To Die For

"All she wanted was a little attention."

1995 1h 46m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

🍅

88%

FRESH

💯

METACRITIC

⭐

6.8

IMDB

★6.6TMDB · 931🍅88%Rotten Tomatoes●86Metacritic★6.8IMDB · 57,103

DramaComedyCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Suzanne Stone wants to be a world-famous news anchor and she is willing to do anything to get what she wants. What she lacks in intelligence, she makes up for in cold determination and diabolical wiles. As she pursues her goal with relentless focus, she is forced to destroy anything and anyone that may stand in her way, regardless of the ultimate cost or means necessary.

“All she wanted was a little attention.”

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Cast

Nicole Kidman
Suzanne Stone
Matt Dillon
Larry Maretto
Joaquin Phoenix
Jimmy Emmett
Casey Affleck
Russel Hines
Illeana Douglas
Janice Maretto
Alison Folland
Lydia Mertz
Dan Hedaya
Joe Maretto
Wayne Knight
Ed Grant

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Gus Van Sant
Writers: Buck Henry
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

31 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Gus Van Sant, shot by Eric Alan Edwards. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Danny Elfman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Curtiss Clayton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Nicole Kidman and Matt Dillon and Joaquin Phoenix carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "All she wanted was a little attention.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0114681 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Gus Van Sant directs. Eric Alan Edwards behind the camera. Danny Elfman scores. Curtiss Clayton cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

131 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
3Directed by Gus Van Sant, shot by Eric Alan Edwards. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Danny Elfman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Curtiss Clayton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Nicole Kidman and Matt Dillon and Joaquin Phoenix carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "All she wanted was a little attention.".
8IMDB entry: tt0114681 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 18 themes, including "pedophilia", "adultery", "based on novel or book", "winter".
10Released under 27 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Eric Alan Edwards
Original score: Danny Elfman
Editing: Curtiss Clayton
Production design: Missy Stewart
Costume design: Beatrix Aruna Pasztor
Makeup / hair: Barbara Lorenz
Sound: David Parker
Runtime: 106 min · 1h 46m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $20,000,000
Box office: $21,300,000
Return: 107% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: To Die For (1995)
Rotten Tomatoes: 88% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 86/100
IMDB rating: 6.8/10 · 57,103 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award7 wins & 17 nominations total

Also by

Gus Van Sant

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Community reviews

What people are saying

tmdb766221952023-09-27
★ 6/10
Nicole Kidman stars as a local television personality who will stop at nothing to get what she wants, but it is Gus Van Sant's direction that really shines. Kidman plays Suzanne, a none-to-bright woman who decides she wants to be a giant media personality. She marries Larry (Matt Dillon), a restaurateur, and settles for doing the weather at a dead-end television station. Suzanne sees that Larry is not behind her career, and uses a trio of teens to kill him. She begins her plan by befriending them while shooting a documentary, then begins sleeping with James (Joaquin Phoenix), who in turn conspires with Russell (Casey Affleck) and Lydia (Alison Folland). Most of the film is told in flashback by the killers and families of Suzanne and Larry, and Suzanne herself. "To Die For" is a strange film. Acting wise, the professional cast is saddled with one-note characters. While top-heavy with supporting players, Suzanne never really changes much, or offers enough menace to feel anything for her. Dillon fades into the background as Larry, trying too hard to make him normal. Buck Henry's screenplay is full of fits and starts, never gathering enough darkness to become a successful dark comedy, nor enough edge to become a successful satire. This is a shame, since celebrity due to murderous acts is such a part of our lives today. The film never takes that final step and calls the media on the carpet, instead trying to get the viewer caught up in the mechanics of Suzanne and Jim's relationship, and Suzanne's progressively strange certainty that she will be famous. Gus Van Sant's direction is absolutely fantastic. The interior of Larry and Suzanne's home is hysterical. His camera always finds the perfect tone of a scene, even if the scene is not especially well-written. I am one of the few who did not think much of "Drugstore Cowboy," although I do appreciate many of the films Van Sant has done since. "To Die For" gets the viewer geared up for a no-punches-pulled look at popular culture, then throws in the towel before the bell even rings. I cannot recommend it, despite the fine direction, the rest is a disappointment.
JPV8522024-04-29
★ 7/10
Great performance from Nicole Kidman but this dark comedy didn't always do it for me, though it also could be I'm not the biggest fan of these mockumentary-like style films where actors (in character) talk to the camera. Still well worth watching for a fine cast. 3.75/5
CinemaSerf2025-01-30
"Suzanne" (Nicole Kidman) is the epitome of ambition as she convinces local cable boss "Ed" (Wayne Knight) that she'll do just about anything to get her foot in the door - even read out the weather forecast! She's not exactly bright, but she knows exactly how to press the buttons to get her ahead. Snag is she's married to "Larry" (Matt Dillon) and he wants a more traditional family unit with, ideally, kids at some point. To that she merely points out that he ought to have just married a baby sitter! She decides that a change is now necessary and to that end recruits the services of the gullible "Jimmy" (Joaquin Phoenix) and his pal "Russel" (Casey Affleck) to eliminate her problem. Thing is, the former lad actually falls for her big time and though compliant both he and his other friend "Lydia" (Alison Folland) might not prove too reliable when the police come a-knocking. She's going to have take a few risks and keep her wits about her, if her dream of daytime television stardom is ever to reach fruition... This starts off strongly depicting the story via a series of interviews with those closest to her, and they serve quite effectively as pillars supporting the deviousness of the plot. Thing is, though, given we know all along who's done what to whom, and why - there's no jeopardy and I missed that. Kidman does fine, but the menacing aspects of the role really do rather peter out half way through and the comedy is more miss than hit. Folland probably delivers best cutting a ditzy and lonely figure as the film develops and it's quite a potent indictment of ambition and manipulation from time to time too, but I just couldn't quite take her seriously. I did really quite like the solution, though! My kind of denouement.