Soapdish (1991)

An ambitious TV soap actress connives with her producer to scuttle the career of the show's long-time star, but nothing works as they plan.

Director:

Michael Hoffman

Writers:

Robert Harling (story), Robert Harling (screenplay),

Stars:

Sally Field, Kevin Kline, Robert Downey Jr.

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sally Field	...	Celeste Talbert / Maggie
Kevin Kline	...	Jeffrey Anderson / Dr. Rod Randall
Robert Downey Jr.	...	David Seton Barnes
Cathy Moriarty	...	Montana Moorehead / Nurse Nan
Elisabeth Shue	...	Lori Craven / Angelique
Whoopi Goldberg	...	Rose Schwartz
Teri Hatcher	...	Ariel Maloney / Dr. Monica Demonico
Garry Marshall	...	Edmund Edwards
Kathy Najimy	...	Tawny Miller
Arne Nannestad	...	Director Burton White
Paul Johansson	...	Blair Brennan / Bolt
Sheila Kelley	...	Fran
Leeza Gibbons	...	Herself
John Tesh	...	Himself
Stephen Nichols	...	Himself

Storyline

Celeste Talbert has been the queen of the soaps for over two decades. Montana Moorehead needs to get her out of her way before she can move on and begins her program to get her to leave. She hires an old boyfriend of Celeste to be on the show and has Celeste become a murderer in the script, but each attempt has unforseen consequences.

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Plot Keywords:

star | producer | niece | soap star | actress | 

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Taglines:

A Deliciously Malicious Comedy.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 May 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Babka z zakalcem

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$36,489,888 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Michael Hoffman says in the director's commentary to _Game 6 (2005)_, "I remember when we made Soapdish, I wanted to shoot on [New York's] 47th Street, and they wouldn't even let us shoot on 47th Street, you know, off Times Square. They said they couldn't guarantee your safety."

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Goofs

When Jeffery goes out onto the fire escape to rescue Celeste, he closes the window behind him. It is wide open when Celeste goes inside.

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Quotes

David Barnes: So, who dies? It can't be one of the regulars...
Montana Moorehead: Not even Bolt?
David Barnes: Bolt? No, Bolt's gold, especially with that whole impotency thing coming up. One of the extras...
Montana Moorehead: One of the homeless, David, one of the homeless.
David Barnes: That's cruel.
Montana Moorehead: It's very cruel.

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Crazy Credits

Early in the opening credits we see the words "a hamon cheimafflo film". The letters of the two middle words then rearrange themselves, one "o" slipping off the side of the screen, to form the name of director Michael Hoffman.

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Connections

References Sunset Boulevard (1950)

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Soundtracks

"El sol también se pone"
Music by Ludar Felsenstein
Lyrics by Ludar Felsenstein (as Ludar)

User Reviews

Hilarious

I think that this is possibly the funniest movie I have ever seen. Robert Harling's script is near perfect, just check out the "quotes" section; on second thought, just rent the DVD, since it's the delivery that really makes the lines sing.

Sally Field gives a comic, over-the-top performance like you've never seen from her anywhere else, and Kevin Kline is effortlessly hilarious. Robert Downey, Jr. is typically brilliant, and in a very small role, Kathy Najimy is a riot as the beleaguered costumer. I was never much of a fan of Elisabeth Shue, but she's great here as the one *real* person surrounded by a bevy of cartoon characters on the set of "The Sun Also Sets" -- that rumbling you feel beneath you is Hemingway rolling over in his grave. Either that, or he's laughing really hard.

Five stars. Funny, funny, funny.