Heartburn (1986) User Reviews (76)

Jack & Meryl are just great..

[sanjin_9632 · 7/10 · 23 February 2017]

Just to watch Streep and Nicholson together in a movie is good enough for me. A lot of the scenes seemed kinda improvised. They're crazy good together. I always wondered why they weren't in more movies together. Who knows, maybe they didn't like each other very much in real life. Also, Nicholson always seems to be dancing between genius and insanity. Streep's more the straight-forward type. At least to me.

Nora Ephron who wrote this and the supposed autobiographical novel it's based on, wasn't known for immense depth, but for romance. I think every girl or woman who grew up before the start of this century is familiar with her work (Sleepless In Seattle, When Harry Met Sally etc.).

6.6/10 just for the main leads.

Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep together!

[PredragReviews · 7/10 · 1 June 2016]

This film is based on Nora Ephron's "novel". we're told, but the novel was a largely biographical depiction of her failed marriage to Carl Bernstein, the Washington Post journalist famous for his exposure of the Watergate scandal which brought down President Nixon,,a marriage which ended in divorce as a result of his long affair with a fellow journalist. The Carl Bernstein character, Mark Forman, is played by Jack Nicholson with his usual devilish, eyebrow-twitching, grinning charm but the film is carried by Meryl Streep as his long-suffering wife, whose character, writer Rachel Samstadt, seems to age without recourse to added lines or makeup or any of the usual Hollywood trickery but purely by a change of body-language and a certain implied physical heaviness. The film is well-served by its supporting players as well as its principals, notably Stockard Channing and Jeff Daniels. It's both moving and very funny and the fact that their first child, Annie, is played by Streep's real-life daughter makes the mother/child interaction natural and utterly charming.

The acting is superb by the whole cast and what could've become an over-dramatic film has wonderful moments of humor that works so well. Although the story is quite sad in parts the film is balanced out by a lot of humor. I found myself laughing out loud at this film a lot. Meryl Streep, Jack Nicholson are brilliant, and Carly Simon wrote the soundtrack which is also great. It is still well worth watching.

Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

A Highly Underrated Film

[adithyasivas-234-471768 · 7/10 · 18 December 2015]

Am I blind, or did I just see that this film has an overall rating of 6.0/10 on IMDb and a 47% approval rating on RottenTomatoes?

Acting:

Alright, so let me start this review by stating that I'm a die-hard fan of Jack Nicholson. So, I might be slightly transparent about the flaws of the movie, but there aren't many. This film is very hard to get a hold of actually. I stumbled upon a used DVD store and being a collector of Jack Nicholson's films and a huge fan, I immediately purchased it. I hadn't ever heard of this film until then and made a quick research on IMDb and Wikipedia about the movie. This movie's story is written by Nora Ephron and is loosely based on her life and relationship with real-life journalist Carl Bernstein. On paper, the story of the movie goes like this: Divorced woman meets a sort-of heartless playboy, falls for him, marries him, has children with him, and leaves him after figuring out that he's been cheating on her. Sounds so simple, but in reality, it isn't. That's the reason why we have veteran actors like Nicholson and Meryl Streep on board. Meryl Streep is brilliant. Totally. Even in totally clichéd scenes, she performs to her fullest. Many people might be surprised, but this is actually the first film of Meryl Streep I've seen. I had always wanted to see her work ever since learning that she has the most number of Academy Award nominations for Best Actress or Supporting Actress, but never really got around to doing so. I wonder what her really brilliant performances would be like, if this was off the hook itself. Jack Nicholson plays the uber cool guy he always is and as we always have more often than not, there is a scene of him going totally crazy. But I don't want to give away too many things. You should check out the movie for yourself. This movie also marks the feature-film debut of Kevin Spacey, whom I was quite surprised to see actually, but it turned out that it was only a small cameo.

