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

The film cast includes four Oscar winners (Shirley MacLaine, Richard Dreyfuss, Meryl Streep, Gene Hackman) and two Oscar nominees (Annette Bening and Rob Reiner).

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Goofs

Lowell tells Suzanne that none of the airport scene can be saved because it was shot without any cutaways. However, the scene is obviously edited as the characters jump about 3 feet farther from the camera as they walk from past a pole between the ticket counter and the passport control desk.

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Quotes

Neil Bleene: I've been in the theatre. I'm actually a theatre director. Sometimes certain line-readings apply. Like in comedy, it is a rule. Inflections go up at the end.
Suzanne Vale: That's a comedy RULE?
Neil Bleene: Well, not so much rule as guideline.

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Connections

References Valley of the Dolls (1967)

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Soundtracks

From This Moment On
Written by Cole Porter

User Reviews

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.