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Heartburn (1986)
Paramount // R // July 6, 2004
List Price: $14.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie
Americans love celebrities and we will always flock to see them in action, and the more superstars that can be squeezed into a sighting, the better. And in a seemingly unrelated topic, Americans don't like subtlety. The majority of Americans like to have things spelled out for them and they want events to be larger than life. The film Heartburn presents an awkward combination of these two things, as this very quiet and subdued film features two acting powerhouses, Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson.
Heartburn was written by Nora Ephron and is based on her real-life marriage to Watergate journalist Carl Bernstein. In the film, Meryl Streep plays New York journalist Rachel Samstat. She meets a writer from Washington named Mark Forman (Jack Nicholson) at a wedding, and soon the two are dating, and it's not long before they are married. Although she is reluctant to leave New York, Rachel moves to Washington, and she and Mark move into a constantly evolving house which is a true "fixer-upper". After the birth of their first child, Rachel notices that Mark is always going out to buy socks. She begins to suspect that Mark is cheating on her and that her entire world is about to fall apart.
Director Mike Nichols has never been accused of making a film that's over-the-top (I'd say The Birdcage is the closest that he's ever come to making an extroverted film, with What Planet Are You From? coming in second.), and Heartburn is certainly no exception. The story is simply a slice-of-life tale (perhaps the epitome of that genre) and Nichols lets the story of Rachel's life unfold on its own, never rushing the story along. The problem is that there isn't a great deal to Rachel's life, and Ephron's script, which jumps from event to event doesn't help. Mark and Rachel meet. They get married. They have a child. They have dinner with friends. Rachel suspects Mark of cheating. The film simply hits the high-notes of a somewhat mundane life. Is there drama and pathos? Sure, the takes such a low-key approach to the material that it can be difficult for the viewer to get emotionally involved in the story. Heartburn was initially marketed as a comedy/drama, but much of the humor is far too dry and subtle for a mainstream audience and the film rarely earns more than a chuckle. Also, the character of Mark is vastly underwritten, so that the audience never knows what his motivations are.
Given the talent involved, Heartburn is a disappointment, but it's not a total loss. Streep is almost every scene in the film and basically carries the movie. She goes through every emotion here and, as usual, gives a great performance. Nichols was able to wrangle Nicholson into giving low-key performance, but who wants to see low-key Nicholson? The film is rounded out by a fantastic supporting cast, including Stockard Channing, Richard Masur, Milos Forman, Catherine O'Hara, and Jeff Daniels. Nichols direction is both good and bad, as the use of the oddly constructed house as a mirror image of the crumbling marriage is great, but his determination to make as many scenes as possible take place in one shot is annoying. (Check out the final dinner scene where Nicholson's back is to the camera for several minutes, leaving the audience to wonder, "Where's Jack?"
Video
Heartburn comes to DVD courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment. The film has been letterboxed at 1.85:1 and the transfer has been enhanced for 16 x 9 TVs. As with many of Nichol's films, Heartburn was shot in a very natural style, and that's reflected in this transfer. The picture is sharp and clear, showing a trace amount of grain, but it's also somewhat dark, making some of the colors look drab. The image is stable and the flesh tones look fine. Artifacting defects are kept to a minimum. There's nothing really wrong with the transfer, but it has that overall dull, flat look which often plagues older films when they come to DVD.
Audio
The primary audio track on the Heartburn is a Dolby Digital 5.1 remix of the film's original mono tracks. Like many 5.1 remixes, this basically sounds like a mono mix with an occasional flourish of stereo effects. The dialogue predominantly emanates from the center channel and is clear and free from defects. The street-noise produces the occasional stereo effect, as does the score from Carly Simon, but otherwise, it's a center-channel fest. One must press one's ear to the rear speakers to here any sound from there.
Extras
The DVD contains no special features.
Heartburn is that rare 80's film which didn't buy into the excessive vibe of that era. Instead, the film attempted to create a subtle and realistic story for adults to enjoy. The result is too realistic, as the movie offers a mixed bag of slightly funny and moving scenes, but no real payoff.
