Postcards from the Edge (1990)

A substance-addicted actress tries to look on the bright side even as she is forced to move back in with her mother to avoid unemployment.

Director:

Mike Nichols

Writers:

Carrie Fisher (book), Carrie Fisher (screenplay)

Stars:

Meryl Streep, Shirley MacLaine, Dennis Quaid

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Substance-addicted Hollywood actress Suzanne Vale is on the skids. After a spell at a detox center her film company insists, as a condition of continuing to employ her, that she live with her mother, Doris Mann, who was once a star and now a champion drinker. Such a set-up is bad news for her as she has struggled for years to get out of Doris' shadow, who still treats her like a child. Despite these problems and further ones involving the men in in her life, she can begin to see the funny side of her situation, and it also starts to occur to her that not only do daughters have mothers, mothers do too.

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Plot Keywords:

drug rehabilitation | alcoholism | domineering mother | female protagonist | drug overdose | 

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Taglines:

Having a wonderful time, wish I were here.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

14 September 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Postcards from the Edge

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$22,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,871,856, 16 September 1990

Gross USA:

$39,071,603

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$39,071,603

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min 95 min (edited)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the novel, the mother is a very minor character, barely mentioned in a total of about 10 pages.

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Goofs

When Suzanne speaks to the pianist before performing, "you don't know me", there is a clearly visible red tape mark on the ground to instruct her where to stand.

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Quotes

Suzanne: Aw, shut up, Grandma.
Grandma: I beg your pardon?
Suzanne: I should think you would.
Grandma: You see there? Now if you washed her mouth out with soap when she was little, like I told you, maybe she'd have some respect now!
Suzanne: [talks over] I'm simply suggesting we all try to enjoy one each other without having to assign blame.
Grandma: Ooh, listen to Miss Snootybritches. "Assign blame," hee hee.
Suzanne: [pushes her towards the door] Come on!
Grandma: Just what do you think you're doing, young lady?
Suzanne: I'm moving you out to the waiting room.
Grandma: Well, there's...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Parker Lewis Can't Lose: Rent-A-Kube (1990)

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Soundtracks

From This Moment On
Written by Cole Porter

User Reviews

Mommie Blearest

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.