Postcards from the Edge

Postcards from the Edge (1990) is an American comedy-drama directed by Mike Nichols — watch it online on iFILM. Meryl Streep plays Suzanne Vale, an actress who has just cleared rehab and is now facing the film industry's idea of a safety net: move back in with her mother. That mother is Doris Mann, played by Shirley MacLaine — a former screen legend, now a habitual drinker who is adored in public and exhausting at home.

The script was written by Carrie Fisher, adapted from her own semi-autobiographical novel, which gives the whole thing a sharp, self-aware bite that softer Hollywood mother-daughter comedies never reach. Dennis Quaid, Gene Hackman and Richard Dreyfuss fill out the supporting cast. Nichols keeps the tone balanced between real pain and dark comedy — neither wallowing nor glossing. The two lead performances alone are worth the runtime. Stream Postcards from the Edge (1990) on iFILM.