Episode 153. Postcards From the Edge (1990)

On this episode of B&R at the Movies podcast, Berry and Robin watch and discus the 1990 film Postcards From the Edge. This true to life film is directed by Mike Nichols and written by Carrie Fisher. This dark look at show business goes through the extreme ups and downs of life, work, love, and family. This film stars Meryl Streep, Shirley MacLaine, Dennis Quaid, Gene Hackman, Richard Dreyfuss, Rob Reiner, Mary Wickes, Oliver Platt, and Annette Bening. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:16

All right, everybody. Welcome back for another episode of Be and R at the Movies Podcast. I'm Barry.

SPEAKER_00 0:20

And I'm Robin.

SPEAKER_02 0:21

Right. So this week was your choice of film.

SPEAKER_00 0:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 0:24

So I'll let you go ahead and take us away on this one.

SPEAKER_00 0:26

Okay. Well, um, yeah, this is one I absolutely love.

SPEAKER_01 0:31

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00 0:31

I know you haven't seen it. Right. And I think you will enjoy it. So that's the reasons why. But it's uh Postcards from the Edge.

SPEAKER_01 0:39

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 0:39

It's from 1990. Nice. It's old. But um, so it's Carrie Fisher wrote a book called Postcards from the Edge. And it's about her life and you know, her drug use and dealing with her mother, who is Debbie Reynolds. And just kind of uh in the book, Debbie Reynolds, I'm uh because I read the book also. Uh-huh. Uh in the book, Debbie Reynolds, uh her mother uh is not really prominent in the story, but they made her prominent in the movie, and it's really fun. Um, so uh Meryl Streep plays uh Carrie Fisher's role. It's she's got a different name.

SPEAKER_02 1:23

That's what I was gonna ask. Yeah, so it's not by a it's not like that.

SPEAKER_00 1:27

No, they have different names.

SPEAKER_02 1:29

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:29

And um Shirley McLean plays her mother. And uh I think those two together when they have their scenes together are just so perfect. It's it's really, really fun. Um it has a a lovely ensemble cast that a lot of them are not in the in the scenes together. Oh, but you know, okay. So like um Jean Hackman is in it, Rob Reiner is in it a little bit, um, Richard Dreyfus is in it, Annette Benning is in it. And it's just it it's just a lovely ensemble cast, and I like how it's all put and oh, and Dennis Quaid is in it also. And you know, and it's it's it's really interesting to watch, but it's a lot of um living in Hollywood kind of and making uh films or television shows or whatever it is. A lot of it is what's happening in the back in the background kind of thing too.

SPEAKER_01 2:29

Right, right.

SPEAKER_00 2:30

But um it's um it really is uh Carrie Fisher's uh story. Um because she she had she did struggle with um drugs when she was younger. I think when she was older, probably not.

SPEAKER_01 2:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:44

Um, but um it I and it's mostly funny. It does have a uh you know, some subtle realism there, but it is mostly funny, but not you know slapstick funny.

SPEAKER_02 2:58

It's just it's a it's a nice lighter, lighter moments in the world. It is, it is, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:02

And then there's quite a few of them. So um but I I just I love seeing Gene Hackman because I miss him a lot. Yeah. Uh Rob Reiner doesn't have a big scene, but it's like, oh, there's Rob, yay! You know, uh, but there's it's it's just uh it's it's put together really nicely, and it really does kind of show about an actress um just trying to have live with a famous mother, right? And whose very personality is huge, and uh and I love I love the dialogue in this. So um I there's gonna be I think there's gonna be a lot for you to maybe not like or but so I know you're gonna look at that. But I think I think I really want to hear what you think of this movie. Okay.

SPEAKER_02 3:48

So you've talked about this movie um before. I think definitely last week we were talking about it. Um and it's one that I I definitely have never seen, and it's been around long enough where there's a very good chance that I would have I would have run into it.

SPEAKER_01 4:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:06

Um, because even though it's um and for me, there's every genre of movie is in my wheelhouse. There's not like there's no one that I really stick far away from maybe some musicals they have to be the right ones that I'll enjoy. But but even that, it's like there's still some I enjoy. Yeah. Um, so yeah, there's a I mean, there's a very good chance that I've you know I could have seen it over the years, it just just never never.

SPEAKER_00 4:30

Yeah, it didn't register. So yeah, maybe afterwards you go, yeah, I've seen most of that or part of that and stuff like that. But uh um I, you know, I've seen so many of Meryl Streep's movies. It's kind of unreal. There's a few I haven't seen, but um I I enjoy her acting. But I really and what I do like about Meryl Streep usually when I see her in a film is how she interacts with the other characters. It just feels so real. And I think this this, especially her and Shirley McLean. So real. It's it's and I think Shirley McLean is hilarious in this movie. Oh my god, I just think she's great. Um and uh anyway, so yes. I I I think you will like parts, bits and pieces of it, maybe not the entire thing. Okay, but um, but I really this is one I I just want to know what you think.

