Death Becomes Her: More Than Just a Silly Black Comedy?

Okay, so I finally got around to watching Death Becomes Her (1992). I know, I know, I'm late to the party. But I've been meaning to, and with Meryl Streep getting all the accolades lately, I figured it was time to revisit some of her earlier work. And... it's definitely something. I mean, it's broadly funny, almost cartoonish at times, especially with the physical comedy when they're both basically zombies trying to kill each other. The scene where Madeline (Streep) falls down the stairs and her head is completely backwards? Hilarious, but also kinda unsettling. The visual effects, while dated, still hold up in a strangely campy way. But beneath the surface, I think there's a darker, more biting commentary on aging, vanity, and the lengths people will go to maintain their youth. Madeline and Helen (Goldie Hawn) are both so consumed by their appearances that they're willing to literally sacrifice everything – including their humanity – for eternal beauty. Bruce Willis as Ernest, caught in the middle of their insane rivalry, is just a sad sack, embodying the collateral damage of this obsession. He's a formerly talented plastic surgeon reduced to working in a morgue doing, uh, "restorative work," which is a pretty heavy-handed metaphor if you ask me. The ending, with them both still alive and bickering even as they're crumbling into dust, is bleakly humorous, but also kinda tragic. They got what they wanted – immortality – but at what cost? They're trapped in their vanity, eternally chasing a fleeting, meaningless ideal. I was expecting a lightweight comedy, but I actually found myself thinking about it quite a bit afterwards. It's defnitely not perfect, but it's got more going on than I initially thought. Anyone else feel the same way or am I reading to much into it?