Postcards from the Edge (1990)

Waste of time

How sad is this?

Awesome Movie

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Academy Award winners, Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine play a mother and daughter actress and singers in Hollywood, California. They are loosely based on Carrie Fisher's memoir about her life as the daughter of Debbie Reynolds. The film has great moments with Streep and Maclaine and mother and daughter. The cast is first rate. Mary Wickes who played Grandma was one of Hollywood's greatest character actresses. Conrad Bain played Grandpa. The film is about how Suzanne Vale must live with her mother, Doris Mann, while she is shooting with a film with an all-star cast and directed by Mike Nichols. Gene Hackman played the director. Richard Dreyfuss played the doctor. Carrie Fisher even has a cameo. Annette Bening made her film debut. Dennis Quaid displayed his ability to act with Streep. The film is fine and great to see Meryl Streep sing too. A must for Meryl Streep fans to see and wonder why she's marvelous Meryl Streep.

Carrie Fisher adapted her own book about the contentious relationship between a Hollywood mother and daughter -- hmmmm, wonder who this film is about? "Postcards from the Edge" isn't going to be remembered as a significant contribution to film history, but I do remember enjoying it well enough. It would have to be a terrible movie for Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine not to be able to do SOMETHING with it, and both actresses are in fine form. Mike Nichols directs with his customary light touch. He's never been one to force his hand as a director, but rather lets his actors do the jobs they were hired to do.Grade: B

POTCARDS FROM THE EDGE is a glittering all-star comedy based on the best selling book by Carrie Fisher that chronicles a particular difficult period in Fisher's life and her relationship with mom Debbie Reynolds. In this fictionalized version of the events in Fisher's life, Meryl Streep plays Suzanne, an actress who has just been released from rehab on the condition that she be under the custody and roof of her mother, a former actress (Shirley MacLaine) and what happens when she finally gets her first chance to work after coming out of rehab. This story is smart and funny and features a wonderful cast including Dennis Quaid, Gene Hackman, Richard Dreyfuss,Rob Reiner,Conrad Bain, Mary Wickes, Annette Bening, Gary Morton, and CCH Pounder, but it is really the amazing performances by Streep and MacLaine that make this movie work. Both ladies are also given opportunities to sing and make the most of them. The song "I"m Checkin' Out" which Meryl sings at the end of the movie, received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song as did Streep for Best Actress.

Luke Skywalker is not the only member of the Star Wars gang with parent issues. Carrie Fisher, the actress who played Princess Leia, channeled hers into a novel that became another winning Mike Nichols domestic comedy, "Postcards From The Edge."Meryl Streep stars as Carrie alter-ego Suzanne Vale, a once-successful actress trying to restart her career after a near-fatal O.D. Her mother, a screen legend in her day named Doris Mann (Shirley MacLaine), happily takes on the responsibility of overseeing Suzanne's recovery, especially given the attendant oversight she gets on daughter's life and career."I really hate that you have to go through this," Doris sighs upon visiting her daughter in the rehab clinic. "I wish I could go through this for you." MacLaine gives, frame for frame, the best performance in the film, one of her best ever. She and Streep seem to feed off the best aspects of each other's prior screen work, Streep picking up on MacLaine's sass and comedic chops, MacLaine on the way Streep can give you a sea of sadness through just a flickering gleam in her eyes.Streep's comedy turn is the big surprise here, especially given how successfully she pulls it off. No dingoes running off with babies in this production. Nichols helps by putting her in situations that are very un-Streepish, like being threatened by cheesy "Scarface" extras or inhaling Fritos. Whatever the props, Meryl herself makes me laugh, something I never expected. Not that she lays back. Her gift for inhabiting others' skin is on fine display, as she gives Suzanne Carrie Fisher's wry intonations and wan half-laugh.You can hear the connection on the DVD commentary; a candid, amusing piece by Fisher in which she explains the background of "Postcards," why she considers it "emotionally autobiographical" in the way it deals with her own past drug issues and especially her relationship with her movie-star mother, Debbie Reynolds. At the same time, it's fictional in many key details.Fisher's clever Hollywood-dream-factory send-up of a script gives MacLaine and Streep plenty of great lines that pop off the screen like cherry bombs. "Instant gratification takes too long," Suzanne whines. "I know you don't take my dreams seriously, even when I predicted your kidney stones," crows Mom.The film does get rather pat in the second half, especially when both bond by rounding on Suzanne's ancient grandmother (Mary Wickes). Given that Suzanne's the central character, and the one with the drug problem, more effort should have been made on exposing her flaws and weaknesses, rather than making her seem the most normal character in the story. Fisher makes this point herself in her commentary, wishing she was "tougher" on Suzanne."Postcards" is most effective when it focuses on the paradox of how these people perform so well in the limelight and so clumsily outside of it. "We're designed more for public than for private," is how Suzanne puts it at one point. Some comments here complain of too many musical numbers, but of course entertaining is what these women live for. Watching Suzanne watch her mother sing "I'm Still Here", realizing for an instant that a throwaway line in the song is really a cry of pain over Suzanne's way of life, and finally responding, silently but in a nakedly emotional way, communicates all you need to know about how much these two people love each other, beneath their banter and blame.Such subtle touches allow Streep, MacLaine, and Nichols to keep the longer dialogues crisp and funny. You may have a hard time understanding the lives these people lead, but you will enjoy their company.