Madeline Ashton is an actress who is starting to worry about her looks as she is getting older, Helen Sharp one of her oldest friends has always been jealous and when she steals her fiancé Ernest Menville it means war!
Madeline pretty much takes whatever she desires and then some, when she steals Ernest away from Helen this puts Helen into a psychiatric hospital after she has become extremely obese. That was actually rather amusing to see Goldie Hawn like that so far from what we picture her as. That shows how Helen will then become a writer and sort herself out, just in time for the marriage of Madeline and Ernest breaking down.
The women then become locked in a battle which starts out to be for Ernest but it is so much more than that. They want to be better and younger than the other. Both at different times taking a potion, which then creates some absolutely hilarious moments when they cannot actually die.
A secret potion is available to keep you looking young, but be careful it all comes at a high cost. This is something within the film and plot that I find so interesting when re-watching the film now because it makes you realise just how far ahead if its time the ideas in this film were. Thinking about the different methods people will take to keep a youthful appearance.
What would you be willing to do to stay the way you look right now? That is pretty much the main question that this film is asking. It does so in an interesting way as each character is given the opportunity to take the potion. Also interesting the gender differences towards it as well, I think that is something I had never thought about before until my most recent viewing. Could you be willing to watch everyone else around you die just to keep your young looks? That certainly makes it even more thought-provoking and I guess it depends how self involved you are.
This has always been a total guilty pleasure of mine since I can remember watching it in what must have been the late 90s. I then cannot resist watching it whenever it is on TV, I actually for some reason don't think I have ever actually owned it. But I just think everything about it is just hilarious especially when you have Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn acting so brilliantly off and against each other. Throw Bruce Willis in as a pretty scared cat role, which again is pretty hilarious with his hard man action hero status.
I still therefore hold this film in high regard and think it is a perfect film to watch and switch off from everything, offering some very funny scenes with the creepy music to make you on edge at times. I would love to know someones thoughts watching this for the very first time now, as I am not really sure how well it has held up if you didn't watch it closer to the release?