Story, Screenplay and Direction:

Enough about actors. Lets get down to the story, screenplay and ultimately, the execution of the overall film. This film is ultra-realistic. Except a couple of teeny-tiny moments in the film, you'll be surprised at how super realistic that this film is. Being born in the 90s, I was able to get a slight sense of how life revolved in the 80s and was super-thrilled and totally upset in not being able to experience the US of that era. That is also where the film goes awry, in a sense. It is so realistic, that it loses itself onto you at a point where you wouldn't know what is going on. There are hints of Mark (Jack Nicholson) being a brilliant and a sincere reporter, but we really don't get to see much of that. However, we do get to see a couple of scenes of Rachel (Meryl Streep) working in her NY paper where she's a food journalist, but it doesn't go beyond that. Basically, the emphasis is so much on the character's emotions, especially Streep's, that the film kind of weighs down a bit when you reach the 58 minute mark. Other than this slight niggle, this film is amazing. Streep showcases her character's emotions so perfectly that you actually start to feel for her and get a tight sense of what her character is going through. Jack Nicholson shines in whatever scene he's in, as always, but is ultimately weighed down by a superb display by Meryl Streep. I was surprised that she hadn't gotten an Oscar Nomination for this, but hey, Nicholson didn't either, for 'The Shining (1980)', which was one of his best works in the 80s.

Technical Work:

The cinematography is top-notch too, considering the fact that this was the 80s. I had initially thought that this was a Stanley Kubrick film, which always has the best camera work. But it was good to know that Mike Nichols also had an affinity towards great camera work and composition to each and every scene. Lastly, I had learned that this film had become even more popular because of the superb musical score by Carly Simon. 'Coming Around Again' is too good. Whoever you are, whatever era you were born into, you would surely have heard this song, even if you might not be able to recognize it just by reading the name.

Overall, this is a brilliant film, with a very few cons. You should definitely watch it, if only for Meryl Streep's performance.

This is a very, very highly underrated film.

Uneven, but less manufactured than Ephron's subsequent films

[darnell-2 · 12 November 1998]

Although somewhat artificial, the humor and "heartburn" of this Nora Ephron film seem more affecting and less manufactured than those in her more slick subsequent films, When Harry Met Sally... and Sleepless in Seattle. Perhaps the autobiographical slant helped.

Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson play a couple based on Ephron and Carl Bernstein. They meet, marry, settle in Washington, and have children. Streep's wedding-day jitters, it turns out, were amply justified; she discovers an affair between her husband and a social-climbing hostess.

Streep is so luminous and so natural that one may not realize until the end of the film how completely insipid and devoid of any distinguishing qualities her character is. "Rachel" changes from a wan, nervous divorcee (before meeting Nicholson's character) to an obsessively devoted wife and mother who keeps babbling about how happy she is.

Nicholson is well-cast as the rakish but (initially) endearing husband. The supporting cast reflects the expert hand of Juliet Taylor, Woody Allen's longtime casting director, who peppered it with many familiar faces, including Allen favorites Joanna Gleason, Caroline Aaron, and Karen Akers. Maureen Stapleton is particularly droll as Streep's shrink. Nineties audiences will enjoy seeing Kevin Spacey as a neurasthenic mugger.

The comedy in the film is somewhat uneven, but often extremely engaging, as in a running parody of "Masterpiece Theatre." And compare the spontaneous bravado of Nicholson's lopsided rendition of "Soliloquy" from Carousel (the comic highlight) to the forced quirkiness of Meg Ryan's tone-deaf "Surrey with the Fringe on Top" in When Harry Met Sally...

The movie's just okay--but the song is outstanding!

[xavrush89 · 6/10 · 22 November 2003]

Let's face it, these aren't the two most likable people on the planet, but that's only because writer Nora Ephron may have been a little too hard on herself. (Actually, she's hard on most everyone in this.) We care about this relationship, and the performances ofthe excellent cast make it intriguing at first, but viewers are just as likely to grow impatient with these characters as they do with each other. It's worth seeing, but a hard film to love.

