Soapdish

Rating:
Summary: What if the real soap opera was behind the cameras?
Review: "Soapdish" is a soap opera about a soap opera, which indulges in the appealing idea that what is happening behind the cameras is more sex, secrets, and scandal that what is happening in front. That is, until the end when, like "Tootsie," the dirty laundry is aired on live television. The focal point of the insanity is the legendary Celeste Talbert (Sally Field), the aging star of "The Sun Also Sets." When we first meet Celeste, accepting her umpteenth acting award, she thanks her co-workers, most of who are sitting there with frozen smiles muttering things that are not nice underneath their collective breaths. Clearly Celeste is a prima donna who needs to have a comeuppance.

The person who wants to be that comeuppance is bombshell Montana Moorehead (Cathy Morairty), who plays Nurse Nan on the show. She is enticing the show's producer, David Barnes (Robert Downey Jr.) with promises of naked fun to write Celeste's character Maggie out of the show. Towards that end he brings back Dr. Rod Randall, the character played by Maggie's ex-lover Jeffrey Anderson (Kevin Kline), despite the fact that his character was written out of the show after being decapitated by a tractor trailer while driving a pink convertible in the Yukon on his way to visit his brother, an ex-con named Frances. Fortunately there was a revolutionary two-day operation.

However, the monkey wrench in everybody's plan is young Lori Craven (Elisabeth Shue), who manages to worm her way onto the show and Celeste's dressing room. Those who actually watch more than television soap operas and were weaned on theatrical efforts along the same line should be thinking about "All About Eve" at this point, but, no, that is too mundane a plot line for this farce and Lori turns out to be the spark that starts a whole new round robin of the aforementioned sex, scandal and secrets.

With a script by Robert Harling ("Steel Magnolias") and Andrew Bergman ("The Freshman"), this 1991 comedy directed by Michael Hoffman ("Restoration") piles on the complications and tries to keep things going fast enough to keep the momentum going before it collapses. Fortunately "Soapdish" saves the best part for last, when it looks like the only thing that will save the day is an emergency brain transplant in a Jamican restaurant. Obviously everybody in the cast is trying to upstage everybody else, and the clear winner is Kevin Kline, who not only can figure out how to use his real voice when preparing for an important conversation but refuses to wear his contact lenses in scenes that require him to read off the teleprompter.

Also in the cast of "Soap Opera" are Whoopi Goldberg as Rose Schwartz, the writer who is Celeste's one friend, Teri Hatcher as actress Ariel Maloney, Gary Marshall as network head Edmund Edwards, and Kathy Najimy as the always perky Tawny Miller. Ultimately this comedy will appeal to those who like "Soap" and "Nurse Betty" more than "All My Children" and "As the World Turns," but there is nothing wrong with that, especially since sometimes this movie is as funny as it thinks it is.

Rating:
Summary: Hi-Lo, Backbeat Heaven
Review: "Soapdish" works on so many frequencies simultaneously that you can watch it over and over and find some new kink to laugh at every time (not to mention bits you come to treasure). It's vulgarity is only surpassed by its sophistication.
And what a phenomenal cast! Kevin Kline got his Oscar for "Wanda", but this movie is even stronger proof positive that comedy brings out his genius. See Sally Field do a Jack Nicholson and examine her own brain! See Robert Downey, Jr. confront his sexuality (or not)! See Elizabeth Shue look like Tweety! Not the half of it, plus jokes at the expense of William Styron; who could ask for more?
Go - Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: Hi-Lo, Backbeat Heaven
Review: "Soapdish" works on so many frequencies simultaneously that you can watch it over and over and find some new kink to laugh at every time (not to mention bits you come to treasure). It's vulgarity is only surpassed by its sophistication.
And what a phenomenal cast! Kevin Kline got his Oscar for "Wanda", but this movie is even stronger proof positive that comedy brings out his genius. See Sally Field do a Jack Nicholson and examine her own brain! See Robert Downey, Jr. confront his sexuality (or not)! See Elizabeth Shue look like Tweety! Not the half of it, plus jokes at the expense of William Styron; who could ask for more?
Go - Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: What if the real soap opera was behind the cameras?
Review: "Soapdish" is a soap opera about a soap opera, which indulges in the appealing idea that what is happening behind the cameras is more sex, secrets, and scandal that what is happening in front. That is, until the end when, like "Tootsie," the dirty laundry is aired on live television. The focal point of the insanity is the legendary Celeste Talbert (Sally Field), the aging star of "The Sun Also Sets." When we first meet Celeste, accepting her umpteenth acting award, she thanks her co-workers, most of who are sitting there with frozen smiles muttering things that are not nice underneath their collective breaths. Clearly Celeste is a prima donna who needs to have a comeuppance.