Americans love celebrities and we will always flock to see them in action, and the more superstars that can be squeezed into a sighting, the better. And in a seemingly unrelated topic, Americans don't like subtlety. The majority of Americans like to have things spelled out for them and they want events to be larger than life. The film Heartburn presents an awkward combination of these two things, as this very quiet and subdued film features two acting powerhouses, Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson.
Heartburn was written by Nora Ephron and is based on her real-life marriage to Watergate journalist Carl Bernstein. In the film, Meryl Streep plays New York journalist Rachel Samstat. She meets a writer from Washington named Mark Forman (Jack Nicholson) at a wedding, and soon the two are dating, and it's not long before they are married. Although she is reluctant to leave New York, Rachel moves to Washington, and she and Mark move into a constantly evolving house which is a true "fixer-upper". After the birth of their first child, Rachel notices that Mark is always going out to buy socks. She begins to suspect that Mark is cheating on her and that her entire world is about to fall apart.
Director Mike Nichols has never been accused of making a film that's over-the-top (I'd say The Birdcage is the closest that he's ever come to making an extroverted film, with What Planet Are You From? coming in second.), and Heartburn is certainly no exception. The story is simply a slice-of-life tale (perhaps the epitome of that genre) and Nichols lets the story of Rachel's life unfold on its own, never rushing the story along. The problem is that there isn't a great deal to Rachel's life, and Ephron's script, which jumps from event to event doesn't help. Mark and Rachel meet. They get married. They have a child. They have dinner with friends. Rachel suspects Mark of cheating. The film simply hits the high-notes of a somewhat mundane life. Is there drama and pathos? Sure, the takes such a low-key approach to the material that it can be difficult for the viewer to get emotionally involved in the story. Heartburn was initially marketed as a comedy/drama, but much of the humor is far too dry and subtle for a mainstream audience and the film rarely earns more than a chuckle. Also, the character of Mark is vastly underwritten, so that the audience never knows what his motivations are.
Given the talent involved, Heartburn is a disappointment, but it's not a total loss. Streep is almost every scene in the film and basically carries the movie. She goes through every emotion here and, as usual, gives a great performance. Nichols was able to wrangle Nicholson into giving low-key performance, but who wants to see low-key Nicholson? The film is rounded out by a fantastic supporting cast, including Stockard Channing, Richard Masur, Milos Forman, Catherine O'Hara, and Jeff Daniels. Nichols direction is both good and bad, as the use of the oddly constructed house as a mirror image of the crumbling marriage is great, but his determination to make as many scenes as possible take place in one shot is annoying. (Check out the final dinner scene where Nicholson's back is to the camera for several minutes, leaving the audience to wonder, "Where's Jack?"
Video
Heartburn comes to DVD courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment. The film has been letterboxed at 1.85:1 and the transfer has been enhanced for 16 x 9 TVs. As with many of Nichol's films, Heartburn was shot in a very natural style, and that's reflected in this transfer. The picture is sharp and clear, showing a trace amount of grain, but it's also somewhat dark, making some of the colors look drab. The image is stable and the flesh tones look fine. Artifacting defects are kept to a minimum. There's nothing really wrong with the transfer, but it has that overall dull, flat look which often plagues older films when they come to DVD.
Audio
The primary audio track on the Heartburn is a Dolby Digital 5.1 remix of the film's original mono tracks. Like many 5.1 remixes, this basically sounds like a mono mix with an occasional flourish of stereo effects. The dialogue predominantly emanates from the center channel and is clear and free from defects. The street-noise produces the occasional stereo effect, as does the score from Carly Simon, but otherwise, it's a center-channel fest. One must press one's ear to the rear speakers to here any sound from there.
Extras
The DVD contains no special features.
Heartburn is that rare 80's film which didn't buy into the excessive vibe of that era. Instead, the film attempted to create a subtle and realistic story for adults to enjoy. The result is too realistic, as the movie offers a mixed bag of slightly funny and moving scenes, but no real payoff.
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