Now, some words about the Carly Simon song, "Coming Around Again." I heard the song before I saw the movie and it no doubt affected my viewing of it. So many movies seem to just tack on any old song at the end credits, but this song really captures the essence of love and marriage and brings out all the emotions of a great film scene in merely a few minutes. I cannot believe the overblown "Take My Breath Away" from "Top Gun" (also overblown) won the 1986 Oscar for Best Original Song, and "Coming Around Again" was not even nominated! Perhaps this is why Carly Simon won her Oscar for "Let the River Run" two years later, to make up for this gross omission. (She would also duet with Streep during the end credits of "Marvin's Room"--an even better film.) The song alone is reason enough to see "Heartburn".

Overall, not a bad movie

[xkatie_pearsonx · 6/10 · 23 May 2007]

Heartburn is a movie that admittedly requires little thinking or concentration, but I still found it very watchable. However, the beginning is a bit odd.

*SPOILERS*

Within the first 20 minutes Mark and Rachel have met, gone on a first date, had sex, agreed they never wanted to get married again, and then got married! I found it all very rushed and under developed, and I was tempted to turn off at this point. I was glad I didn't. Once all of this is over, Heartburn actually turns into a good movie. It's a very realistic, and often humorous account of an everyday marriage. Baby Annie is very cute! I was wondering how they managed to get a 2 year old to co-operate in such a way, but I understand that she's actually Meryl Streep's real life daughter? It definitely shows. Scenes between the two of them were really sweet and often very funny, and again realistic.

But then, sadly, the ending lets this movie down. I found it very abrupt and un-explained, much like the beginning. It's a shame really, the centre of the movie is very enjoyable. I cannot understand why the producers didn't see the under-development of the plot at the beginning. And then nothing really happens at the end. Sure she leaves Mark again, but she already did that once and went back. So what exactly was she going off to do? Hmm, didn't really 'get' the ending at all. Cute scene on the plane though.

*END SPOILERS*

While all of this sounds relatively boring, I can assure you it isn't. Heartburn is a very pleasant movie, just don't expect any major surprises.

great actors in mediocre relationship

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 20 March 2015]

It's a semi-autobiographical story from Nora Ephron about her relationship to famous Washington Post reporter Carl Bernstein. Food writer Rachel Samstat (Meryl Streep) is at a wedding with her editor friend Richard. She's immediately taken with famous reporter Mark Forman (Jack Nicolson). Despite reservations, she tries marriage again. They buy a rundown Georgetown home. She becomes a housewife and a mother. Richard pushes her to continue writing. Mark starts cheating on her and their marriage falls apart.

Nora Ephron is probably too close to the material. She's not able to find the comedy or the tragedy in this. The marriage is so quick that they don't build any chemistry. I don't find their relationship compelling. It's basically doom to fail. Quite frankly, the movie is better off starting well into their marriage. I buy them more as a failing married couple. This movie does have plenty of talent and that saves it overall. Director Mike Nichols is better off trying to slash and burn the first part but he's probably too nice of a guy. There is some light humor but it only gets a few chuckles. This has some interesting moments but not so compelling story of a fatally flawed relationship.

Good but vague in purpose.

[=G= · 6/10 · 7 October 2001]

"Heartburn" has Mick Nichols at the helm with Streep and Nicholson starring and an excellent supporting cast including a bit debut by Kevin Spacy. In spite of all that, the film has only managed lukewarm commentary from critics and public alike. Taking a somewhat cynical look at marriage as it follows one couple (Streep & Nicholson) from nuptials through the birth of two children including infidelity, this well crafted flick muddles comedy with drama to a nebulous end. An enjoyable watch for mature people who've been there, "Heartburn" will likely disappoint others because of its uneventfulness and lack of purpose.

Poor Use of Splendid Cast

[randymoyle · 5/10 · 1 March 2008]

When viewing this movie, I en visualized a film making challenge. It was almost like presenting a class of senior year cinematic arts students with a graduate project. Take Jack Nicholson, Meryl Streep and add a few seasoned comedic supporting members such as Catharine O'Hara, and produce the most boring movie imaginable.

The set was dreary, repetitive, and depressing. Nicholson and Streep took to their characters well, but even their efforts couldn't save this one. The lackluster plot was commonplace and predictable. It played out like a slow moving expanded drama that replicates itself millions of times in American homes. In fact many of you could have watched the same drama unfold in the homes of your neighbors, co-workers or family. So why go to the theater or rent this DVD?

