# A Kiss Before Dying (1991 film)
*A Kiss Before Dying* is a 1991 American thriller film written and directed by James Dearden, based on [Ira Levin](https://www.edgepedia.org/ira-levin)'s 1953 novel of the same name. It stars [Matt Dillon](https://www.edgepedia.org/matt-dillon) as Jonathan Corliss, a poor young man who murders his pregnant girlfriend Dorothy ([Sean Young](https://www.edgepedia.org/sean-young)) after she tells him her father will disinherit her, stages the death as a suicide, and then works his way into the confidence of her wealthy family and her twin sister Ellen, also played by Young.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1034176-kiss_before_dying) The film was released by Universal Pictures on April 26, 1991, with a running time of 93 minutes and an R rating.[2](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58924-A-KISSBEFOREDYING)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director and writer | James Dearden, adapting Ira Levin's 1953 novel[2](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58924-A-KISSBEFOREDYING) |
| Release | April 26, 1991, Universal Pictures; R rating; 93 minutes[2](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58924-A-KISSBEFOREDYING) |
| Lead cast | Matt Dillon (Jonathan Corliss), Sean Young (Ellen/Dorothy Carlsson in a double role), Max von Sydow (Thor Carlsson)[3](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/a-kiss-before-dying-1991) |
| Supporting cast | James Russo as a detective, Diane Ladd as Mrs. Corliss[3](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/a-kiss-before-dying-1991) • [4](https://www.netflix.com/title/70018353) |
| Key crew | Producer Robert Lawrence; cinematographer Mike Southon; editor Michael Bradsell; music Howard Shore; production design Jim Clay[3](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/a-kiss-before-dying-1991) |
| Critical scores | 31% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (13 reviews); Metascore 40 on Metacritic from 26 critic reviews[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1034176-kiss_before_dying) • [5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/a-kiss-before-dying/critic-reviews/) |
| Earlier adaptation | A 1956 film of the same novel, directed by Gerd Oswald and starring Robert Wagner[2](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58924-A-KISSBEFOREDYING) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Jonathan Corliss, a college student infatuated with becoming rich, secretly dates Dorothy Carlsson to gain the approval of her wealthy father, the copper magnate Thor Carlsson ([Max von Sydow](https://www.edgepedia.org/max-von-sydow)). When Dorothy tells Jonathan she is pregnant and that her father will deny her inheritance if he finds out, Jonathan murders her, throwing her from a high railing, and stages the death as a suicide.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1034176-kiss_before_dying) • [6](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-04-26-ca-571-story.html) He then works his way onto Carlsson's payroll and into the life of Dorothy's twin sister Ellen, who investigates the apparent suicide and gradually uncovers evidence pointing toward a dangerous truth about her own husband.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1034176-kiss_before_dying) • [7](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/A_Kiss_Before_Dying?hl=en_US&id=0lKfTRLAspg.P)
The film opens and closes with closeups of Dillon as a boy watching freight trains emblazoned with the logo of Carlsson Copper pass by, establishing his childhood fixation on the family's fortune.[3](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/a-kiss-before-dying-1991)
## Adaptation and production
Dearden, who had received an Oscar nomination for his *Fatal Attraction* screenplay, announced in April 1988 that he would write the film for [United Artists](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-artists) and planned to direct it as well.[8](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-04-25-ca-937-story.html) • [2](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58924-A-KISSBEFOREDYING) The production companies were Kellgate Ltd. and Initial Film, with Robert Lawrence producing.[2](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58924-A-KISSBEFOREDYING)
The adaptation departs from Levin's novel in several ways. In the book, the killer's identity is concealed from the reader, a structural trick that made the novel famous; the film reveals Jonathan as the murderer in its first scenes, which critics noted removes much of the suspense.[9](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1991/04/26/reviews/10ed5b51-92a2-4939-8590-dafc22f032d8/) The killer's name was also changed from the novel, and the story was updated to the present: Ellen works as a volunteer helping troubled youths in Manhattan rather than living as a 1950s heiress.[10](https://www.archindy.org/criterion/files/1991/pdfs/19910524.pdf) Levin's novel had already been filmed once before, in 1956, directed by Gerd Oswald and starring [Robert Wagner](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-wagner); early reports described Dearden's project as unrelated to that version.[2](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58924-A-KISSBEFOREDYING)
