Postcards from the Edge

"Having a wonderful time, wish I were here."

1990 1h 41m EN

👍

6.6

SOLID

★6.6TMDB · 306

ComedyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A substance-addicted actress tries to look on the bright side even as she's forced to move back in with her mother to avoid unemployment.

“Having a wonderful time, wish I were here.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Sony Pictures Core Amazon ChannelSubscription

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Meryl Streep
Suzanne Vale
Shirley MacLaine
Doris Mann
Dennis Quaid
Jack Faulkner
Gene Hackman
Lowell Kolchek
Richard Dreyfuss
Dr. Frankenthal
Rob Reiner
Joe Pierce
Mary Wickes
Grandma
Conrad Bain
Grandpa

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Mike Nichols
Writers: Carrie Fisher
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

36 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Mike Nichols, shot by Michael Ballhaus. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Carly Simon. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Sam O'Steen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine and Dennis Quaid carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

AWARDS

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Having a wonderful time, wish I were here.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0100395 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Mike Nichols directs. Michael Ballhaus behind the camera. Carly Simon scores. Sam O'Steen cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

136 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Mike Nichols, shot by Michael Ballhaus. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Carly Simon. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Sam O'Steen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine and Dennis Quaid carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Having a wonderful time, wish I were here.".
7IMDB entry: tt0100395 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Michael Ballhaus
Original score: Carly Simon
Editing: Sam O'Steen
Production design: Patrizia von Brandenstein
Costume design: Ann Roth
Makeup / hair: Lynda Gurasich
Sound: Stan Bochner
Runtime: 101 min · 1h 41m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $22,000,000
Box office: $39,071,603
Return: 178% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Postcards from the Edge (1990)

Also by

Mike Nichols

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2026-08-16
★ 7/10
Despite there only being fifteen years between them, I actually thought that Shirley MacLaine and Meryl Streep made the mother/daughter thing work quite well here. The former, "Doris", is a wealthy and accomplished singer; the latter, "Suzanne", is a successful actress with dependency issues. Indeed they both have those - mum with the booze and her child with the pills. It's on the set of her latest film that director "Lowell" (Gene Hackman) lovingly loses the plot with his charge and makes it clear that she'd better clean her act up, else she'll be doing daytime medical soaps. Her insurers will only agree to take her on if she moves in with her mum - not knowing, of course, that she has a penchant for her kale smoothies the Mr. Smirnoff way. Now compelled to live together, what now ensues is a latter-day coming of age enterprise for both women as they face up to their demons and their causes, whilst hopefully not actually killing each other. Meantime, the mischievous womaniser "Jack" (Dennis Quaid) is stringing "Suzanne" along nicely with talk of love and devotion - but it's surely only a matter of time before she realises he's full of sheep dip too. The story has an authentic ring of truth to it - doubtless because author Carrie Fisher has plenty of skin in this game, but for me the best two scenes had precious little to do with the plot and featured both Streep at the microphone followed by her on-screen mother letting rip in a glitzy red frock to Sondheim's "I'm Still Here". As you'd expect, MacLaine also has the better of the pithy and often quite close to the bone dialogue but Streep isn't left out and if this were to be a critique on a Fisher/Reynolds family relationship then it's generally quite a funny and enjoyable one.

Production companies