Funny but heart breaking

[atladymoriah · 6/10 · 15 November 2023]

I actually give it a 6.5 as far as romance comedy 80s movies go. Jack and Meryl are fantastic as ever. The comedy is kind of morbid at times but Meryl really made me laugh a few times. Other times though this film was very distressing. Maybe I know too many poorly behaved men and too many women in denial but it hit a nerve watching Meryl try to live life graciously while knowing of her husbands active infidelity.

Upon hearing about this film I expected it to be a lot more intense with outbursts and fighting but this movie was more focused on the deep hurt moving forward rather than the immediate feelings of betrayal. It was a different take that I appreciated seeing.

I didn't appreciate Jack Nicholsons character Mark at all. Lacked character for a character. That's not to impune on nicholsons performance he did what he does best with not much of a character. I didn't appreciate the ending, although that last moment with Meryl at the friend dinner was great I really wanted a more validating moment for her or for the ending of their relationship.

Overall it's a goodie just maybe not a rewatchable.

Carly Simon and the 80s track in this film is perfect.

skin deep star package

[mjneu59 · 4/10 · 26 November 2010]

Nora Ephron adapts her best-selling novel (a transparent dramatization of her failed marriage to reporter Carl Bernstein) to the big screen, but in the process falls into the same trap that snares too many filmed versions of popular fiction. In a nutshell, the movie is all dialogue and precious little depth, presenting a bare bones account of marital love and infidelity that skims lightly over the salient points of the relationship without ever scratching any dramatic surface. A large part of its appeal (if not its only attraction) lies in watching the not inconsiderable combined talents of Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson, but the popularity of the two stars only undermines their ability (with a script this thin, at any rate) to effectively ply their trade. Viewers will see the actors, not the character each is supposedly portraying, and if proof were needed try to recall in detail afterward anything about their respective roles.

All time favourite romantic drama!

[anderssonokompani · 10/10 · 6 December 2004]

I can watch this movie over and over again and will never get tired of it.Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson at their best! I originally loved the book as well.

The ups and downs of a marriage juggling carreers,pregnancy,adulterous spouses,social events etc is really brought up in a masterful but still truthful way.

Streep was actually pregnant for real in the movie.The subtext she brings out in her acting and all the little details just make you love her more and more.

Her culinary tricks makes you run for your notebook.I actually get so hungry for Carbonara whenever I watch this movie.

It is full of tears and laughter and you can't help loving it.

I take this movie to my heart forever.

Terrifically written romantic dramedy

[TheRetroCritic · 6/10 · 4 November 2023]

An adaptation of Nora Ephron's own novel, which was semi-autobiographical, Heartburn is a 1986 romantic dramedy about a relationship turning sour after the husband is suspected of having an affair.

When Rachel (Meryl Streep) meets political columnist Mark (Jack Nicholson) at a friend's wedding, they click instantly and it's not long before they begin a relationship. Soon after, they themselves get married and buy a house together, though the latter needs a lot of work. They eventually have a child but things quickly deteriorate when Rachel finds out that Mark has been cheating on her. Heartburn is every bit as sharp and witty as you'd expect a Nora Ephron-penned script to be, the film aptly showing the ups and downs of a relationship that, very much like the house Rachel and Mark purchase, needed a lot of work from the start.

Despite Jack Nicholson having to replace the original lead actor a day into the film's shoot, Mike Nichols' direction is seamless and the film never drops the ball. Meryl Streep is reliably excellent as Rachel, getting the bulk of the emotional work here and nailing it, while Jack Nicholson is unfortunately not always convincing when it comes to the sweeter moments between Mark and Rachel but he certainly makes sure that the pie-in-the-face scene feels earned, though seeing more clashes between the two of them could have helped sell it even more. Not showing any of Mark's work life makes him a particularly frustrating character and this was a smart move as it helps put you in Rachel's suspicious and anxious frame of mind.

