feels that her middle-class husband is holding her back, so she decides to have him murdered. For this, she enlists Jimmy, a high school boy who is enamored with her. The plan doesn't work exactly as she intended, though, and her husband's family starts to suspect that she was involved in his death.

Director: Gus Van Sant
Producer: Laura Ziskin
Screenwriter: Joyce Maynard, Buck Henry
Distributor: Columbia Tristar, Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Columbia Pictures Corporation
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 27, 1995, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $20.5M
Runtime: 1h 43m
Sound Mix: Stereo

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