SPEAKER_02 5:23

Okay, all right, yeah, definitely. I mean, for me, I'm I'm always up for you know trying something that you know, checking a movie out I've never seen before, and it's like that's how you figure out the ones you like and ones you don't like. So it's like yeah, all right. Well, um we are gonna go ahead and dive in, and it's oh it postcards from the edge.

SPEAKER_00 5:42

Postcards from the edge.

SPEAKER_02 5:43

Oh, I got it, yeah. Yeah, all right. Well we're gonna go ahead and watch postcards from the edge, and then we will come back a little bit to talk about it. Great, all right. We will be back in a little while. All right, everybody, welcome back. We just got done watching postcards from the edge.

unknown 6:04

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 6:05

And uh since this was my first time watching it, I will go ahead and take us away on this one.

SPEAKER_00 6:11

All right, let's let's hear it. Let's hear it.

SPEAKER_02 6:14

Uh there's a lot about it I really, really enjoyed. Um, I liked um the I love the dialogue in it. I thought the dialogue was really, really good. Felt very raw, very real.

SPEAKER_00 6:25

Um how they kind of talk over each other a little bit, stuff like that. Absolutely. It just feels like, oh, they're so comfortable with each other, they can they can just roll with it.

SPEAKER_02 6:33

Yeah, exactly. So stuff, yeah, stuff like that, the arguments and the fights um between the people, between the people, and that's like feel like you feel like the raw emotions, and there's a lot of it is one long take for for quite a few of them where they're just moving through through the whole thing. And there's a lot that they gotta get through, a lot of dialogue, they're moving around, they're changing clothes, changing sets, moving all over the place. Um, so I like that. I like that aspect of it. Um, I like the commentary on the movie industry as a whole, uh, especially in the late 80s, early 90s, which is what this is with the what this is predict uh what it's showing. Um the sometimes the the absurdity of it is, you know, is you know, kind of slaps you around a little bit. Like, yeah, it is kind of a weird thing that they that they get to do for their for their profession, you know, and stuff. Um so I I like it, you know, like she's acting like she's hanging off the side of the building, and then they come walking up because obviously she's not, she's laying down. So it's like um so yeah, stuff like stuff like that always kind of cracks me up when they kind of pull they kind of pull the curtain back a little bit on some of that stuff. Um and then like when they're walking like through the set and it's like all of a sudden it's like it went from like the set they were on to like a western to like the 50s, yeah. And then it's like it just and then there's like gladiators in there, and they're just like walking around, and then all of a sudden it's like whole buildings just get rolled out of the way because it's you know it's all back lot set stuff. Um so I thought that was I thought that was kind of cool. I bet they probably had a lot of fun like trying to figure out like that kind of that kind of stuff because I I got a feeling that that's where the you know they felt the enjoyment of like okay, like we're gonna do this now. We're gonna it's like okay, now we're gonna go stand in front of the food truck, you know. And so the one thing I noticed was that when they're standing in front of the food truck and they're walking away, you have all the background characters, and there's literally the guy dressed as Freddie Cougar, like the whole bit, the hat, the mask, the- I did not notice that.

SPEAKER_00 8:36

I mean, then there's a whole line of people there.

SPEAKER_02 8:38

I gotta pay attention to that, and then there's another guy who looks just it looks just like Bruce Willis, and it's like I swear, and it's like it probably wasn't Bruce. No, um, it's and it's like, you know, but at the same time, it's like he could be his double or something. But I was thinking it's like these are the people that Bruce knows that he would have done work with anyway. Yeah, and it's like very easily they could he'd be like, Yeah, I'll just stand in the background, like you know, don't even have to give me credit or anything, I'll just stand here, you know. Kind of it totally could he could totally do that, yeah, yeah. And it's like because he's that kind, he's that kind of guy where he'd be like, he'd be like, Yeah, why not? You know, he's like, I'm just taking Meryl off and lunch, you know, whatever. You know, it's like yeah, I'm here, sure. I'm here, why not? So so I like I like that. I like the kind of commentary. Yeah, um, they did it, it was such a good job of portraying Debbie Reynolds without telling you that she's portraying Debbie Reynolds. Yes, I literally look the whole time, I'm like, it it is Debbie. I'm looking at Debbie Reynolds, yeah. Um just from the way that she would talk, the way she would talk over and like kind of control the conversation, control everything. Flamboyant, very flamboyant, way out there.

SPEAKER_00 9:51

Yeah, especially when people like recognition, you know, she that way she would just light up when people recognized her. Yeah, you know.

