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Strong Performances Save'lemon Sisters' m mmm VMi*^Mwmmaammawm*mvwmmmmimJwm**MM>mii<ui~ fTjntertainment 13 Strong performances save'Lemon Sisters' NEW YORK (CNS) - The shaky economy of Atlantic City provides the backdrop for the similarly shaky futures of three lifelong girlfriends in "The Lemon Sisters" (Miramax). With the closing of the local nightclub where the friends sing as The Lemon Sisters, the trio have to adjust to a changed life. Franki (Carol Kane) tries to keep her singing career afloat despite her whispery voice and tiny stature. The eccentric Eloise (Diane Keaton) prefers collecting statuary and avoiding the emotional commitment her beau C.W. (Ruben Blades) seeks. Nola (Kathryn Grody), meanwhile, has her hands full with three little daughters and a husband (Elliott Gould) who imag­ ines their taffy shop will succeed with his inspired "taffits" — salt water taffy rabbits. Their dreams are dashed — Franki flops at her solo auditions, Eloise loses the treasured tiny museum that was her livelihood and Nola's shop goes bust. But their friendship is zestier than ever and from it they overcome these setbacks to better appreciate the men in their lives and make a fresh start. Director Joyce Chopra's lightweight comedy has a strong cast who turn in endearing performances. Keaton is sym­ pathetic whether she is dancing with her favorite nude statue or dissuading potential home-buyers with stories of mass murders and unfound heads when Nola's house goes Diane Keaton (left), Kathryn Grody (center) and Carol on the market. Kane is airily amusing as the ditzy guage, the U.S. Catholic Conference blonde who can't sing but unwittingly classification is A-n — adults and ado­ makes the audience laugh. Blades and lescents. The Motion Picture Association Aidan Quinn also shine in lesser roles as of America rating is PG-13 — parents are Postcards' effectively depicts their boyfriends. strongly cautioned that some material may Because of a brief instance of rough Ian- be inappropriate for children under 13. in Hollywood f ishbowl NEW YORK (CNS) - Shirley starts taking control of her own behavior. MacLaine ana Meryl Streep shine as a Mother and daughter bury the hatchet with mother and daughter at odds over their good-humored barbs as both gain some in­ respective addictions in "Postcards from sight about their fragile but precious rela­ the Edge" (Columbia). tionship. Suzanne (Streep) is the actress daughter Directed by Mike Nichols, actress of flamboyant former movie star Doris Carrie Fisher's screenplay is based on her (MacLaine). Her mother is an alcoholic semi-autobiographical novel about life in and Suzanne is addicted to pills, but neither the Hollywood fishbowl. wants to admit it. "I'm riot an alcbholic — MacLaine, dripping in diamonds, and I just drink like an Irish person J" insists the denim-clad Streep are a fascinating Doris. study in the contrasts between the Following a near-fatal overdose and a Hollywood of yesteryear and the reality of stint in a drug rehabilitation center, it today. The pitfall of choice may have Suzanne is forced to live under her veered from alcohol to drugs, but coping mother's watchful eye or lose a film job with the strain of superficial values in such she needs. Their long-simmering! conflicts an artificial environment continues to take surface as Suzanne tries to assert herself in a human toll. the face of al well-intentioned but domi­ However, these heavy topics of addic­ neering mother who always has over­ tions and relationships are given the light _ Columbia Picture* shadowed her touch of comedy which makes the film en­ Suzanne Vale (Meryl Streep, left) is an actress struggling to rebuild her life After Suzanne discovers she's! just one joyable and no less incisive. The two ac­ and to find a common ground with her mother, Hollywood legend Doris Mann more notch on the bedpost of her new tresses vividly animate their characters (Shirley MacLaine, right) in the bittersweet comedy 'Postcards From The boyfriend (Dennis Quaid), she gingerly with witty dialogue that never flags. Edge.' MacLaine nearly steals the movie outright when she sings "I'm Still Here," but 'Narrow Margin' provides sleek, contemporary thriller for viewersStreep more than holds her own with a spirited version of "Heartbreak Hotel" NEW YORK (CNS) - A train hurtling and written, photographed and directed by that goes from a whisper to a roar. Gene through the Canadian wilderness feels like Peter Hyams, the film has a sleek, contem­ Hackman, Richard Dreyfuss and Rob a deathtrap to two passengers who are porary look and turns out to be a surpris­ Reiner round out the fine cast with cameo targets of professional hitmen on board in ingly compact thriller. appearances. "Narrow Margin" (Tri-Star). There are no wasted shots or frivolous Some may object to drug and alcohol The unnoticed witness to a mob rubout dialogue — every scene gets straight to the abuse as a source of comedy, but the film during a blind date with the victim, Carol point of creating and intensifying suspense. does not glamorize their use. On die con­ (Anne Archer) flees to a deserted cabin in It also must be mentioned that the silent trary, Suzanne hallucinates during her the Canadian wilderness, hoping neither star of the movie — the breathtaking out­ overdose that she's in a gallery where all the mob nor the police will find out about door scenery of the Canadian Rockies — the portraits are of celebrities who died her. makes for a real feast for the eyes. from such abuse. Both do however, and when a deputy Even though 90 percent of the movie's "Postcards from the Edge" can be sav­ district attorney, Robert Caulfield (Gene action is confined to what goes on above age in its humor, but it amply demonstrates Hackman), arrives on the scene to haul her the tracks of a train, there are enough turns that family relationships are worth fighting back to testify, they barely escape with and curves along the route to keep it fast- for. their lives onto a Vancouver-bound train. moving and compelling — by more than a Due to comic treatment of drug and Two professional hitmen (James B. Stick­ narrow margin. alcohol abuse, intermittent rough language ing and Nigel Bennett) whisk on board and Due to intermittent violence and minimal and several references to promiscuous rela­ thus begins a cat-and-mouse game of con­ rough language, the USCC classification is _ Tri-Star Pictures, Inc. tionships, the U.S. Catholic Conference cealing the frightened witness until A-m — adults. The Motion Picture Gene Hack nan and Anne Archer in a classification is A-m — adults. The Mo­ Caulfield can get help. Association of America rating is R — re­ scene from Tri-Star's murder-thriller tion Picture Association of America rating Based on a 19S2 movie of the same title stricted. 'Narrow Margin.' is R — restricted. 24 r^^-a^THi-, Catholic Courier .
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