Heartburn (B+ or 3/4 stars)
Meryl Streep plays Rachel Samstat, an influential NYC food writer who is looking for marriage in 'Heartburn', adapted from Nora Ephron's fairly autobiographical novel about her troubled marriage to reporter Carl Bernstein. Before the opening credits have ended, she & charismatic Washington D.C.-based political columnist Mark Forman (Jack Nicholson) have already exchanged glances at a wedding they are attending (''Is he single?'' Rachel asks a friend. The reply, ''He's famous for it".) In no time they have kissed on 3rd Avenue, & before long, we find them in bed enjoying her spaghetti carbonara & contemplating marriage.
I love the way Director Mike Nichols orchestrates these early relationship-building scenes, which culminate in a humorous scene where Rachel's friends, family, & therapist try to prevent her from getting cold feet on her wedding day. They marry; despite Rachel's reservations. With time, she & Mark discover that they are having a baby; they both are ecstatic with this news. She even gives up her own job to ensure that their marriage works. Howwwwever, after the good news sinks in, he shirks his new responsibilities & starts fooling around; something that Rachel's friends warned her that he may do. Then, when she finds evidence of Mark's infidelities during her pregnancy with their 2nd child, she leaves him & heads back to NY where her father hopes to resurrect her career. Drama ensues.
You know, aside from the transportive power of Streep & Carly Simon's music, 'Heartburn' is merely a good movie. The story may mostly appeal to Nora Ephron fans or to women who are/were in the same predicament of Streep. Some of the dialogue is a tad verbose for commercial audiences. But I did like this, a lot. See it for Streep. I'll get to her & Jack Nicholson more in a moment. But for now, I'll touch upon the film's strengths. There are quite a few amusing sequences (to thwart the sadness); such as Rachel & Mark eating pizza & singing songs with the word 'baby' in them.
I also enjoyed director Mike Nichols's eye for the people & behaviors of NY's Upper West Side. I found it mildly interesting to see all the fancy NY dinner parties & casual perusals at gourmet markets. And the wide & varied supporting cast is swell; including the always effective Maureen Stapleton, a solid Stockard Channing, Richard Masur, Jeff Daniels, Catherine O'Hara, Steven Hill, Mercedes Ruehl, Kevin Spacey (as a robber!), & even film director Milos Forman. Natalie Stern steals scenes as one of Rachel's babies. And Mamie Gummer (Streep's own daughter) makes an appearance, as well.
Jack Nicholson brings the requisite humor & gravity that his role calls for. It's good that he's as talented as he is because the part, as written, is fairly thin - and that shouldn't be based on the fact that he's the lead. Meryl Streep, on the other hand, has much more to work with & is incredible (as she always is) at finding ways to register nervousness, calm, happiness, sadness, vulnerability, strength, & everything in-between.
One of my favorite scenes is the one where Rachel is at the airport with her 2 babies in tow & faces the runway ahead of her. The look(s) on her face vary with her every step. Having just left Mark, she faces an uncertain future as she looks forward. We see fear, regret & subtle humiliation fall across her face. And yet, she must remain strong & appear happy for her children at her side -- it's an exceptional piece of acting. And, of course, it never hurts to have Carly Simon's haunting song "Coming Around Again" gently aiding the emotions we see on the screen. That song, along with the rest of Simon's soundtrack, as well as Streep's brilliance, goes a long way in making this otherwise average movie as successful as it is. Still, it's a comfy watch, for sure.
I love the way Director Mike Nichols orchestrates these early relationship-building scenes, which culminate in a humorous scene where Rachel's friends, family, & therapist try to prevent her from getting cold feet on her wedding day. They marry; despite Rachel's reservations. With time, she & Mark discover that they are having a baby; they both are ecstatic with this news. She even gives up her own job to ensure that their marriage works. Howwwwever, after the good news sinks in, he shirks his new responsibilities & starts fooling around; something that Rachel's friends warned her that he may do. Then, when she finds evidence of Mark's infidelities during her pregnancy with their 2nd child, she leaves him & heads back to NY where her father hopes to resurrect her career. Drama ensues.
You know, aside from the transportive power of Streep & Carly Simon's music, 'Heartburn' is merely a good movie. The story may mostly appeal to Nora Ephron fans or to women who are/were in the same predicament of Streep. Some of the dialogue is a tad verbose for commercial audiences. But I did like this, a lot. See it for Streep. I'll get to her & Jack Nicholson more in a moment. But for now, I'll touch upon the film's strengths. There are quite a few amusing sequences (to thwart the sadness); such as Rachel & Mark eating pizza & singing songs with the word 'baby' in them.
I also enjoyed director Mike Nichols's eye for the people & behaviors of NY's Upper West Side. I found it mildly interesting to see all the fancy NY dinner parties & casual perusals at gourmet markets. And the wide & varied supporting cast is swell; including the always effective Maureen Stapleton, a solid Stockard Channing, Richard Masur, Jeff Daniels, Catherine O'Hara, Steven Hill, Mercedes Ruehl, Kevin Spacey (as a robber!), & even film director Milos Forman. Natalie Stern steals scenes as one of Rachel's babies. And Mamie Gummer (Streep's own daughter) makes an appearance, as well.
Jack Nicholson brings the requisite humor & gravity that his role calls for. It's good that he's as talented as he is because the part, as written, is fairly thin - and that shouldn't be based on the fact that he's the lead. Meryl Streep, on the other hand, has much more to work with & is incredible (as she always is) at finding ways to register nervousness, calm, happiness, sadness, vulnerability, strength, & everything in-between.
One of my favorite scenes is the one where Rachel is at the airport with her 2 babies in tow & faces the runway ahead of her. The look(s) on her face vary with her every step. Having just left Mark, she faces an uncertain future as she looks forward. We see fear, regret & subtle humiliation fall across her face. And yet, she must remain strong & appear happy for her children at her side -- it's an exceptional piece of acting. And, of course, it never hurts to have Carly Simon's haunting song "Coming Around Again" gently aiding the emotions we see on the screen. That song, along with the rest of Simon's soundtrack, as well as Streep's brilliance, goes a long way in making this otherwise average movie as successful as it is. Still, it's a comfy watch, for sure.