SPEAKER_02 9:59

Yeah, then all of a sudden it's all on her, it's all the attention on her. Uh-huh. Um, so you definitely felt that. With Meryl, though, it's like um I didn't really feel like it was a hundred like I could put Carrie Fisher like directly into that.

SPEAKER_01 10:13

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_02 10:14

Um, so it kind of felt like maybe it was like um like a blend of like maybe um maybe Carrie and like what she was going through. But I think since she was since she wrote it, that she's like, I can write the mom character because it's my mom and this is her, and this is how she looks from the outside. It's not it's not a self-reflection of it, it's the outside perspective, which we already get. So that's why we're I can connect with it and say, like, yeah, that's definitely her. So I think that that's kind of that's kind of interesting on that. Um to have like that inside look, looking at yourself, looking out at everybody else, and then you're in such a public person that everybody else is looking back at at you as well. So it's yeah, it it's it's a lot of lot of levels on that, and I find that I found that quite interesting. Um so I loved all that stuff. Um I wish Rob Reiner had more. I know, he's just he's just in there a little bit, you know. He's got that little bit, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:17

But he does a good job, you know. He kind of lights up the screen when he's there. And it's like that's quite cool, but yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:22

Yeah. Um I like Gene Hackman's stuff. I thought he didn't, I thought he did.

SPEAKER_00 11:26

Yeah. I actually I I think he had pretty good character, and I I loved his scenes very much.

SPEAKER_02 11:32

They were they were definitely solid. I like I like that a lot. And I like those two together. I realized I didn't realize that before. I was like, I don't know if they've done a lot of work like Meryl Streep and Gene Hackman.

SPEAKER_00 11:44

I I can't imagine they did a lot. So no, I thought they did really well together.

SPEAKER_02 11:48

And and even when they where they have like their moment, like when they're doing the dubbing, and then it was like, I'm like, they could have almost done like a love interest kind of thing with those two, even though he wasn't, he was kind of more like kind of like a fatherly kind of figure to her at the time. But um, but I was thinking I was just thinking, I'm like, I could you could have totally done a movie at like right after this and put those two as a love interest and it would work.

SPEAKER_01 12:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:11

But um, so I thought that was kind of I thought that was kind of cool. Um, I I mean I like it because it's like they were you know, they didn't like when they go to do a dubbing, they're just doing a dubbing. It's literally like exactly what they would do. They just put in the camera of like this is what we do. Yeah, and it's like it's not glamour, you know, that that's not glamorous, it's not like done up or anything.

SPEAKER_00 12:33

It's like no, it's just part of the job.

SPEAKER_02 12:34

It's like this is this is fixing your work, fixing the work, yeah, exactly. So I I thought that was I thought that was kind of cool. I was almost kind of expecting like between the fights of um between the mother and daughter, where it was like have like the mother be like, Oh, you're gonna go and make like another one of those space films or something. I thought one of a line like that might yeah, that would be almost almost too much. Yeah, because you know it's yeah, yeah. So I I thought maybe it would have been something like that. And I was like, I was like, ooh, that'd be kind of cool, but then that's kind of corny, and it's like so. One time I'm like, I hope it's there, but at the same time, I kind of hope it's not, you know, kind of like it wasn't there.

SPEAKER_00 13:13

So they didn't go down that road, and that that would have been uh that that would be a little too much pretty cheap uh shot to do. Definitely, but no, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 13:22

Um it was it is funny watching these these actors and stuff where it's just like man, they are so young. Um I know Dennis Quaid. It's like he was the he was the hunk. And it was just like and I was thinking like, how many times did he get a play like a hunk kind of character?

SPEAKER_00 13:43

But that I mean, you know, you think about how many years ago this was. Well, yeah, and that's when you stop and think, yeah, it's like through the math on that one, you know, 36 years ago. Yeah, yeah. This was made. So it's like, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 13:59

It's a long time.

SPEAKER_00 14:00

But yeah, and it's like because like now, um uh Shirley McLean is 91 years old. I looked it up today.

SPEAKER_02 14:06

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 14:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:07

And it was oh gosh. And yeah, so the yeah, when you're looking at her in here, and it's like she's supposed to be playing in her 60s, and yeah, she yeah, because she makes the joke because she says, I'm middle aged, and she goes, Yeah, I don't know how many 120-year-olds that you know, you know, or something. I was like, I was like, that's a good line. I like that. Yeah, it is a real good line. I like that one a lot. Um, all of her platt all of a sudden is like young and skinny, and we're just like, wow.

SPEAKER_00 14:31

I know with all that hair.

SPEAKER_02 14:32

Oh my gosh. And it's it was pretty cute though.

SPEAKER_00 14:36

It was pretty cute.

