SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

Please don't spend money on this.

an ambitious but ultimately ineffective debut endeavor.

Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

Suzanne Vale is an actress...an actress with a drug problem. One day she overdoses and ends up in hospital and then rehab. After coming out of rehab she manages to land a role in a small-budget movie. The producers insist that she live with her mother for the duration of the movie, to ensure her sobriety. Her mother, the world-famous actress Doris Mann, is hardly the best role model...On paper, this movie had everything going for it: based on the semi- autobiographical novel by Carrie Fisher with screenplay also written by her, directed by Mike Nichols, starring Meryl Streep as Suzanne and Shirley MacLaine as Doris. With that semi-true-story background and those big names involved, surely it should be brilliant? Well, no. It's not bad, but it feels strangely flat. It's really just a linear story with no great drama or profundities, though there were plenty of opportunities for both.It does have its comedic moments but it's hardly a laugh-a-minute.Therein lies the problem, I suspect. By trying to be both a comedy and a drama it succeeds at neither.Not that this is a terrible movie, not by any means. It is never dull, moving along at a good pace, the ending is pretty good and Meryl Streep puts in a great performance (for which she got an Oscar nomination). It just could have been so much better.

Postcards from the Edge is a painfully compelling story about a young and talented actress overshadowed by her older and wildly famous actress mother.This movie, based on Carrie Fisher's novel of the same name, expertly explores the relationship of the parent/child who work in the same industry. You can see how competitive they get and how proud of one another they are. You can't help but compare their vices--one likes hard liquor and the other likes hard drugs--and how they go about denying that they have them. Streep and MacLaine play off of each other masterfully and really understand the relationship between the two characters. Maclaine steals the show with her subtle nuances that remind the viewer of who she is not-so-secretly-secretly channeling (For those of you who don't know, the story is based on Fisher's relationship with her mother Debbie Reynolds) though Streep hits her stride as the rain clouded daughter who refuses to be outshone.The harrowing heart of the story is enough to keep you engrossed for days, but you'll have to settle for the meager 100 minutes they give you. (Trust me, it flies by) Carrie Fisher proves that she has real artistic talent as she (Also wrote the screenplay) demonstrates most profoundly that she can capture the human heart and all of its trappings.Although the tale is one of a tumultuous and troubled relationship between the two stars, you will not fail to see the unconditional love that shines through right to the very end. 8.5/10

The first five minutes are fine. And the film's eight-minute musical finale exudes terrific country/western spirit. But, in between, the characters reek of a glossy shallowness characteristic of a script that is not well fleshed out.Flighty, ungrateful Suzanne Vale (Meryl Streep) is a young actress hooked on drugs, and lorded over by her annoyingly controlling, alcoholic, show-biz mother named Doris Mann (Shirley MacLaine). Their bumpy relationship provides the main thrust to the plot, as pill-popping Suzanne tries to continue her acting, while judgmental Doris imposes herself on Suzanne, as a kind of career counselor. Around these two swirl an assortment of photogenic Hollywood types, who initiate or aggravate various conflicts between Suzanne and Doris.One would think this setup would imply a drama. Not here. The film tries to be a comedy. Some of the dialogue is indeed funny. But the comedy element contradicts the painful plight of the script's two main characters. In addition to their substance abuse problems, both Suzanne and Doris are so wrapped up in themselves, so self-centered, they're hard to root for.The film's acting generally is overdone, at times hammy, the most egregious example being Dennis Quaid. Production design is credible. Color cinematography is conventional, but competent.The story premise had merit. But Director Mike Nichols and writer Carrie Fisher needed to give a little more thought to the characters in this story, all of whom come across as glib, shallow, cosmetic, superficial, devoid of depth. Comedy can indeed be integrated with serious topics. But in the case of "Postcards From The Edge", it needed to be integrated with a little more finesse.

Postcards From the Edge could have been a great character piece, considering its credentials. However, Mike Nichols went through a period of struggle with his work during the 1980s. His films lacked decent pace and proportionate screen time for all of its characters and subject matter and thus lacked focus. Postcards has this problem. It ends before you know it, it wraps up like it's tired and wants to go to bed, and the conflict has a short burst of presence till it completely diffuses.However, this film has an incredibly high point of enjoyment to level it off. This would be the appearance of a young and beautiful Meryl Streep in a snug police suit. Her curves, her maternal hips, her thighs, her overall thin yet plush softness radiates sensuality.As for her performance, she is of course very enthralling in her depiction of Carrie Fisher's depiction of Carrie Fisher. It's always fascinating to see how comfortable she is with repressing herself just enough to ooze those indescribable facial and tonal expressions that are trademark Meryl.