Evengyny Thanks for the memories!

Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Haven Kaycee It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

mark.waltz Both films are worth seeing, but the British TV version is much darker and takes the storyline to levels that are shocking when compared to the very Hollywood-ized version with Meryl Streep in her first comedy and TV star Roseanne Barr in her film debut. The idea of those quite opposite women starring opposite each other is a strange sight to even envision, but they only share a few scenes together. They do, however, share the leading man, and that is Ed Begley Jr. as an amoral accountant. He humiliates Barr at a dinner party to which Roseanne announces (in front of his parents and children) that he is having an affair. Begley storms out and Barr lets out a loud scream, her plans of revenge covering every important aspect of her no-good husband's life.Reviews were sensational for Streep as the vain Mary Fisher who even gets a "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" spot while Barr spends time cooking her son's gerbil in a casserole and fuming over Begley's infidelity. Streep is thrilled when Begley moves in with her, but Barr's revenge has her dumping off the kids on them while she goes to work in the nursing home where Streep's mother (a very funny Sylvia Miles) resides. Once Roseanne takes Miles off her medication, mouthy Sylvia is ready to return to her daughter's mansion on the hill and adds more turmoil to Streep's already growing frustration.The film also includes Academy Award Winning Linda Hunt as Barr's initial foe at the nursing home who becomes her best pal after Barr goes out of her way to start an employment agency for Manhattan wives abandoned by their husbands. This aides in her quest for revenge, and boy, for Barr, is it sweet. The film unfolds all of Begley's evils towards both women in his life, and before you know it, Barr is smirking and Begley prepares to learn a great lesson.Reviews were not so sensational, however, for Roseanne, who in spite of her dead-pan acting (already famous for her starring role on her own TV series) but in retrospect, she makes this role more than just a revenge-seeking harpy. The sight of Barr trying to squeeze her way into a glamorous strapless evening dress is humiliating visually but many women could probably identify, and while they might not seek the same time of "War of the Roses" style revenge, enjoyed it on screen. Daytime soap star A. Martinez adds comic Latin sexuality to the studly butler tossed aside by Streep, while another soap veteran, Doris Belack, is memorable as Streep's agent. Mary Louise Wilson is delightfully imperious as Barr's boss at the retirement home.If the film focuses mainly on Streep, Barr and Begley, the real credit thought must go to Susan Seidelman, the film's director, who prevents the film from becoming a man-bashing women's lib fest. Men can see the growing frustration in Barr's sometimes grossly dowdy character, and in the end, you really can see why she might all of a sudden quote Peter Finch in "Network" and scream, "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!"

ejohnson42 On the video cassette copy there was a trailer for a movie ....It may have been British, the people in the movie were wearing the white wigs and riding horses, does anyone know what that movie was called? It is killing me that I don't know the name of this movie. In the preview I remember there was a lady in the bathtub and someone knocks it over and she falls out, i think its about cheating, I don't know someone help me ha ha ha. It was one of the previews on the video home system copy , She Devil came out in 1989 so what year would the previews have came out? Also I know this is rambling a little bit, but I have to have ten lines in order to post on here, I hope someone can help.

gcd70 Director Susan Seidelman's tale (script from Barry Strugatz and Mark R. Burns) of a woman scorned and her sweet revenge on the man who betrays her is nothing more than a flat fairytale with a cast full of unlikeable characters.It is nearly impossible to sympathise with heroine Roseann Barr, whose jaded housewife is so bitter and vengeful it's frightening. Yes Ed Begley's cheatin' husband is a complete tosser, but considering every player is no more palatable than sour lemons, he really ain't that bad. Barr and Begley fail to inspire, and Streep never quite hits the mark in her first big venture into comedy. The one exception to the rule is the ever enjoyable Linda Hunt, who shines as a nursing home matron from the old school who comes out of her shell after meeting Ruth Patchett (Barr).Frankly I don't enjoy watching nasty people doing awful things to one another. The poor plot certainly does not help.Sunday, October 19, 1997 - Video

FloatingOpera7 She-Devil (1989): Starring Roseanne Barr, Ed Begley Jr, Meryl Streep, Linda Hunt, Sylvia Miles, Elisabeth Peters, Bryan Larkin, Maria Pitillo, A. Martinez, Mary Louise Wilson, Robin Leach, Director Susan Seidelman, Based on the novel by Fay Weldon.I never saw this in the movie theaters in 1989, being only 9 yrs old at that time. But this film has been on TV and cable several times. It stars Roseanne Barr in a terrific performance as Ruth Patchett, a frumpy, fat and under-appreciated suburban housewife with two kids. Her husband, Bob, indulges in an affair with a fabulously wealthy romance novelist Mary Fisher. She lives in a pink house by the ocean. When she and Bob become lovers, Ruth is resolved to get her revenge and possibly win her husband back at the same time. Throughout the film, she methodically extracts his punishment. She first kicks him out of the house. He naturally moves in with Mary Fisher in her mansion, but Ruth also dumps the kids on him. Now Mary Fisher must serve as mother to the kids and suffer the same treatment Ruth endured. Her novels begin to lose their old magic and she finds herself aging and unattractive. Ruth manipulates things so that her shrewish mother (Sylvia Miles) moves in with Ruth, this accomplished by posing as a nurse in the convalescent home where she was lodged. Roseanne's plot actually works, as ultimately, Bob lands in jail for his embezzlements. Ruth and Bob care for the kids, even if Bob is still in jail. The story is dark, humorous and contains a strong women's empowerment theme. Rather than just taking her husband's betrayal, she gets even. I wish more women could do this! It's a wonderfully-written and enjoyable film. Meryl Streep as Mary Fisher is comical, bitchy, and the type you love to hate. There is much to admire in how this film serves as revenge fantasy, even if it's unrealistic. I really found this to be a great movie. Check it out.