SPEAKER_02 14:37

It was pretty fun. Um, so I yeah, I I I mean, I I like that with uh with the with the characters being able to look back on on them as well. Um it is kind of sad when I think about the actors in this and how many of them we have lost.

SPEAKER_00 14:52

I know that's that's why I've watched this quite a few times. Man, um but um I mean two that I know of.

SPEAKER_02 15:00

Well, and then you and then you think that it is and her mother are both gone.

SPEAKER_00 15:06

Yeah, because I think about that too, uh, even though they're not technically in the movie. Um it's it is it's based loosely on some of their experiences.

SPEAKER_02 15:16

I don't know how loose, I think it's probably based pretty accurate.

SPEAKER_00 15:19

I think like it it can be, yeah. But you know, but uh but yeah, so they're both gone.

SPEAKER_02 15:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:26

Um but yeah, it's yeah, it it's just that much time has gone by and stuff lots of stuff has happened.

SPEAKER_02 15:32

But it's kind of it's it's pretty wild when you know like how Carrie died and how Debbie died.

SPEAKER_01 15:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:41

And then when you see this film of like so Carrie wrote this on the way that her and her mother were um back in the back in the with yeah, back in the 70s and eighties, I guess, probably the time period more. And it's like wow. And it's like just knowing that, you know, because Carrie passed and then Debbie died right after uh the next day. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:08

And it was like of, you know, they're saying that she died of a broken heart, and then it's like and they they literally lived across uh you know, next door to each other. Yeah, you know, back in so I mean, you know, they s they had that just kind of crazy relationship where they truly did love each other.

SPEAKER_01 16:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:24

And um, and I think that comes out in this film, even though this is way before that time. Right, right, exactly. That even though it's kind of up and down and crazy, they still love each other. Yeah, they still understand each other.

SPEAKER_02 16:36

Right. And yeah, and yeah, and it's you know, that that kind of gives like the the real kind of family stuff where it's like, yeah, you're you know, you're not gonna you're not gonna love each other, you know, all the time. Yeah, you're gonna fight with each other, yeah, you're gonna get you're gonna get on each other's nerves, but in the end you generally do care for the other person.

SPEAKER_00 16:58

Yeah, and then they showed that. I think they showed that really well.

SPEAKER_02 17:01

I think they did too.

SPEAKER_00 17:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 17:02

I think it did it, I think they did a good job of that. Um yeah, um, so I mean I I don't know if I'll I'll don't know if I'll watch it. Ever watch it again. Watch it again. No. I mean I'm I'm definitely I'm definitely.

SPEAKER_00 17:13

But you kind of remember it. It's like, oh that's kind of sweet, that's kind of nice, that's kind of you know, it's okay. So any any criticisms or um I no, uh not really.

SPEAKER_02 17:24

I mean it's not uh like I said, it's like it could have been total cliches of a whole lot more just knowing just just from knowing who you know who wrote it. Um I like they didn't go down that road. And and it wasn't um Carrie didn't put her, you know, Carrie wasn't in it. Debbie wasn't in it. It wasn't even like I mean they could have easily done like the last scene with where they're all they're all singing. It's like there's a bunch of people, people there. You do a quick scan of the crowd. We could have easily had Carrie and Debbie right there in the in the shot. But it's like no, they decided not to go down that road and not do that.

SPEAKER_00 17:59

And actually, uh Debbie Reynolds wanted to play the mother.

SPEAKER_02 18:03

I could imagine so.

SPEAKER_00 18:05

And they decided they said no, we really want Shirley McLean to do it. You know, I I think I think Debbie would have been too close to the material.

SPEAKER_02 18:12

I think so too. And I think it would have been more of Debbie kind of stopping and be like, well, I wouldn't have said that, or I didn't do that.

SPEAKER_00 18:22

Yeah, even though it's even though it's not a biopic. No, no, it's nothing like that. But yeah, yeah, it would have it would have been a little different. It's kind of funny because um last weekend I watched this again. And then I I went and and I watched In and Out.

SPEAKER_02 18:36

Oh my gosh. And Debbie Reynolds is in there.

SPEAKER_00 18:39

And I was like, oh, that's so sweet. I get to see the real Debbie Reynolds. Okay, let's watch her when she's older and stuff.

SPEAKER_02 18:44

Well, and and for me, that's the time period when I I I can enjoy Debbie Reynolds is when she's because for me it's like Debbie Reynolds is kind of the older kind of grandmother kind of look and kind of kind of a I know that you know yes, she was you know, she was Wizard of Oz and you know everything. Oh no. Oh no, I'm sorry, not Wizard of Oz. Um singing in the rain. Sing in the rain, yeah, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:05

But yeah, well uh and that is I mean, even even when Shirley McLean is singing the song, you know, I'm still here.

