She-Devil (1989)

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Roseanne Barr and Meryl Streep make one of filmdom’s most curious pairings in She-Devil. The comedy from director Susan Seidelman (Desperately Seeking Susan) is based on a novel by Fay Weldon, about a belittled housewife (Barr) who plots a years-long revenge on her husband (Ed Begley Jr.) and his wealthy mistress (Streep). The casting works, as does Seidelman’s colorful, dark fairy tale stylings and cartoonish scoring by Howard Shore. The film starts off strong, making us root for Barr to finally snap and open a can of whoop-ass. When she finally does, the results are literally explosive and the film becomes full of promise. But this dark comedy runs out of steam about halfway through, coasting to a neutered ending that fails to deliver on the story’s macabre potential. With Linda Hunt, Sylvia Miles, and A Martinez.