The supporting cast, which includes Catherine O'Hara, Jeff Daniels and Stockard Channing, is solid and look out for a young Kevin Spacey in his first movie role.

It may not be as upbeat as the likes of When Harry Met Sally but Heartburn hits the right notes and it's worth seeing for the talent involved alone. From the writing to the performances, this is a well crafted film that deserves a second look, even if it could have been even punchier.

Quite good.

Waste of film, lifeless and drawn out

[Exit_of_99c_Special · 2/10 · 30 August 2005]

You could say that the actors will make a movie, but this clearly proves that statement wrong. Most of the characters in this film lack anything to hold on to. They play the part of cardboard cut outs being moved about in predictable and uninteresting ways. The story is very simple. It could be summed up in a few words, but I'll hold back in case anyone reading does want to see this film.

I had to fast forward the parts where Jack showed us how to be an obnoxious eater. I'd have to say that 70% of this film revolved around cooking, eating, or getting ready to eat. Quite frankly, I'd rather not spend my time watching Jack chew noisily with an open mouth. Personally, I could have done without the footwear references and jokes that pepper the first half of the film too.

Outside of my own personal dementia, the film really lacked anything worth it's time. There were countless scenes and camera shots that felt like it was dragging. When something happens, the reactions of the characters are vague and dry.

Best not to look this one up.

Very Good Drama

[nicole3699 · 24 April 2002]

Heartburn is probably classified as a "chick flick", but I don't care. It is a very good story about real people living in the real world. I'm sure there are many men out there that would probably fall asleep during this, due to lack of machine gun fire or kung foo fighting. But for women it is a great slice of life piece. I could watch it over and over again. It has some great comedic moments, from Mark (Jack Nicholson) and his friend Arthur (Richard Masur) several times as they have profound discussions about every day things in a Woody Allen type banter. One part that always touches me is when Rachel finds out about Mark's affair and confronts him. A few minutes later she is packing up to leave and we hear Carly Simon's song "Coming Around Again" on the soundtrack. If you listen to the lyrics of the song it perfectly fits the action that is going on at that moment. It helps the viewer understand Rachel's despair. Her idea of the perfect marriage has been shattered.

Anyway, if you want to watch a movie with heart, then this is it. I think many of the people who say this movie is boring or garbage are too used to today's action standards and dismiss it too quickly. By the way, this is also a semi biographical account of now director Nora Ephron's marriage to a Washington journalist. The book is also a good read as well. If you think Mark treated her badly in the movie, it is nothing compared to the book.

In summary, Heartburn is a movie for people who are emotional and intelligent.

Itsy Bitsy Spider

[rollernerd · 7/10 · 9 October 2020]

Welcome back to another edition of Adam's Reviews!! **queue in intro music**

Tonight's movie review is the romantic drama comedy Heartburn (1986), based on an autobiographical look at the break-up of screenwriter Nora Ephron's marriage to Carl Bernstein who wrote "All the President's Men." The film stars the queen herself Meryl Streep playing divorced New York City food writer Rachel Samstat who meets divorced playboy Washington D.C. newspaper columnist Mark Forman, played by the legend himself Jack Nicholson. The plot is simple, divorced woman meets a sort-of heartless playboy at a wedding, falls for him, relinquishes her career, relocates for him, marries him, has children with him and believes that are living happily ever after. Of course, that is until she figures out that he's been cheating on her. The film is a good insight around the ups and downs of a marriage including juggling personal careers, pregnancy and social events.

This isn't the best of films however the acting is what makes this film worth watching, just to see Streep and Nicholson together in a movie is good enough for me and you can tell how some of the scenes together seemed kind of improvised. The eating pizzas scene and singing of songs about babies then Nicholson jumps up and begins braying "My Boy Bill" feels natural and improvised. They're crazy good together. Nicholson plays the uber cool guy who always seems to be dancing between genius and insanity and Streep plays her role with authenticity during the different stages of her life including a career driven woman, a married woman to a woman with children. Her characterization of how she plays the character in different moments in the movie displays her range including the final 5 minutes of the movie.