SPEAKER_02 19:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:13

And if i and I I I'm kind of a nerd and I do know a lot about Debbie Reynolds. And she did have a lot of ups and downs where she lost all her money.

SPEAKER_02 19:24

Really?

SPEAKER_00 19:25

And she I mean, she had to work to make more money. And you do know who she was married to.

SPEAKER_02 19:31

Um, so I always forget his I can't remember his first name.

SPEAKER_00 19:35

Eddie Fisher.

SPEAKER_02 19:36

Eddie. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 19:36

I was like, I mean, obviously I I knew it was Fisher, but Eddie Fisher left Debbie Reynolds for Elizabeth Taylor.

SPEAKER_02 19:44

It was Elizabeth Taylor, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:45

And they were they actually Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, and then Elizabeth Taylor and her husband, they were all friends together.

SPEAKER_02 19:53

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 19:54

Yeah, so that really like uh devastated Debbie Reynolds.

SPEAKER_02 19:58

I can imagine, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:59

Uh so yeah, and and she truly did at that time. She lost almost all her money. And then there was other issues too with somebody else she married and you know, just stuff. And she always had to like reinvent herself and just keep keep going, keep working.

SPEAKER_02 20:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:15

She really was just that way. And I think Shirley McLean playing that type of character, I think like, yeah, that that I mean, I think Debbie Reynolds was really she was tough. She was just gonna like yeah, she's gonna keep on going.

SPEAKER_02 20:30

So I I don't know for Debbie about like uh alcoholism. Like was she was she a b was she uh an alcoholic? Okay.

SPEAKER_00 20:41

Yeah, I think she she struggled with that.

SPEAKER_02 20:43

Okay. Yeah, that was because that's I I knew it was portrayed in the in the film, but I didn't know if if that part was a yeah, and I think yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:51

Okay. But you know, she struggled and ups and downs and wins and falls and right.

unknown 21:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:01

I did kept thinking that the the the Mustang was gonna crash at some point.

SPEAKER_00 21:07

I was like Yeah, but it wasn't.

SPEAKER_02 21:08

It was it was and I like I like that it wasn't like a polish, but it was like still looking like it's still like a 65. And it's like that's it's like it's it's still a good looking, it's still gonna be a good looking Mustang. Yeah, yeah. A little work into a little paint job, it's like it'd be good.

SPEAKER_00 21:28

Yeah, right. Be looking pretty good.

SPEAKER_02 21:30

The whole time I kept thinking, I'm like, I was like, they're gonna crash this car. I know they're gonna crash this car. No, they didn't.

SPEAKER_00 21:35

They didn't. It was the other car.

SPEAKER_02 21:36

It was the other car. And I was like, I was like, oh good, the Mustang's arrived. All right.

SPEAKER_00 21:40

Yeah, there's so many scenes I like in this, like uh when um Meryl Streep is putting on the makeup on uh Shirley McLean. I thought that was I mean, she's literally doing it. She's putting on her makeup. I mean, as like a daughter would do for a mother that she likes, you know, she Likes her makeup, she likes to look a certain way. Right. And you know, again present herself.

SPEAKER_02 22:05

And I thought that was I thought that was really kind of cool little moment.

SPEAKER_00 22:09

And the whole dialogue is going on while you know they're doing it.

SPEAKER_02 22:12

They and they they don't cut a they I mean they do the covered shots.

SPEAKER_00 22:16

Right, right.

SPEAKER_02 22:17

But it's not, you know, it's it's pretty much continuous the whole time that she's she's putting on her makeup. So uh yeah, it's that's one of those shots where it's like, oh that was kind of cute. And then uh I didn't even realize that it was uh her her guy husband. Her husband. I couldn't remember if she actually said they're married. Yeah, they're married. Uh like laying in the bed. I know.

SPEAKER_00 22:39

Why is that person next way the wrong way? And then when you realize, oh, that's her husband, he's just hanging out.

SPEAKER_02 22:46

Yeah, and then they just abandon him and and her grandpa in the room. It's like they just walk out and just leave him. Whatever. Yeah, they'll take care of himself. The boys are fine. Yeah, it's like I thought that was really I thought that was really funny. Um, who played the grandmother?

SPEAKER_00 23:00

That was Mary Wicks, and that's who I really love.

SPEAKER_02 23:03

Mary Wicks. Wow, she was a spitfire in this film.

SPEAKER_00 23:06

I wow I love her in every movie she's ever made. I grew up with her.

SPEAKER_02 23:12

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_00 23:13

Um and she and I'm she usually ends up in movies where she's playing a nun. And then nun with attitude has always got but this one, they really let her go and have a deep attitude. Yeah. And she it's like, girl, did you have fun? You look I bet you had fun doing that, you know.

