er 10,11*. Monday, September 10,1990 The Battalion Page 7 Suzanne Vale (Meryl Streep) introduces her mother (Shirley MacLaine) to her date (Dennis Quaid.) iu, *?d coii I ms - Moss] nut 'h vinl > selling J ,ss says he] he store’s] 'nt divide; t and a it plans to; aid music help supi ? e will re® med. e constaoi! 1 lineisalv i. We’re p ?ping up, part of be e of pretj CS, Mosss; difference: ain’t have; and 1 U i at this fo who toi >i' the lo»i vhat cure t you hate: ess, whichi -ially alter: ing busints ys the suet on the peo here and e is and ive us heti hem wheth s on them, e music Fisher writes quality comedy '/rs ion looked at ). He was iliing. N,.. I known I how it is," its multi-l g them in: catchy ho: “Of Court 1 of bores, th. “Of Co. Middle-h rffers Farri Suzanne listens impatiently as Doris lectures her. By USA ANN ROBERTSON Postcards From the Edge marks the journey of an ac tress’ recovery f rom drug abuse. Thanks to a brilliant cast and a scr eenplay by Carrie Fisher, these postcards were eagerly awaited by the movie’s audience in a sneak preview sponsored by Aggie Cinema. Based upon Fisher’s novel by the same name, Post- cards chronicles Suxanne Vale’s, (played by multi-tal ented Meryl Streep), attempts to rejoin the Hollywood scene after a drug overdose. This isn’t just a movie about staying away from drugs, though. It’s also an inside look into a stereotypi cal Hollywood as Suzanne tries to rebuild her career in a movie-within-the-movie. With movie insurance costs rising because of actors with drug problems, Suzanne can get a part in a low- budget film only if she agrees to stay with a ’‘responsible party” while the film is being shot. The responsible party turns out to be her mother Do ris Mann. Shirley MacLaine hams it up deliciously as Doris, a product of the musical comedies of the 50s and 60s. She is a Hollywood creation who wants her daugh ter to he successful, but not, as Suzanne puts it, ‘‘as suc cessful as you.” Doris’ jealousy and Suzanne’s resentment of Dor is’ alcoholism strain their relationship almost irreconci lably. But they argue through their problems as they try to understand each other. Director Michael Nichols takes on the formidable task of making a movie with two strong-willed women in the title roles. He ends up not with a cat fight, but with a film that highlights the differences in Streep and MacLaine as Suzanne and Doris. Streep and MacLaine keep the film perched on the edge of being depressing, but their comedy always pulls you back. The success of the movie lies, I think, in Fisher’s dia logue. “My language had this weird kind of specificity in its rhythm,” she says in a press release, “like its own psy- chic iambic pentameter, and it reflects the way people talk. There’s a lot of overlapping dialogue, because peo ple don’t wait for each other to finish sentences.” There are scenes when every character on the screen is talking at the same time, and it is a tribute to Sam O’S teen’s editing ability that every voice can be heard. What you hear are the arguments between a mother and daughter, the pick up line and denial between a producer and an actress, and the attempt of a director to j|et everyone “quiet on the set." the sleazy producer who tries to seduce Suzanne. Gene Hackman is the compassionate director who gives her a real chance at a comeback, and Richard Dreyfuss is the doctor who pumps her stomach as the film begins and later asks her to dinner. Also in supporting rotes are Rob Reiner, Mary Wickes and Conrad Bain, who played the father on the TV sitcom Different Strokes. They are all caricatures of Hollywood. Completing the caricature, production designer Pat- rizia Von Brandenstein creates sets rhat illustrate the difficulty of finding reality in Hollywood’s fantasy land. Backdrops constantly give way to reality as the movie-within-the-movie changes. These scenery changes show the audience that not everything is how it seems in Hollywood. Suzanne isn’t the only one who has trouble distinguishing reality from the script. One reality that is easy to hear is Carly Simon’s musi cal score. Perhaps it’s not another Academy award win ner, like her score for Working Girl, but she continues to produce quality work. Quality work from everyone involved stamps Post cards From the Edge as a movie not to be missed when it comes to B-CS theaters. o n. Phi Eta Sigma ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING MEETING • SEPT. 1 1 8:30 p.m. at Rudder • Rm. 302 Refreshments will be served H£ Hey. man, like don't forget— MSC 4r TOWN HALL members have a General Committee Meeting 7:00 p.m. Tuesday September 11 301 Rudder LUNCH BUFFET ALL YOU CAN EAT Great Pizza, & Salad Bar *#4 11 AM - 2 PM DAILY 326 Geo. Bush Dr. *211 University Carter Creek *919 Harvey Rd. / * \ \ Graduate Student Organizations at Texas A&M Saturday, September 15 9:45 - 12:00 ^ . Room 112, Eller (O&M) Building A STD. DAILYWEAR OR TINTED STD. LENSES m YOUR CHOICE of < Std. Dailywear, Extended Wear or Tinted Soft Lenses | SAME DAY DELIVERY ON MOST LENSES y « Sale ends September 28,1990 -J t Call 696-3754 S’ For Appointment ^ CHARLES C. 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