The director, Mike Nichols, uses interesting imagery in the movie in particular the wedding of the two characters - have a look at the people who are sitting in their respective spots for the bride and groom and then look at how each character is sitting next to Streep's character Rachel, as they are trying to comfort her. Anyways, some parts of the film are sad however this is balanced out by a some of the humour. This isn't your typical romcom and isn't full of gags. The film is a reflection of the main song which is heard throughout the flick, the song by Carly Simon, 'Coming Around Again' and is compared to the childlike song Itsy Bitsy Spider. Both I guess is a story of how life has its ups and downs including loving someone and getting hurt by that someone but it all comes around. Bittersweet flick, good acting and watch out for a Kevin Spacey cameo, overall 7/10

A little too clearly Ephron's apologia

[fredrikgunerius · 6/10 · 7 August 2023]

A mid-1980s drama directed by Mike Nichols and starring Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson as a newlywed couple - the formula sounds almost infallible. And a lot of those trivial, simple scenes which Nichols always seemed to make powerful and/or poignant work rather well also in Heartburn, at least in the film's opening third. Streep and Nicholson don't exactly set of sparks, but they each bring their screen presence and small quirks which give the early scenes life, in the midst of the plot's contrivance. Because although screenwriter Nora Ephron based her script both on her own novel as well as on her own experiences from her marriage to journalist Carl Bernstein, there's something plotted and forced about the story. It's a little too clearly Ephron's apologia. And so when Nicholson's character is reduced to a target, our sympathy with Streep's character - although legitimate - becomes tainted. This makes her ensuing journey to independence and hardiness a little less fun and empowering than it should have been. A lot of fine character actors appear in underused roles, but Milos Forman is quite fun, and Kevin Spacey makes a noticeable film debut as a thug.

Adultery

[svynronin · 7/10 · 11 July 2022]

Can't add anything new here other than this movie does a good job of tackling adultery, the troubles with marriage, children, gossip, friend's problems becoming your problems, etc. It's serious and emotional at times but does a good job of mixing in humor to lighten each emotional blow. It's enjoyable because it allows you to think about relationships, real life situations, and then come to your own conclusions. Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep do an amazing job with a challenging subject matter and Nora Ephron did a good job of adding in some light hearted points to make it watchable. It's crazy this is somewhat autobiographical to Nora Ephron and she does a good job of asking what is important in a marriage. For those of you who fall asleep during the movie, the answer is trust. Love only goes so far if you can't trust the person you're with.

Men are dogs

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 1 February 2016]

With the star power of Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep topping the billing for Heartburn you would think you would have a major league item in their careers. Still this one is strictly Double A and won't make a top 10 list for either of the mega stars.

Nora Ephron wrote the novel Heart Burn is based on and it's the story of her marriage and breakup with Carl Bernstein in real life. Streep is a food columnist and Nicholson a major Washington political columnist.

Ephron wasn't about to give you a favorable impression of the personal side of one of the two men who broke the real story behind the Watergate burglary. The idealist who broke the biggest scandal of the last century is nothing more than a lying cheating dog. I'm sure that if Bernstein wrote his side of the breakup it might turn out differently. For myself Nicholson could do very little with what he was given. He's about 10 yards short of Snidely Whiplash.

Streep does far better, but then the whole thing was written from the point of the wronged woman. Streep has that one down since she did Kramer vs. Kramer.

As the parents of Streep, Steven Hill and Maureen Stapleton get honorable mention. I'm in agreement with another reviewer who said that Ephron was too close to write a really good telling of the tale.

Pointless piffle!

[rps-2 · 3/10 · 5 November 2001]

This should be a great film... Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson co-starring as two newspaper writers. Mike Nichols directing. Uh uh. It's dull dull dull! Pointless and predictable! Slow and unfocused!

It's a cookie cutter 'boy meets girl, boy marries girl, boy has affair, girl leaves boy' story. Now theres an original concept! After squirming through two hours (was it only two? It felt like six.)I wasn't sure whether it was a comedy, a romance, a tragedy or a soap opera. It was done in 1986. I'm sure all of us did things sixteen years ago that we rather would forget. I hope the damage to the reputations of Streep et al is beginning to heal and that the emulsion on the master is beginning to fade. It's not that it's such a bad picture. It's just that it's such an un-good one.