SPEAKER_02 23:32

Oh man. Yeah, that was uh her character was definitely intense, where it's like, yeah, she she's saying what's on her mind. She doesn't care what anybody thinks about anything.

SPEAKER_00 23:43

I know. Wow, yeah. She's but and then uh Conrad Baines, that's who plays her. The grandfather, yeah. And this was his last film. He was he died shortly after this. That's uh I mean he not that I really knew a lot about him. I knew he did different strokes, I think. He was the father of that television show.

SPEAKER_02 24:00

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_00 24:01

I don't know much about his career, but um when I was looking it up, they said yeah, this was his last film. He died shortly after this.

SPEAKER_02 24:07

Oh, that's uh yeah. So there's another one that's fun.

SPEAKER_00 24:10

Mary Mary Wicks is gone too.

SPEAKER_02 24:12

Yeah, I was gonna say I think she's probably she she's definitely uh because I don't say because if she's not, she's she would definitely be up there uh age-wise.

SPEAKER_00 24:20

Yeah, but yeah, well if Shirley McLean's 91.

SPEAKER_02 24:22

Yeah, it's like yeah, if Shirley's 91, yeah, yeah. So 120 looking pretty good, you know. It's like, yeah. Yeah. But yeah, I thought it was I mean, I thought it was definitely a well-made film.

SPEAKER_00 24:34

Um it's a small movie. It's not, you know, it's uh it's you know, it's just telling a little story. That's all that's all it is.

SPEAKER_02 24:40

And I I like the the contrast between you know the high production movie that she's making and then she goes to like the lower budget one.

SPEAKER_01 24:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:49

And it's kind of just like they're like, oh, do we do rehearsals? And it's like, oh, you're used to the the big budgets. We don't do those around here, those cost money. We don't do that, you know. So I thought I thought that was kind of that was kind of cute too. And it's like, you know, and it's kind of just showed the life of a working actor, right? It's like, you know, you go in, you know, you you pop in, you're doing your you're doing your stuff, you know, you've got however many days, however, you know, long your time is, and then you leave from that, and then oh, you gotta do the dubbing of the film that you did before that, and then you gotta go in and do that. And it's like so it's like this endless flow of going all over the place. Because really it was three different films that she did throughout it, or was, you know, was doing throughout it. So yeah, so it was pretty I thought that was I thought that was kind of cool where it's like because you could have easily done it with just like, oh, she makes one film, and it's like boom, she makes it the whole time.

SPEAKER_00 25:44

Yeah, but I mean that is you know, yeah, with actors, I'm sure that's it. They're they're hoping for another role. Yeah, they're hoping there's not a big gap between one and the other. They're just out there hustling, you know, especially if you're just a character actor, you're not a main actor. Yeah, you're just like going from one to the other and just getting work.

SPEAKER_02 26:06

Making those connections with the people and same with like, oh yeah, you know, it's like you know, these people, you know, they write a role for you, they want you in their their film, and it's like there you go, and just keep it, keep that ball a rolling. So yeah. Yeah, but no, I thought I I definitely thought it was I definitely thought it was done really well. Um I don't know. Richard Dreyfus was it was alright.

SPEAKER_00 26:25

A small rule. It was there. It was like it was okay. But you know, didn't really do much. He actually was best friends with Carrie Fisher.

SPEAKER_02 26:32

Ah, I okay.

SPEAKER_00 26:34

And uh and he had drug issues also that he'd sobercome.

SPEAKER_02 26:38

Yeah. And but yeah, so he was he his character almost kind of mentioned that, like in in the end when they were talking of when he was talking about asking her on a date.

SPEAKER_01 26:48

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_02 26:49

Um, and uh she he's like, you know, how you how are you coping with everything? And she goes, Oh, I want to, you know, take take drugs every day, and he's like, Yeah, that doesn't go away.

SPEAKER_00 26:59

Uh-huh. And it's like talking from experience.

SPEAKER_02 27:03

That's that's what it looked like.

SPEAKER_00 27:04

It was like but I think he's playing a doctor, so he can say that, you know, like a doctor would know, yeah, that doesn't go away. Right, because he deals with people, but but not that he Richard Dreyfus dealt with it personally. So Right. So yeah, maybe it was a little um little both where it was like, yeah, but maybe yeah, because it was yeah, so and there was there was a lot of comedy in this.

SPEAKER_02 27:27

Um there was there was a decent there was definitely a decent amount where it's like it it makes you it makes you kind of chuckle, you know, or they're um but yeah, like you said, it's it's I would classify it more on as a drama. Oh, okay. Would definitely kind of be where I would do it.

SPEAKER_00 27:44

Um But it's a light drama.

SPEAKER_02 27:46

A light drama, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 27:47

It's not heavy, it's not a heavy drama like that.