The person who wants to be that comeuppance is bombshell Montana Moorehead (Cathy Morairty), who plays Nurse Nan on the show. She is enticing the show's producer, David Barnes (Robert Downey Jr.) with promises of naked fun to write Celeste's character Maggie out of the show. Towards that end he brings back Dr. Rod Randall, the character played by Maggie's ex-lover Jeffrey Anderson (Kevin Kline), despite the fact that his character was written out of the show after being decapitated by a tractor trailer while driving a pink convertible in the Yukon on his way to visit his brother, an ex-con named Frances. Fortunately there was a revolutionary two-day operation.

However, the monkey wrench in everybody's plan is young Lori Craven (Elisabeth Shue), who manages to worm her way onto the show and Celeste's dressing room. Those who actually watch more than television soap operas and were weaned on theatrical efforts along the same line should be thinking about "All About Eve" at this point, but, no, that is too mundane a plot line for this farce and Lori turns out to be the spark that starts a whole new round robin of the aforementioned sex, scandal and secrets.

With a script by Robert Harling ("Steel Magnolias") and Andrew Bergman ("The Freshman"), this 1991 comedy directed by Michael Hoffman ("Restoration") piles on the complications and tries to keep things going fast enough to keep the momentum going before it collapses. Fortunately "Soapdish" saves the best part for last, when it looks like the only thing that will save the day is an emergency brain transplant in a Jamican restaurant. Obviously everybody in the cast is trying to upstage everybody else, and the clear winner is Kevin Kline, who not only can figure out how to use his real voice when preparing for an important conversation but refuses to wear his contact lenses in scenes that require him to read off the teleprompter.

Also in the cast of "Soap Opera" are Whoopi Goldberg as Rose Schwartz, the writer who is Celeste's one friend, Teri Hatcher as actress Ariel Maloney, Gary Marshall as network head Edmund Edwards, and Kathy Najimy as the always perky Tawny Miller. Ultimately this comedy will appeal to those who like "Soap" and "Nurse Betty" more than "All My Children" and "As the World Turns," but there is nothing wrong with that, especially since sometimes this movie is as funny as it thinks it is.

Rating:
Summary: A Guilty Pleasure
Review: "Soapdish" is by no means a brilliant comedy. The plot/story is thin and the characters are equally as shallow. However, there are some truly brilliant dialogue and scenes in this film. One example of a great scene is when Kevin Kline is acting on live TV and he has to read his lines off of a TelePrompTer. He's basically blind without his glasses and of course he doesn't wear them. He ends up botching all his dialogue and just when you thought things couldn't get any worse, the word "Kopfgeschlagen" pops up on the TelePrompTer. Then there a great string of one liners like, "Actors don't like to play coma. They feel it limits their range".

So while "Soapdish" isn't the most well crafted comedy, there are some scenes in it which never ceases to make me laugh. I look forward to included it in my DVD collection.

Rating:
Summary: kophgeschlagen!
Review: "the last stages of brain fever - she could BLOW at any moment!" I have 2 dreams regarding this movie. 1. To produce it as a stage play 2. DVD. DVD. DVD. This movie was WAY underrated. It's brilliant. Sally Field and Kevin Kline could not be better. Too many quotes to choose from. Watch it. If you don't love it, watch it again. Sooner than you know, you'll be quoting it non-stop! I wish i could watch it on DVD now!

Rating:
Summary: Hilarious
Review: A sopa opera star diva facing career doldrums is challenged by the sudden re-apperance of her ex who is also the father of their daughter. But, wait, the daughter thinks her mother is her aunt and she has a date with her father who doesn't know she is his daughter. Confused? Don't be. This is but the tip of the iceberg in this incredible comedy about the soap opera world. Sally Field is without peer as the hapless diva. Kevin Kline is incredible as the has-been ex. Elizabeth Shue is terrific as the returned daughter (niece?)....Relax, get some popcorn and enjoy. Don't miss a very Murphy-Browneske Garry Marshall as the producer.