Even Meryl can't save this movie

[dvanlienden · 6/10 · 21 July 2003]

I'm a big fan of Meryl Streep and I have a deep respect for her and I like watching ehr movies but when I saw this movie I was disappointed. This movie is so boring and not the good acting and well directing can't save this movie. It's like you are watching to a soap or a tv-movie. It's tells the story of a two people who meet eachother at a wedding and soon they married get children but the woman finds out that her husband is cheating on her and she starts a new life. I think the most people respect Meryl and Jack but don't go to watch this movie with big expectations.

Boring unfinished story

[peisli · 1/10 · 10 January 2020]

Boring, boring, very boring movie. Absolutely not interesting and ending with unfinished story. I just wasted 2 hours of my life

Never, ever cheat on a famous writer!

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 26 October 2020]

"Heartburn" is a movie based on the book and subsequent screenplay by Nora Ephron. While names were changed in order to avoid lawsuits, the story is about her marriage to famed Washington Post writer Carl Bernstein...and how he eventually destroyed the marriage through his infidelity. Clearly this is a great example of a wronged wife getting her revenge.

The story begins when Mark and Rachel (Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep) meeting. Soon they both marry and things seem swell. They have a child and another's on the way when she discovers he's cheating on her. Not surprisingly, the marriage cannot withstand this and the film is about this process of discovery, divorce and, eventually, life going on from there.

The film's star is Streep....and she's in the lion's share of the movie. Nicholson is definitely a secondary character in the story. Together, you have two very fine actors...with capable support from quite a few familiar character actors, such as Steven Hill, Stockard Channing, Jeff Daniels, Catherine O'Hara and quite a few others. It's a very high quality production with lovely acting and is well written. My only complaint, and it's not the film's fault, but the story is depressing and hard to watch. It's definitely a movie to watch with some Kleenex nearby. Well worth seeing if a bit unpleasant. And, perhaps all the more unpleasant because it's mostly true.

By the way, the theme song to this film received TONS of airtime back in the 80s. I remember how overplayed it was on the radio. Sadly, it's also way overplayed in the film...with clips of it being used and re-used and re-used repeatedly. It got to the point where I felt like screaming because it was played way too much.

Yuppies Behaving Badly

[alangalpert · 7/10 · 5 May 2010]

"Heartburn" succeeds much better as an autobiography than as a comedy. Real life isn't terribly funny (unfortunately), so the level of hilarity we expect from a true story isn't very high. That is especially true when the subject matter is the break-up of a marriage. Because it was written by Nora Ephron ("Sleepless in Seattle") and directed by Mike Nichols ("The Graduate"), I assumed this was a comedy, but it isn't. There are some funny moments, but the funniest one - an homage to Soupy Sales, so to speak - comes nearly at the end of the movie.

The acting is top-notch, as one would expect from the only man ever to win three Oscars for Best Actor (Nicholson), and the only actress to be nominated for an Oscar sixteen times (Streep).

"Heartburn" is the quintessential "chick flick", so heterosexual men can expect to be bored. But anyone interested in the marriage and divorce of screenwriter Nora Ephron and Watergate journalist Carl Bernstein, might want to take a look at it.

Streep is boring in a boring story

[scooter-70 · 1/10 · 10 September 2004]

The movie was watchable while Nicolson was on the screen. However, I had to fight against passing out from boredom when the film depended on Meryl Streep to carry scenes without Jack; she was as bland as could be. The relationship between the characters was nothing special; these characters have been portrayed before -- and much better. It felt like a based-on-real-life scenario in the absolute worst sense: 90% of daily life is boring, and not worth writing about or watching. Why Ephron felt her life and relationship with Carl Bernstein was interesting enough to write about escapes me. Perhaps she wrote it as therapy -- for many writers, putting an episode from their life on paper is cathartic. Fine: but then why anyone in Hollywood felt this story was worth filming remains a mystery to me.