SPEAKER_02 27:50

But you know, and this got well, this got rated R. And I'm trying to think like if this was now I don't even think it would even get an R.

SPEAKER_00 27:59

It might not. I mean that because I think it's just because it's the the subject of the links, yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 28:06

I mean, because they talk about drugs all the way through it, you know, and they do mention different types of drugs and you know go through that. But you don't you you see her take you see her take a handful of pills.

SPEAKER_01 28:18

Right.

SPEAKER_02 28:18

That's literally only drugs you see anybody take. Well, well, and he smokes he um Dennis Quite and he smokes smokes weed. He smokes a little joint, yeah. Other than that, though, those are the only two times, and it's like I I'm thinking I'm like, I'm not sure if this would have still gotten an R nowadays. I don't know. It would have been it would have been kind of questionable, it might have got a PG 13.

SPEAKER_01 28:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 28:42

Um, because there there wasn't there wasn't a there wasn't a love making scene at all.

SPEAKER_01 28:46

No, there isn't a lot of things. There was no nudity, no nudity at all.

SPEAKER_02 28:50

I mean there's there is language, but it's it's appropriate for the scene's language, yeah, if that makes any sense. Where it's not it's it's not just cussing for the sake of I can say these words.

SPEAKER_01 29:04

Right, right, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 29:05

So it's like you know, they're in the middle of a fight and they're gonna say things that are nasty to each other, you know, because they're in the middle of a fight. And it's like, okay. So I don't know. I I was kind of thinking that where it was just like when I I kept saying it was right R, and I was just like, nah, might be a little harsh on the R, but no, but then again for the time for the time, yeah. And it's like, yeah, I could see for the time where it's like, yeah, okay, we don't want protecting the children, you know, and it's like that's what that's what they're all about.

SPEAKER_00 29:32

I mean now, now I think the world is a lot different, so yeah, you're probably right on that.

SPEAKER_02 29:37

Yeah, it'd be it would be different a little bit, but but yeah, but um, but no, overall I definitely thought it was a great film. Okay, I do have one criticism. Oh, okay. What's that? So you're doing they're doing the driving scene in the film. Um this is when they're they're not making their pretend film, but it's actually um Shirley McClane and um Oh, when Shirley's driving the car picks her up.

SPEAKER_00 30:04

Okay, yes. It looks so fake.

SPEAKER_02 30:08

It is so fake. I know it's like it's like this is so Hollywood. I kept thinking, oh my are is it is it done ironically? Is it like I don't I and it was like and it was like I'm looking at the car behind them, and then all of a sudden it's like you can't see the headlights anymore.

SPEAKER_00 30:29

I know, it's like no, it's not happening.

SPEAKER_02 30:32

That's just so they would have drunk they would have hit you. Yeah, they would have hit you, and I'm like, and then all of a sudden that it's like it pans back and they're in their back, and somebody it's like the camera's in the backseat of the car, and they're actually driving.

SPEAKER_00 30:44

Uh-huh. And I was thinking like, so Yeah, it it it kind of crosses that line between like make-believe and and reality a little bit. Uh-huh. And I mean, yeah, that is one scene that's like, oh, that's so fake. I love the dialogue though. Well, the dialogue is just a good thing. So I just so in that's in that scene, I just concentrate on the dialogue and I don't pay attention.

SPEAKER_02 31:05

I honestly it's it's literally what I thought was that I'm like, if I've watched this a bunch of times and I would know that that's coming up and the background's that bad, then I would be like, I know it's there, I'm just gonna focus on dialogue. And 100% I thought the same. That's why I thought the same thing. But for me, I'm just like for someone like, wow, that's like something that's really bad. And it's it it's almost I mean, because it's almost done where it's like jokingly bad, like almost. And I was like, and I kept I was almost waiting for them to be like step out of the car and they were on a set, yeah, and they were just like killing time like on the set instead of and to be able to have a conversation. Yeah, and I thought I'm like that, that might have been pretty fun. I'm like, that would have been really good because this whole time you think like she's driving her home, and really they just wanted a place to talk, and they were sitting in the car and they were just running the screen behind them. And I was like, I was thinking like that would have been really, really funny.

SPEAKER_00 32:02

Uh-huh. But then I kept thinking, I was like, but that's not this kind of film of like no, this scene is is where there's it's supposed to be their driving home. Right.

SPEAKER_02 32:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 32:12

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 32:13

And that's so I kept that's why I kept thinking, I was like, in the beginning of the film, you do the um whether it's real or whether it's a film or whether it's this film or whether it's another film that they're shooting or whatever. Right. And you kind of play with that for a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 32:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 32:29

It's one of those uh you do that until you pull back the curtain.

