A Kiss Before Dying

1991 "Loving him was easy. Trusting him was deadly."
5.7| 1h35m| R| en| More Info
Released: 26 April 1991 Released
Producted By: Universal Pictures
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
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Infatuated with the idea of becoming rich, college student Jonathan Corliss secretly dates Dorothy Carlsson to gain the approval of her wealthy father. When Dorothy tells Jonathan that she is pregnant and that her father will deny her inheritance if he finds out, Jonathan murders her, but he stages her death as a suicide. As Jonathan works his way onto Mr. Carlsson's payroll, Dorothy's twin sister, Ellen, investigates the apparent suicide.

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Director

James Dearden

Production Companies

Universal Pictures

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A Kiss Before Dying Audience Reviews

ActuallyGlimmer The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.
Jonah Abbott There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.
Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
Josephina Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.
merklekranz Totally predictable, totally unlikely, is the only way to describe this convoluted mess of a movie. Matt Dillon gets away with murder and no police are bright enough to figure out his game. I mean how exactly did he manage to hang somebody from the rafters in five minutes? How does he happen to conveniently manage to be in just the right place at just the right time?None of the characters are likable, and the whole film becomes nothing more than a "so what". This is truly a movie to avoid, because it is so insulting to the viewer. I hated everything about "A Kiss Before Dying", and do not understand how this rates a 5.3. To me it is a zero. - MERK
Desertman84 A Kiss Before Dying neo-noir film that was a remake of the 1956 film of the same title.It stars Matt Dillon,Sean Young,Diane Ladd and Max von Sydow.The film was written and directed by James Dearden,who based it on the novel of the same name by Ira Levin.The story focuses on Jonathan Corliss,who is a poor college student with aspirations of wealth. Since childhood he has been obsessed with the fortunes of a company called Carlsson Copper. While a student at the University of Pennsylvania, he plans to ingratiate himself with the wealthy family of magnate Thor Carlsson and has begun secretly dating Carlsson's daughter Dorothy. When Dorothy learns that she's pregnant, she informs Jonathan that she'll be cut off without her inheritance when her father learns the truth. Jonathan decides to murder her, and makes it look like a suicide; then he moves to New York. There, he makes the acquaintance of Ellen Carlsson,the late Dorothy's twin sister, and begins courting her.This time he is more successful, winning Ellen's hand in marriage and a powerful position in his new father-in-law's company. However, Ellen has long been suspicious of the circumstances surrounding her twin's death, and she probes deeper into the supposed suicide. She uncovers alarming facts about some other murders and the identity of her sister's unknown lover.Although the performances of Dillon,Ladd and von Sydow should be given merit,the same could not be said of Young in her dual role as Dorothy and Ellen.Aside from that,the movie lacks suspense all throughout as the filmmakers weren't able to transfer the tension-filled story on screen.In the end,the 1991 remake fails to live up to the greatness of the 1956 movie.
Bjorn (ODDBear) Usually when a person is so motivated to go to any lengths to achieve his dream it's depicted as a good thing. But when that person is Jonathan Corliss (Dillon), it's a nightmare for those who care about him and bloody executions for those who stand in his way.Matt Dillon's performance as a charming psychopath is what works very well in "A Kiss Before Dying". Corliss, a blue collar Philadelphia lad with huge ambitions, sets his sights on a Copper Baron's (Max Von Sydow) empire and plans to become a member of the family. When it becomes necessary to dispose of the Baron's daughter (Sean Young), Corliss (under an alias) moves on to her twin sister (Young again) and enters the family. But hiding his tracks and his former life proves quite the hassle and Corliss has no reservations with killing every one who stands in his way of greatness in the Copper business.A double doze of Sean Young is a bit too much to take; she's simply an astonishingly bad actress but Dillon more than makes up for that. His Jonathan Corliss is a very memorable psychopath. It's never made crystal clear as to why he set his sights solely on Von Sydow's empire but his journey on the way is suspenseful. It's not a very graphic film but it does have some very nasty moments and disturbing death scenes.Director Dearden makes no attempts in admitting his affection for Alfred Hitchcock and some moments here are obviously a tribute to the old master of suspense. The ending does feel a bit rushed but overall "A Kiss Before Dying" is an above average thriller with some striking and memorable set pieces.
David Stafford I won't dwell on the badness of this film. That was evident. But as an indictment of 90s fashion I don't think this film has a peer. In fact, to those who haven't seen the film and are interested in fashion, rent it, watch it with the sound off and just enjoy the pure platonic horribleness of the clothes Sean Young wears. From the kitschy Santa Fe style jackets to the high waisted pants to the lumberjack shirts it's a non-stop parade of unflattering fashion don'ts that upstages every scene and that, obviously, is a good thing. A friend blames Ralph Lauren for the "western" look that achieved a gender-reversed funhouse mirror image of clothes men wore in the 1950s. (Not actual men of course. Just the ones you see in old shirt ads). Who knows? But clearly the costume director picked clothes they thought a wealthy young woman might find appealing at the time. What's amazing is that a relatively recent film could induce so many head-scratching, what-in-the-world were they thinking fashion moments. Afterthought: maybe it was a director's ploy to divert attention from everything else in this lame movie. Afterthought two: maybe it was the costume director's revenge on Sean Young's bad behavior during the film. And don't get me started on the hairstyles...