Postcards from the Edge (1990)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Mike Nichols

Writers (WGA):

Carrie Fisher (book)
Carrie Fisher (screenplay)

Release Date:

12 September 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Having a wonderful time, wish I were here.

Plot:

Substance-addicted Hollywood actress Suzanne Vale is on the skids. After a spell at a detox centre her...

Plot Keywords:

Mother | Daughter | Hollywood | Actress | Dysfunctional Family

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Meryl Streep	...	Suzanne Vale
Shirley MacLaine	...	Doris Mann
Dennis Quaid	...	Jack Faulkner
Gene Hackman	...	Lowell Kolchek
Richard Dreyfuss	...	Doctor Frankenthal
Rob Reiner	...	Joe Pierce
Mary Wickes	...	Grandma
Conrad Bain	...	Grandpa
Annette Bening	...	Evelyn Ames
Simon Callow	...	Simon Asquith
Gary Morton	...	Marty Wiener
CCH Pounder	...	Julie Marsden (as C.C.H. Pounder)
Sidney Armus	...	Sid Roth
Robin Bartlett	...	Aretha
Barbara Garrick	...	Carol

Runtime:

101 min | Canada:95 min (edited version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Canada:14A (Ontario - 2006) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:S | France:U | Germany:12 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R | Singapore:PG | Canada:A

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Lana Turner was reportedly very offended after seeing this film, specifically objecting to a line which compared her mothering skills to that of Joan Crawford.

Goofs:

Continuity: Shirley's head-scarf changes from loose to firmly fastened between shots at the hospital.

Quotes:

Suzanne: [knowingly] Irish person. You just drink to relax. You just enjoy your wine. I know, you've told me, mother. You don't want me to be a singer. You're the singer, you're the performer. I can't possibly compete with you. What if somebody won? You want me to do well... just not better than you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Vampires and Other Stereotypes (1994) (V)

Soundtrack:

You Don't Know Me

Triumph For Fisher

Great performances by Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine. They are both hilarious and poignant in this Carrie Fisher story about a show business daughter coming through the process of working out emotional trauma and baggage in relation to her mother, upbringing and subsequent addiction problems. Also especially good is Gene Hackman in a small supporting role and a cameo by Rob Reiner. Streep and MacLaine carry this film with their talents and are very entertaining as they confront each other and themselves about personal flaws and foibles. What makes this work so well is the smart and oblique humor that is employed to address the internal pain of the main character. I also liked the little jabs at the movie industry itself as well as its nonchalant way of revealing some of it's visual tricks too.

One particular touching and bittersweet scene is between Hackman (as movie director) as he comforts Streep (an actress he's working with) with a sort of lighthearted understanding and encouragement to overcome her drug addiction as he builds her up with appreciation of her talent.

Considering the obvious autobiographical nature of this story for Fisher, it would appear to be sort of a catharsis for her. She does a good job in bringing painful personal issues to light with humor through her writing. Personal pain and demons often seem to be the source of great art and entertainment as well as amusement for many artists and through their art, for the rest of us as well. This is a case in point and definitely worth the time.