Surprisingly powerful film.
Added 3/18/2010
Postcards from the Edge is not a sappy, been-there-done-that comedy. It's actually a movie with a lot of heart and spirit that just happens to be funny. This movie's been classified as an overall comedy, but I felt it dwindled between two genres: comedy and drama. It follows the protagonist--played by Meryl Streep--, a rising actress who is gifted at her craft, but has one thing that is stopping her from reaching her full potential: her drug addiction. The film, surprisingly, does not give us much to work with as a result of her addiction. We do not see a lot of Meryl Streep scarfing down pills and getting high; that all happens within the first ten-to-fifteen minutes of the movie. Instead we see the story of a woman who is attempting to overcome this obstacle and regain her humanity in the process. There are many great scenes shared between Meryl Streep and Shirley Maclaine in this movie. They have incredible chemistry as mother and daughter and, better yet, they give no cringe-worthy performances in this movie. Every line is inflected with the proper tone required for the character and for the story to be effective. I suggest, if you're not a hardcore drama fan, to see this movie plainly for the performances, because they are all great. For those who like a drama sprinkled with some witty dialogue, this is your movie. The merging of the dramatic elements as well as the humorous ones are almost flawless, which makes this movie a true classic for any movie lover. See this movie; it won't disappoint.
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Meryl and Shirley at their best!
Added 3/3/2010
Sad and funny story of Carrie Fisher's life. (Daughter of Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher)
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Product Defected and Other Issues
Added 1/27/2010
First problem was that I was sent 2 copies and charged for both when I only ordered one. I decided to keep both only because I liked the movie and thought the second would make a great gift. I finally opened MY copy last night to watch it for the first time (it was "factory sealed," mind you) and the DVD was totally screwed up: The lighting kept changing from bright to dark and in several spots the DVD just went totally black! What a waste of money! Wish I hadn't kept both copies now...That's a wasted $25 down our already anemic economic drain...I'm thinking twice about buying DVD's from Amazon again.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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"Funny and Well-Acted Film"
Added 12/15/2009
"Postcards From The Edge" was written by Carrie Fisher, who based the screenplay on her autobiography. That autobiography was in turn loosely based on her personal life growing up in the Hollywood limelight as the daughter of a famous actress, Debbie Reynolds. When it came time to cast the film Debbie expressed an interest in being cast as the mother, but director Mike Nichols ("The Birdcage" and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?") decided on Shirley MacLaine. Meryl Streep was cast as the daughter after deciding to star in some light-weight films in the late eighties, most notably "She-Devil". The chemistry between MacLaine and Streep is excellent and Nichols direction is superb. It is, however, Fisher's screenplay that makes the film work and we get a chance to see the struggle between a mother and daughter in forming a real relationship while trying to survive in the movie industry. Drug addiction, vanity, and actresses getting old are some of the issues the film tackles. Dennis Quaid and Gene Hackman have supporting roles and the film became the #1 movie in the country upon its release in 1990. "Postcards From The Edge" garnered Streep an Oscar nod as Best Actress and the title song "I'm Checkin' Out" was nominated for Best Song. That song was performed at the 1991 Academy Awards by country music superstar Reba McEntire who had recently lost her entire band in a planecrash. The DVD comes with both full and widescreen presentations, trailers, audio commentary by Fisher, and more.
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Mother love
Added 5/4/2009
I had seen this movie in the theater and just had to finally own it. It truly is a feel good movie. And Shirley MacLaine with Meryl Streep is a win win situation. As in other MacLaine movies she is sassy as ever just as in real life and that is one reason I love her movies. And Meryl Streep is so versatile, and still going strong, the both of them. Proof you can get acting jobs as a woman after 40, you just have to be timeless and those 2 are up with there with the best timeless actresses. Glad for their continued successes.
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Surprisingly powerful film.
Added 3/18/2010
Postcards from the Edge is not a sappy, been-there-done-that comedy. It's actually a movie with a lot of heart and spirit that just happens to be funny. This movie's been classified as an overall comedy, but I felt it dwindled between two genres: comedy and drama. It follows the protagonist--played by Meryl Streep--, a rising actress who is gifted at her craft, but has one thing that is stopping her from reaching her full potential: her drug addiction. The film, surprisingly, does not give us much to work with as a result of her addiction. We do not see a lot of Meryl Streep scarfing down pills and getting high; that all happens within the first ten-to-fifteen minutes of the movie. Instead we see the story of a woman who is attempting to overcome this obstacle and regain her humanity in the process. There are many great scenes shared between Meryl Streep and Shirley Maclaine in this movie. They have incredible chemistry as mother and daughter and, better yet, they give no cringe-worthy performances in this movie. Every line is inflected with the proper tone required for the character and for the story to be effective. I suggest, if you're not a hardcore drama fan, to see this movie plainly for the performances, because they are all great. For those who like a drama sprinkled with some witty dialogue, this is your movie. The merging of the dramatic elements as well as the humorous ones are almost flawless, which makes this movie a true classic for any movie lover. See this movie; it won't disappoint.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Meryl and Shirley at their best!
Added 3/3/2010
Sad and funny story of Carrie Fisher's life. (Daughter of Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher)
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Product Defected and Other Issues
Added 1/27/2010
First problem was that I was sent 2 copies and charged for both when I only ordered one. I decided to keep both only because I liked the movie and thought the second would make a great gift. I finally opened MY copy last night to watch it for the first time (it was "factory sealed," mind you) and the DVD was totally screwed up: The lighting kept changing from bright to dark and in several spots the DVD just went totally black! What a waste of money! Wish I hadn't kept both copies now...That's a wasted $25 down our already anemic economic drain...I'm thinking twice about buying DVD's from Amazon again.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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