Rating:
Summary: Lather Up For Laughs
Review: Although it has its fans for sure, I have always thought that the merits of the comedy Soapdish, still aren't as appreciated by as many as they should be. This hilarious send up of the daytime drama boasts a great cast and frenetic pace that will keep you laughing. Jealousy and intrigue, on and off the set of a popular fictious daytime soap opera is the backdrop for this great farce.

Celeste Talbert (Sally Field) is the neurotic diva of "The Sun Also Sets," but her popularity with the show's fans does not extend to her relationships with her envious co-stars. Sultry Montana Moorehead (Cathy Moriarty) has set her eyes on the soap's top spot, and she even offers to sleep with the show's nervous young producer, David Barnes (Robert Downey Jr.), if he'll have Celeste written off the program. In a moment of inspiration, the lovesick executive decides to bring Talbert's hated ex-lover, Jeffrey Anderson (Kevin Kline), back onto the series, with the hope of driving the fragile star to an early retirement. The fact that Anderson's character was decapitated in an earlier episode is seen as a difficult, but not insurmountable, obstacle.

Directed by Michael Hoffman, who does a super job as the film's ringleader, is aided further by those around him. Field, as Celeste, is perfect a diva, while Kline goofs it up in fine fashion, much as he's countless times before. The supporting players also include Elisabeth Shue, Whoopi Goldberg, her Sister Act pal Kathy Najimy, real life tv producer Garry Marshall, and future Desperate Housewives star Teri Hatcher. Each one providing a good amount of yucks in their own right. Writers Andrew Bergman and Robert Harling make sure the jokes are relatable to everyone--not just Soap fans. The ending comes rapid fire will leave you in stiches.

The DVD loses points for its bonus material. But this is Paramount, so it's not a surpise that the extras are lacking. A brief four-minute featurette is here, but all it is really is just extended commercial for the film, rather than anything substantial. The original theatrical trailer tops off the disc. A commentary may have been a better way to go.

Soapdish is a farce that's a lot of fun. Recommended


Rating:
Summary: SOAPDISH is a funny, wacky farce
Review: Celeste Talbert is the Queen of Soap Opera divas. But after years of success on her show, "The Sun Also Sets," she finds herself beset with a wild assortment of wacky problems including jealous rivals, an ambitious niece, incompetent costumers, off-the-wall plots for the show, and the return of an old boyfriend who has his own ax to grind with his former sweetie. Needless to say, what happens ends up topping anything the soap opera could ever produce. SOAPDISH is a very funny farce that takes the excesses of soap opera and punches them up to a fever pitch level, poking fun at everything from TV networks to dinner theatre. The cast is top-notch, with Sally Field as the neurotic Talbert leading the way. She is matched by the hammy Kevin Kline as her old boyfriend with the big ego, while Whoopi Goldberg is delighfully droll as the show's head writer. Cathy Moriarty is pure venom as Talbert's rival, and Robert Downey, Jr., is perfectly befuddled as the show's producer with a yen for Moriarty. Nice performances are also turned in by Teri Hatcher (from TV's LOIS AND CLARK) and Elisabeth Shue, who both make one of their first film appearances in this flick. Overall, SOAPDISH is a wonderfully wacky film that should delight anyone who enjoys "behind the stage" type stories. Definitely recommended.

Rating:
Summary: SOAPDISH is a funny, wacky farce
Review: Celeste Talbert is the Queen of Soap Opera divas. But after years of success on her show, "The Sun Also Sets," she finds herself beset with a wild assortment of wacky problems including jealous rivals, an ambitious niece, incompetent costumers, off-the-wall plots for the show, and the return of an old boyfriend who has his own ax to grind with his former sweetie. Needless to say, what happens ends up topping anything the soap opera could ever produce. SOAPDISH is a very funny farce that takes the excesses of soap opera and punches them up to a fever pitch level, poking fun at everything from TV networks to dinner theatre. The cast is top-notch, with Sally Field as the neurotic Talbert leading the way. She is matched by the hammy Kevin Kline as her old boyfriend with the big ego, while Whoopi Goldberg is delighfully droll as the show's head writer. Cathy Moriarty is pure venom as Talbert's rival, and Robert Downey, Jr., is perfectly befuddled as the show's producer with a yen for Moriarty. Nice performances are also turned in by Teri Hatcher (from TV's LOIS AND CLARK) and Elisabeth Shue, who both make one of their first film appearances in this flick. Overall, SOAPDISH is a wonderfully wacky film that should delight anyone who enjoys "behind the stage" type stories. Definitely recommended.