SPEAKER_01 32:33

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_02 32:33

And once you pull back the curtain and you realize, like, oh, that's the fake film. This is the film that we're watching, and this is okay. So then you establish like the real, not real.

SPEAKER_01 32:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 32:45

And I feel like if you try to cross back over that line again later on, uh-huh, then it's it's corny and it does and it doesn't work.

SPEAKER_00 32:54

Yeah. So they only did it in the beginning.

SPEAKER_02 32:56

So that and that's where and that's exactly when you do it.

SPEAKER_00 32:58

And I think I think it's a very effective way to start the film. I love it.

SPEAKER_02 33:01

Yeah, it's great.

SPEAKER_00 33:02

Because really, with the first time I watched this, I'm going, oh wow, that was cool. Okay, I'll go back and watch that again, you know.

SPEAKER_02 33:09

Though the only other one that I know of that did it um is Tropic Thunder.

SPEAKER_01 33:14

Uh.

SPEAKER_02 33:15

Because it's a movie within a movie, kind of the same exact thing. And then once you do the twist and you spin it around and you realize, like, oh, this is the fake, that's the real. And it's like, yeah, you can't you can't reverse that. You can't go back. Once you've hit that mark, and it's like, uh, yeah, the curtain, like I said, the curtains pulled back, the joke is done. So so I definitely I definitely did like the way that they that he that they did it. And I like that she broke and looked dead into the camera.

SPEAKER_00 33:45

Yeah. And said, and you know, and the background actor started giggling. Yeah, and yeah. And he knew he knew it was broke, yeah. It was done.

SPEAKER_02 33:52

Yeah, exactly. And I and then so once you got that, and it's like, oh yeah, there we are. So I definitely I I thought that was done. I thought that that was done good. And it seemed like it was just enough time too.

SPEAKER_01 34:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 34:03

Where it's like you it didn't go on too long.

SPEAKER_00 34:05

You yeah, it didn't you you didn't have to wait for, you know, you're just kind of watching, going, Oh, what's this about? What's happening? And then it's like, oh, it's a film. Oh, okay, good. Okay, now what's gonna go on? So yeah.

SPEAKER_02 34:19

Right, exactly. Yeah. So well but yeah, no, it was it was that one.

SPEAKER_00 34:23

Well, I'm glad you didn't have any other critiques as far as like I don't know. Lighting. I think it's only the car scene that really bothers me. That one that one's definitely standing out. As far as like, you know, camera position and lighting and that was that I all kind of liked. I like how they kind of put that together. So very smart. They're very smart with that.

SPEAKER_02 34:47

Even like when you know they're they're walking and they're walking through the the set stuff, like we were talking about, changing locations of the set, and it's like it's all like dolly shot, and it's all like just rolling right along, right? Just walking with them. Yeah. Um, yeah, there was nothing there's no well, and the time period too.

SPEAKER_01 35:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 35:05

Not you didn't do excess you didn't do handheld, you know, excessively. You did dollies, you did cranes, you did flowing, moving shots, and stuff like that. So that's kind of more indicative of that of the time period that the film was made to. So I got a feeling if you did it now, it might be a little bit more of like handheld, a little bit more behind the scenes kind of stuff, kind of looks at looks at things and stuff like that. So maybe it'd be a little bit different, different vibe. But but no, but I thought it was I thought it was all really well done.

SPEAKER_00 35:39

Yeah, and I I I just think Meryl Streep does a really good job with this. I I like how she works with the other actors.

SPEAKER_02 35:47

You know, I do have a criticism though.

SPEAKER_00 35:50

Oh, what's that?

SPEAKER_02 35:51

Can she like do something with her hair? Uh no.

SPEAKER_00 35:55

That was a style for 1990.

SPEAKER_02 35:58

Hello. I kept thinking, I'm like, oh, okay, is she gonna comb her hair? Right. I'm like, I'm like, okay, she just got off the set. Oh, okay, okay, so that's why she looks like that. No, she's she looks like that going too. And no, she looked like that waking up to.

SPEAKER_01 36:13

That was the look.

SPEAKER_02 36:14

And it was like and when her mom made the comment about Madonna, yeah, and I was like, oh now that okay, totally get that now. That's like, yep, that's the look. That's the look. That late 80s, early 90s kind of kind of look. So all right.

SPEAKER_00 36:31

So on that note, yeah, I'm I'm glad that it it it was kind of enjoyable for you. So it was that was fun. That was good. Thank you for sharing that with me.

SPEAKER_02 36:41

No problem, no problem. Thank you for sharing the film with me. All right, we're gonna wrap this up. Yeah, all righty. Well, thank you everybody for listening. Make sure you guys go check out postcards from the edge. And until next time, I'm Barry.

SPEAKER_00 36:52

And I'm Robin.

SPEAKER_02 36:54

And we will talk to you guys later.