## Reception
The film received largely negative reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes it holds a 31% Tomatometer from 13 critics and a 32% audience score from more than 5,000 ratings; its Metacritic Metascore is 40, classified as mixed or average, with 15 of 26 critic reviews negative.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1034176-kiss_before_dying) • [5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/a-kiss-before-dying/critic-reviews/)
**Divergent verdicts on Dillon.** Roger Ebert of the *Chicago Sun-Times* gave the film three of four stars, calling it a strength that Dillon made his character self-contained and impassive, and writing that the film demonstrated he was one of the best actors working in movies.[3](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/a-kiss-before-dying-1991) Peter Travers in *Rolling Stone* disagreed, rating it 40 and arguing that Dearden's script failed to give Dillon material beyond the stereotype.[5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/a-kiss-before-dying/critic-reviews/) Vincent Canby of *The New York Times* called it pop moviemaking to be enjoyed without guilt, while Mick LaSalle of the *San Francisco Chronicle* wrote that it was a thriller without thrills that ultimately gets silly.[5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/a-kiss-before-dying/critic-reviews/) Rita Kempley of *The Washington Post* called the film wooden and said it was far less suspenseful when the killer is revealed in the first scene; Peter Rainer of the *Los Angeles Times* argued that because the audience knows from the start what Jonathan is, the suspense has no tension.[9](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1991/04/26/reviews/10ed5b51-92a2-4939-8590-dafc22f032d8/) • [6](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-04-26-ca-571-story.html) David Sterritt of *The Christian Science Monitor* criticized the acting of Dillon and Young and the film's dubbing, while Kim Newman in *Empire* noted that the adaptation dropped the novel's underlying analysis of class injustice in the United States.[11](https://www.csmonitor.com/layout/set/amphtml/1991/0517/17132.html) • [5](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/a-kiss-before-dying/critic-reviews/)
## Home media and availability
The film was released on DVD on December 28, 2004.[12](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/a-kiss-before-dying/1019502/where-to-watch/) It is available digitally, renting for $3.99 and selling for $14.99 on platforms including Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, YouTube, and Google Play Movies.[12](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/a-kiss-before-dying/1019502/where-to-watch/)
## References
1. [A Kiss Before Dying, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1034176-kiss_before_dying)
2. [A Kiss Before Dying (1991), AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/58924-A-KISSBEFOREDYING)
3. [A Kiss Before Dying movie review (1991), RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/a-kiss-before-dying-1991)
4. [A Kiss Before Dying, Netflix](https://www.netflix.com/title/70018353)
5. [A Kiss Before Dying critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/a-kiss-before-dying/critic-reviews/)
6. [Movie Review: 'A Kiss Before Dying': Worst-Case Thriller, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-04-26-ca-571-story.html)
7. [A Kiss Before Dying, Google Play Movies](https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/A_Kiss_Before_Dying?hl=en_US&id=0lKfTRLAspg.P)
8. [He Has the Fright Stuff, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-04-25-ca-937-story.html)
9. [Reviews: 'A Kiss' and a Miss, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1991/04/26/reviews/10ed5b51-92a2-4939-8590-dafc22f032d8/)
10. ['A Kiss Before Dying' is over-plotted thriller, The Criterion, May 24, 1991](https://www.archindy.org/criterion/files/1991/pdfs/19910524.pdf)
11. [Flaws Kill the Thrills in 'A Kiss Before Dying', The Christian Science Monitor](https://www.csmonitor.com/layout/set/amphtml/1991/0517/17132.html)
12. [A Kiss Before Dying: Where to Watch, Moviefone](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/a-kiss-before-dying/1019502/where-to-watch/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Films by genre, form, and subject › Adaptations of literature, stage, and other media › Films based on novels, novellas, and short fiction › Films based on early 20th-century literature*
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