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IMDbPro

She-Devil

  • 19891989
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 39m
IMDb RATING
5.6/10
18K
YOUR RATING
Meryl Streep and Roseanne Barr in She-Devil (1989)
Home Video Trailer from Orion Pictures
Play trailer2:07
1 Video
99+ Photos
Comedy
A surprisingly resourceful housewife vows revenge on her husband when he begins an affair with a wealthy romance novelist.A surprisingly resourceful housewife vows revenge on her husband when he begins an affair with a wealthy romance novelist.A surprisingly resourceful housewife vows revenge on her husband when he begins an affair with a wealthy romance novelist.
IMDb RATING
5.6/10
18K
YOUR RATING
    • Susan Seidelman
    • Fay Weldon(novel "The Life and Loves of a She-Devil")
    • Barry Strugatz(screenplay)
    • Mark R. Burns(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Meryl Streep
    • Roseanne Barr
    • Ed Begley Jr.
    • Susan Seidelman
    • Fay Weldon(novel "The Life and Loves of a She-Devil")
    • Barry Strugatz(screenplay)
    • Mark R. Burns(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Meryl Streep
    • Roseanne Barr
    • Ed Begley Jr.
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 76User reviews
    • 24Critic reviews
    • 45Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos1

    She-Devil
    Trailer 2:07
    Watch She-Devil

    Photos109

    Roseanne Barr and Lori Tan Chinn in Roseanne (1988)
    Roseanne Barr in She-Devil (1989)
    Roseanne Barr in She-Devil (1989)
    Roseanne Barr in She-Devil (1989)
    Meryl Streep and Sylvia Miles in She-Devil (1989)
    Meryl Streep, Ed Begley Jr., and Roseanne Barr in She-Devil (1989)
    Roseanne Barr in She-Devil (1989)
    Meryl Streep in She-Devil (1989)
    Meryl Streep and Sylvia Miles in She-Devil (1989)
    Meryl Streep in She-Devil (1989)
    Roseanne Barr in She-Devil (1989)
    Meryl Streep and Susan Seidelman in She-Devil (1989)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Meryl Streep
    Meryl Streep
    • Mary Fisher
    Roseanne Barr
    Roseanne Barr
    • Ruth
    Ed Begley Jr.
    Ed Begley Jr.
    • Bob
    Linda Hunt
    Linda Hunt
    • Hooper
    Sylvia Miles
    Sylvia Miles
    • Mrs. Fisher
    Elisebeth Peters
    • Nicolette Patchett
    Bryan Larkin
    Bryan Larkin
    • Andy Patchett
    A Martinez
    A Martinez
    • Garcia
    Maria Pitillo
    Maria Pitillo
    • Olivia Honey
    Mary Louise Wilson
    Mary Louise Wilson
    • Mrs. Trumper
    Susan Willis
    • Ute
    Jack Gilpin
    Jack Gilpin
    • Larry
    Robin Leach
    Robin Leach
    • Robin Leach
    Nitchie Barrett
    • Bob's Secretary
    June Gable
    June Gable
    • Realtor
    Jeanine Joyce
    • Flower Lady
    Deborah Rush
    Deborah Rush
    • 'People' Reporter
    Sally Jessy Raphael
    Sally Jessy Raphael
    • Sally Jessy Raphael
      • Susan Seidelman
      • Fay Weldon(novel "The Life and Loves of a She-Devil")
      • Barry Strugatz(screenplay)
      • Mark R. Burns(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Actress Meryl Streep was considered for the "She-Devil" character. But due to some conceptual similarity with Streep's then previous picture A Cry in the Dark (1988), Streep decided to portray romance novelist Mary Fisher instead.
    • Goofs
      The handwriting on the list that Ruth has made of Bob's assets changes several times throughout the movie.
    • Quotes

      Mary Fisher: You're still the butler--so get to work!

      Garcia: I may be the butler, but I'm NOT the maid!

    • Crazy credits
      As the film ends, The End appears being used from 2 angels.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation/Roger & Me/Triumph of the Spirit/Mystery Train/Thelonius Monk: Straight, No Chaser (1989)
    • Soundtracks
      Tied Up
      Written by Dieter Meier and Boris Blank

      Performed by Yello

      Provided Courtesy of Mercury Records

    User reviews76

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    In defense of She Devil
    Reading the comments for this film, two aspects appear as the concentration to the films perceived flaws. The one is a lack of sympathy for Roseanne's character, Ruth. The other is a lack of appreciation for Meryl Streep's performance. Having watched this film many times since it's release, I think I can safely dispute this argument.

    This film certainly I feel has all the markings of a cult favorite. It's dark humor, over charged performances as well as the overall look and feel wedges it someplace between "Heathers" and "Ruthless People". More on the nuances that I feel set this film apart from others later, but lets first deal with the Roseann/Streep problem.

    Quite frankly, I see no problem. Meryl Streep's Mary Fisher is one of the screens funniest inventions. It seems quite clear to me that she enjoyed playing this role because there is no other way such a wonderful performance could have been created. On a number of occasions, there are lengthy shots with no change of camera where she drives through a range of hilarious emotions. How she handles a scene involving a dog licking her feet while she awakes is tremendous. I feel it is one of her strongest performances; she never turns it off, and always delivers it in the correct dosage.

    The issue with Roseanne's character, Ruth, is she is seen as manipulative, uncaring, a monster hell bent on revenge. Ruth, like everything else in this picture is a caricature. This is very much the sort of role we would expect from Roseanne, the domestic goddess taking it all a step further. True, she does wallow in a mean spirited negativity, but it results in a positive outcome for nearly all involved. She takes control of her life and liberates Linda Hunts Nurse Hopper as well as countless women through her Vespa Rose Employment Agency. She returns life to the geriatrics in her care at a nursing home. As a result of Ruth's revenge, Mary Fisher at last becomes recognized as the serious writer she wished to from the start. We even know that Begley's Bob Patchett gets his comeuppance, and accepts it with grace and humility.

    There are dozens of touches brought here which make this a movie so enjoyable to watch. Firstly, there is the remarkable physical change in many of the characters as the story progresses. Roseanne goes from looking like a reject from a freak show to a rather zaftig Joan Collins. Linda Hunt and Sylvia Miles likewise transform, and Streep goes from a pink, frosted confection of a romance novelist, to a black turtle necked, bespectacled writer with a gift for the "post modern metaphor". A certain tone is set when the establishing shot of Mary Fisher "pink palace by the sea" reveals her initials, M F, emblazoned on the massive gate. Streep is given countless occasions to do great business for the camera, as in a scene where her complete lack of comprehension in doing laundry leads her to put half a gallon of bleach and several dryer sheets in a washing machine. Best of all, she manages to give the finger to the "serious critics" while on the Sally Jesse Raphale Show. I honestly don't feel this film is as bad as many would like one to think. If you sit back, and let it unfold as I believe it was intended to, you will find a clever picture that has just the correct amount of overarched villainy and cynicism as many of our favorite black comedies.
    helpful•92
    10
    • citrohan
    • Sep 23, 2001

    Details

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    • Release date
      • December 8, 1989 (United States)
      • United States
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Belle Terre, Suffolk, New York, USA
    • Production companies
      • Orion Pictures
      • A Seidelman/Brett Production
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 39 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby SR

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