n Little Hope, New Hampshire, WWEN local weather girl Suzanne Stone (Nicole Kidman) becomes the suspect in her restauranteur husband Larry Maretto’s (Matt Dillon) murder. It’s a shock to the community, but not to the people who knew her more intimately. Starting at the end, with Stone gaining media attention and Maretto lying in a puddle of his own blood, director Gus Van Sant uses a talking-head style of documentary-like filmmaking to travel back in time for details that led to this untimely demise. Relatives are interviewed as to their first impressions (as well as having clips of a television show do the same thing), with their answers juxtaposed against actual flashbacks – which sort of negates having the camera interrogate personas from a different period of time.

As the story unfolds, Larry falls head-over-heels for Suzanne, much to the initial chagrin of both of their families. It’s a whirlwind romance, followed by a successful marriage and honeymoon and a picturesque condo life. But Suzanne harbors a deep jealousy and resentment toward anyone else’s potential for being in the spotlight; if she’s not the center of attention and the most prosperous of the bunch, she’s not-so-secretly miserable. In her quest for fame, she’ll take fame of any kind – including notoriety. “You don’t see the big picture until you stand back.”

With its unusual narrative structuring – something that feels overwrought and unnecessary, even if it’s an employment of the very media tactics Suzanne aspires to use – this rather straightforward premise of the rise-and-fall of a ripped-from-the-headlines, tragic persona grows quirkier and sillier (it’s adapted from the Joyce Maynard novel, itself loosely based on the real-life Pamela Smart case). It’s aided by Danny Elfman’s strangely appropriate, playful music, which also incorporates highly contrasting numbers to highlight the disruptive nature of Suzanne’s character. Plus, additional shots of witty intrusions and reiterations – as if reporters coaxing subjects into creating quotable sound bites – pepper the script continuously, ensuring that, despite an understandable telling, this is far from a linear storyline. The murder/mystery aspect could have been enough, but the artistic embellishments firmly push “To Die For” into the realm of satire and black comedy. “The word ‘failure’ is not part of my vocabulary.”

Eventually – actually, more than an hour in – it’s apparent that Suzanne’s almost hilarious levels of narcissism (Kidman’s performance is sensational) and her desire for popularity will collide with her husband’s insistence for the terribly unattractive normalcies of a traditional family. And this will lead to thoughts of drastic measures for removing that obstacle, which will include infatuated high-schooler Jimmy Emmett (Joaquin Phoenix). Other notable supporting actors such as Casey Affleck, Illeana Douglas, Dan Hedaya, Wayne Knight, Kurtwood Smith, and David Cronenberg also turn up.

As it alternates problematic associations between manipulative adults and malleable teens (a scathing examination of moral corruption for the sake of getting ahead) with a steady build to a conclusion that was already spoiled by the opening sequences, “To Die For” keeps up its darkly humorous take on self-absorption and conspiratorial schemes. The script is quite clever. It’s consistently engaging, even with the outcome revealing few surprises (scenes of family members reacting to the news of Larry’s death appear practically redundant, considering that the film began with the aftermath), while the central crime is sloppy, as most true-to-life endeavors turn out. In the end, however, it’s fascinating that Suzanne’s dedication to her singular vision of celebrity status (and her belief that her social position indemnifies her from any whim of guilt) proves so powerful that she doesn’t even view her downfall as such (a cinematic unraveling that disappointingly robs viewers of a certain satisfaction of judicial justice) – not unlike Norma Desmond from “Sunset Boulevard.” Complicity and guilt be damned; Suzanne’s hard work and commitment to her craft should be sufficient to guarantee a perceived innocence and all-around favorability.

– Mike Massie