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File:She-devil-poster2 4033.jpg

Revenge is sweet.. and low.


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 "The story of the greatest evil known to man... his ex-wife."

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She-Devil is a 1989 film starring Roseanne Barr, Meryl Streep, and Ed Begley, Jr., based on the 1986 English novel The Life and Loves of a She-Devil by Fay Weldon.

Ruth Patchett is a frumpy housewife and mother of two whose accountant husband, Bob, is an opportunist whose affection she is desperate for. He meets romance novelist Mary Fisher at a banquet and makes her a client, becoming very friendly with her in the process... too friendly. After Ruth gets fed up with Bob's infidelity and general poor treatment of her, she schemes and plans her ultimate revenge against him, which ends up to be a long, complicated, and darkly funny process.

It received mixed reviews at the time of release, with criticism mostly going to Roseanne's performance (or the fact that she was cast at all aside Meryl Streep) and deviations from the original story, but presently is somewhat of a cult classic.


Tropes:[]

  • Anti-Hero/Heroic Sociopath: Ruth.
  • Batman Gambit: Ruth's revenge is assisted by Bob's continual infidelity and his embezzlement of his own clients. Ruth merely brings Bob's crimes to light, and prevents him from using his lawyer's plan that would ensure a Miscarriage of Justice.
  • Broken Pedestal: Ruth was a fan of Mary Fisher's work before Bob started sleeping with her.
  • Best Served Cold: From beginning to end, it likely takes Ruth more than a year to get even with Bob.
  • Cheek Copy: After manipulating Bob's ex-secretary/lover into breaking into Bob's office, she finds these sort of pictures in his file... and mails them to Mary.
  • Creator Breakdown: Happens to Mary midway through the story.
  • Disproportionate Retribution: Played with--adultery doesn't justify the length Ruth goes to ruin Bob's life, but considering his long-time embezzlement of his clients, he genuinely does deserve his stint in prison, and likely would not have ever been found out if not for Ruth.
  • Full-Name Basis: Most characters, especially Ruth, refer to Mary by her full name.
  • Gold Digger: Bob, a rare male example.
    • Olivia Honey, a client of Ruth's agency who eventually becomes Bob's secretary, states in her video interview that her dream is to marry a rich and powerful man.
  • Good Is Not Nice: Ruth is pushed this way due to Bob's affairs and very hard treatment of her. It is revenge, but outside of deliberately destroying her husband's house, she also does what she can to make her surroundings and the people she meets on her journey of payback a better place.
  • Hourglass Plot: Ruth effectively switches places with Mary and Bob by the end of the story. This theme is even stronger in the book, where more emphasis is placed on Ruth's envy of Mary and her glamorous life than revenge on Bob.
  • Ironic Hell (figuratively)
  • Large Ham: Meryl Streep's performance as Mary Fisher is Grade A.
  • Missing Mom: As part of her plan, Ruth drops off her children with Bob and Mary and vanishes from their lives until the end.
  • "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Bob gives one to Ruth after a disastrous visit with his parents, invoking the movie's title.
  • Stuff Blowing Up
  • Rich Bitch: Mary Fisher.
  • Roaring Rampage of Revenge: The entire plot.
  • Screw Politeness, I'm a Senior!: Mary Fisher's mother, once Ruth switches her meds with stimulants.
  • Unwanted Spouse: According to Bob, it was a Shotgun Wedding.
  • Villainous Breakdown: Mary and Bob:
    • Mary's begins at her indifference to Ruth gets the latter rolling on her roaring rampage of revenge, from dumping custody of her children onto her by association of Bob, getting her mother back into her life, showcasing and exposing how lousy of a mother she is, causing her servants to rebel, and Ruth's son accidentally killing her poodle in the process. When Mary's novelization of her lousy home life nosedives upon release, Bob's infidelity is what gives Mary what Ruth was given as good as she got it; as Mary's household falls apart, she lets all of her servants go, punishes the kids despite her own irresponsibility leading them to mess with her stuff and drink wine underage, and brandishes a chimney shovel in rage to keep her "family" all in line.
    • When Ruth finishes the list, the measure to destroy Bob's freedom was to expose him as a crooked embezzler who not only stole from his clients but Mary. When his lawyer fails out of the surprise that the judge to see their case wasn't the one he essentially had in his pocket, Bob frantically responds to him that they'll play golf- 18 years after he is out of prison. As a kicker, Bob's last thing in his line of sight in the courtroom was Ruth, whom he begged pitifully to see before being shipped off to his new cell.
  • What Happened to the Mouse?: What happened to Nurse Hooper after she and Ruth start the employment agency? She's seen in a commercial advertising the service and that's the last she's mentioned.
  • Woman Scorned: Ruth, obviously.
  • Yandere
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