The Screen Addict | Heartburn

Present-day films stand on the shoulders of giants. It is vital that we remember and honor the giants of cinema, that is why I try to write about everything I watch, and in the process attempt to encourage others to (re)visit all these wonderful works of art as well.

A giant amongst giants is Heartburn (1986), for which arguably the finest collective of screen stars ever joined forces. This Drama about the collapse of a marriage not only stars six-time Oscar winners Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson as husband and wife, but also boasts two Legends of Cinema behind the camera who are sadly no longer with us. The Graduate (1967) and Catch-22 (1970) filmmaker Mike Nichols directs a script that Nora Ephron adapted from her own semi-autobiographical novel.

Hollywood Royalty, to say the least.

Screen Titans Streep and Nicholson are obviously the main attraction here, but it’s very much worth mentioning that Heartburn also features two very exciting supporting actors. Actually, there are more small parts that deserve to be written about, but because I have the tendency to be verbose, I will limit myself to only two. Ok, maybe three.

The part of one of the husband’s buddies is played by Milos Forman, the filmmaker who directed Nicholson to his first Oscar win in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1976). This connection makes Forman’s appearance in Heartburn feel like a lovely cameo created just for film buffs, especially when you realize that Jack’s character’s last name is also Forman.

The tragically underappreciated Jeff Daniels – who reunites here with his Terms of Endearment (1983) co-star Nicholson – plays Streep’s meek secret admirer. Daniels is in the film for maybe 10 minutes total, but he elevates every scene he’s part of. Which is quite a feat, considering who he shares the screen with.

An honorable mention goes out to Kevin Spacey, who briefly appears in Heartburn as “Subway Thief”, his first ever feature-film role.

A big part of my deep affection for Heartburn, is Carly Simon’s heartbreaking lullaby Coming Around Again. Simon composed all the music for the film, and the recurring theme just fits so beautifully. The scene in which Streep’s character confronts Nicholson’s about his infidelity that has the song playing over it, brings me to tears every single time.

It’s impossible to overstate the legacy of Heartburn. Films like Netflix’ Marriage Story (2019) and Pieces of a Woman (2020) are both undisputed triumphs, but they owe a huge debt of gratitude to the template Ephron, Streep, Nichols, Nicholson et al. created almost 35 years prior.

Remember (and Revisit) the Titans.

#thescreenaddict
#film
#content
#contentrecommendation
#celebrateart
#nobodyknowsanything

Twitter (X): Robin Logjes | The Screen Addict