Product: Postcards from the Edge [VHS] (1990)
Rating: 3.0
Uneven tones are semi-repaired by fantastic performances...
Funny, charming and comforting in all the right places, `Postcards from the Edge' is nearly perfect thanks to some sharp dialog, marvelous chemistry and a relaxed internal flow. While the film certainly forces the ending (ugh, I hate it when good films tack cheap endings on in lazy attempts at resolving all problems before the credits role) it makes a real go at getting there, and so much good is found in every nook and cranny up to that horrendously cliché closing.Kiss, kiss...thanks; all better now.The film, adapted from Carrie Fisher's semi-autobiographical yet wholly fictional novel, tells the story of mother/daughter stars Suzanne Vale and Doris Mann. Suzanne is the pill popping daughter, grade-A actress who is burning bridges and ruining her reputation because of her drug abuse. Doris is the alcoholic mother who feeds off of her former success by meddling with her daughter's life in a way that drives them both into their vices. They don't mix well, yet they undeniably love one another with whole hearts. The film opens with Suzanne being rushed to the hospital by a one-night stand after downing too many pills. She has her stomach pumped and is rushed to rehab. Upon release she is given a role in a B-Grade flick and is only allowed to work if she stays with her mother who can monitor her and make sure she doesn't start using again; despite the fact that her mother most certainly pushes her closer towards drugs than possibly any other human being. Through the course of the film shoot we see Suzanne and her mother interact in odd yet surprisingly human ways and we see their relationship flesh out to reveal the reasons (or excuses) for their destructive behavior.And then it throws a happy ending on it and calls it a day.I love the entire cast as well as the director (what could be more exciting than Shirley MacLaine and Meryl Streep starring in a Mike Nichols film together!?!??!?!) and so I really wanted to LOVE this film. I didn't, but I really, really liked it. It felt a little too light for what it could have been, a tad too uneven or unfocused. It had the potential to layer things better, but instead it went for a more convention way to tell the story, which worked from an entertainment level (it is fun and engaging in all the ways that Hollywood clichés have been proven to be) and yet it suffers on a more honest and artistic level (it could have GONE THERE but it doesn't even try). In fact, even when it is trying to flesh out these two women it stops short of saying anything truly alarming or provoking but beats around the bush with more accessible detailing.But like I said, it has sharp dialog, marvelous chemistry and a relaxed internal flow; all of which makes for an entertaining ride.The playbill reads like a who's-who of Hollywood giants, with Streep and MacLaine leading a cast that consists of Dennis Quaid, Annette Bening, Richard Dreyfuss, Rob Reiner, Mary Wickes and Gene Hackman; all of which making the most of their borderline cameo performances. Hackman is especially marvelous, opening and closing the film with dynamic effect and delivering possibly the most memorable performance in the whole film (the two shades he brings to the opening sequence is unforgettable).I think many people will like this film a lot, and like I said; I really did too. I just wish it were a little more grounded and focused on relaying a more honest depiction of fragmented relationships and substance abuse instead of falling back on cinematic clichés and humor.