Review: Postcards From the Edge

Meryl Streep plays actress Suzanne Vale, who after a cocaine binge and one-night stand with handsome Dennis Quaid, is unresponsive the following morning. Doctor Richard Dreyfuss has Suzanne’s stomach pumped, and when she wakes up she’s in rehab where she’s visited by her showbiz veteran mother Doris (played by the inimitable Shirley MacLaine). The bulk of the film is Vale having to start from pretty much the bottom all over again, career-wise, whilst trying to remain sober and deal with being forced to move in with her mother for the duration of Vale’s latest movie shoot. Given that Doris throws Suzanne a post-rehab party that she actually pushes Suzanne to perform a song at, it’s going to be a bumpy ride. Gene Hackman plays a tough but potentially career-saving director, CCH Pounder works at the rehab clinic, Mary Wickes and Conrad Bain are Suzanne’s grandparents, Simon Callow and Rob Reiner play (respectively) a director and producer, and Oliver Platt turns up as a somewhat sympathetic producer. Look for a youngish Annette Bening as Evelyn Ames, a bit player on the latest film.

After watching the documentary “Bright Lights”, I decided to re-watch this 1990 flick scripted by Carrie Fisher (who also wrote the book of the same name) pretty much about her and mother Debbie Reynolds. Directed by Mike Nichols (“The Graduate”), it’s not quite as savage as his classic “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and Meryl Streep in no way (physical or otherwise) convinces as a Carrie Fisher-type, but it’s a fun black comedy nonetheless. Streep may not convince as Carrie Fisher, or a Carrie Fisher surrogate, but she convinces as Meryl Streep having a really bad time of it, son on that level she works. I guess the idea was that by casting a big-time actress like Streep, she wouldn’t get swallowed up by Shirley MacLaine. Speaking of which, the highlight is a juicy role for Shirley MacLaine essentially playing Debbie Reynolds (Though let me be clear: This film isn’t purporting to be fact, names have been changed for a start. It’s fiction with a ring of truth). So yeah, the strategy didn’t pay off, Shirley walks off with this one anyway. I hate show tunes, but she belts the hell out of ‘I’m Still Here’. She is this movie and owns it instantaneously like a force of nature. She and Streep have good chemistry as mother and daughter, and having seen “Bright Lights”, I may not buy Meryl as Carrie Fisher, but I do see a lot of truth in the film. I fully believe Debbie Reynolds would get her daughter to sing a show tune for her own ‘getting out of rehab’ party that her mother has thrown. Debbie seemed to be all about putting on a show, putting on a front. And by the way, I think Meryl’s a much better singer than Carrie was. Also, the scene where Streep and MacLaine both claim to be middle-aged is perhaps the most believable bit in the entire film. Debbie didn’t ‘do’ old age, pretty much.

Some of the smaller roles are played by pretty stiff no-name actors, but there’s a few standouts. CCH Pounder is pretty credible as a drug counsellor, and I wish she was in more movies these days (TV seems to be her thing now, especially TV shows I don’t watch). Mary Wickes is a pretty close approximation to Carrie’s grandmother from footage I saw of her in “Bright Lights” as well. Conrad Bain was nice to see as her absent-minded and cranky grandfather, too. Oliver Platt is terrific as always in a small part on a film set, as is Rob Reiner as a film producer. However, the standouts in the supporting cast were Annette Bening, Gene Hackman, and Dennis Quaid. Quaid is perfectly cast as a flaky boytoy Streep hangs out with and OD’s on. Bening is hilarious as one of Quaid’s dopey conquests, who has a small part in the film Streep’s character is acting in. Hackman is terrific as the director who doesn’t accept any of Streep’s BS if it fucks up his movie, but obviously has some affection for her at the same time. It’s hilarious to see Fisher’s old buddy Richard Dreyfuss cast as the doctor who saves Streep’s life (I’m pretty sure I’ve read they used to do drugs together), but his character is only in the beginning and end of the film. Hardly the best use of the talented actor.

This is a solid and entertaining film, especially whenever Shirley MacLaine is on screen. It’s not however, great. It’s too short, with Gene Hackman and especially Richard Dreyfuss getting short shrift for people of their immense talents. I get the feeling that the printed page produced something better than what we see on screen here. Hell, the documentary “Bright Lights” is better than this. Still, it’s very watchable and Shirley is irrepressible.

Rating: B-