I Love You to Death (1990)
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56% of critics liked it
(18 reviews) -
60% of users liked it
(8,966 ratings)
Lawrence Kasdan's black comedy about a wife's ultimate revenge against her womanizing husband is based on a true story about the wife of a pizzeria owner who decided to kill her cheating husband. When her attempt to murder him failed, the husband refused to press charges against her because… More Lawrence Kasdan's black comedy about a wife's ultimate revenge against her womanizing husband is based on a true story about the wife of a pizzeria owner who decided to kill her cheating husband. When her attempt to murder him failed, the husband refused to press charges against her because he felt she had done the right thing. Kevin Kline is the pizzeria owner Joey Boca in I Love You to Death. Joey is a smooth Italian lothario, modeled after Marcello Mastroianni, who cheerfully dons his plumbers overalls to repair his female tenants' plumbing in the rental apartments the family owns. Joey feels he is justified in bedding down countless numbers of women because of all the hours he puts in day after day at the pizzeria. Plus, as he tells one of his women friends, "I'm a man. I got a lotta hormones in my body." His wife Rosalie (Tracey Ullman) sweetly ignores her husband's philandering -- that is until she visits the public library and sees Joey fondling one of tenants in the book stacks. At first Rosalie considers suicide, but finally, egged on by her mother Nadja (Joan Plowright), she determines that Joey must be the one to face the music. But the people Rosalie hires to do Joey in are of the cut-rate variety and are unsuccessful. They then try to knock Joey off by feeding him barbiturate-laced spaghetti, but also to no avail. Rosalie then enlists pizzeria employee Deco Nod (River Phoenix), who has a crush on Rosalie, to do the job. But even then, they have no luck. As a last resort, they try to hire professionals. What they get instead are two drugged-out junkies -- Harlan (William Hurt) and Marlin (Keanu Reeves) -- who arrive at the home and blast at a slumbering figure in the bedroom. Then, while they report on their progress downstairs, Joey ambles into the living room, very much alive. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Directed By
- Lawrence Kasdan
- Written By
- Jonathan Kostmayer
- Genres
- Drama, Mystery & Suspense, Comedy
- In Theaters
- Apr 6, 1990 Wide
- Studio
- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Critic Reviews
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Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
spectacular misfire
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Dan Lybarger, Nitrate Online
An underrated and charmingly low-key comedy.
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Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Too silly to work, but occasionally appealing.
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James Sanford, James Sanford on Film
director Lawrence Kasdan and a superb cast engage in what seems like a working vacation. The fun is infectious, and the result is a slight but highly entertaining comedy of errors.
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Widgett Walls, Needcoffee.com
What really marks this film in my mind is that Hurt and Reeves play opposite each other--and steal the movie from Kline.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Kevin Kline
as Joey Boca
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Tracey Ullman
as Rosalie Boca
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Joan Plowright
as Nadja
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River Phoenix
as Devo Nod
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William Hurt
as Harlan James
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Keanu Reeves
as Marlon James
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James Gammon
as Lt. Schooner
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Victoria Jackson
as Lacey
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Miriam Margolyes
as Joey's Mother
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Jack Kehler
as Wiley
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Phoebe Cates
as Girl at disco
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Kathleen York
as Dewey Brown
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Heather Graham
as Bridget
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Lawrence Kasdan
as Lawyer
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Alisan Porter
as Carla Boca
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Jon Kasdan
as Dominic Boca
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Michelle Joyner
as Donna Joy
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John Kostmayer
as Benny
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Samantha Kostmayer
as Waitress
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Shiri Appleby
as Millie
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Henry Beckman
as Wendel Carter
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John Billingsley
as Jailhouse Informant
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William R. Breyette
as Biker
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Art Cahn
as Priest
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Michael Chieffo
as Blue Light Bartender
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Susan Chin
as Reporter
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Jeff Klein
as Young Man with Bat
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Joe Lando
as Pizza Guy
- Sheryl Lee
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Robert Radonich
as Java Jive Bartender
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Audrey R. Rapoport
as Librarian
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Luke Rossi
as Sammy
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G. Valmont Thomas
as Cabbie
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Johnny S.B. Willis
as Reporter
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Tony Romano
as Reporter
