To Die For

"You're not anybody in America unless you're on TV," says Suzanne Stone early on in "To Die For."

Suzanne, portrayed perfectly by Nicole Kidman (who may find herself Oscar-bound), is ditsy but determined — and she'll do anything to become a star television journalist.

This is the crux of "To Die For," a saber-toothed satire of the media that mixes up "Network," "The King of Comedy" and "Double Indemnity" with the real-life story of a New England woman who manip-u-lated three young teens to kill her husband some years ago.

And while it is quite successful most of the way, potential moviegoers should be warned that there is quite a bit of graphic sexual content here — some of which goes on way too long and causes the movie to sag in the middle.

The story essentially begins with Suzanne's marriage to easygoing, unsuspecting Larry Maretto (Matt Dillon), who at first supports his wife's ambitions but then begins pushing her to have children and spend more time with him. This does not make her happy.

Meanwhile, Suzanne manages to get a gofer job at a local cable-access channel and nags her boss (Wayne Knight) until he agrees to let her do a nightly weather show. She also begins shooting a documentary about teen life and recruits three inarticulate, insecure kids as subjects. Later, she befriends them and ultimately seduces the most naive of the three (Joaquin Phoenix) to kill her husband.

The story is told in flashbacks, as part of a pseudo-documentary structure, as we hear testimony from Suzanne's naive parents (Kurtwood Smith, Holland Taylor), her outraged in-laws (Dan Hedaya, Maria Tucci), her long suspicious sister-in-law (Illeana Douglas) and others, as they appear on talk shows, consent to individual interviews, etc.

Kidman shines in a complex and difficult role, perfectly blending her sunny surface with lethal menace and a cold-hearted determination to get what she wants. And she is complemented by a superb supporting cast, especially Illeana Douglas, who should get a genuine career boost from this one.

Screenwriter Buck Henry ("The Graduate," "Catch-22"), who also has a small role as an uptight high school teacher, wrote the film, which was directed by Gus Van Sant ("Drugstore Cowboy," "My Own Private Idaho," "Even Cowgirls Get the Blues").

The result is uneven but often very funny and on-the-mark, with clever observations on our obsession with television, media hype, the influence celebrities have on our culture and even a few bright sight gags.

There is a lengthy section at the film's center, when the becomes more dour and serious, that tends to drag, though it does eventually pick the pace up again. And the sex and language are unnecessarily graphic.

"To Die For" is rated R for violence, sex, brief nudity, profanity and vulgarity.