Common Sense Media Review
By Brian Costello
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
1980s Nora Ephron comedy-drama has mature themes, profanity.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Heartburn
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In HEARTBURN, Rachel Samstat (Meryl Streep) is a successful food writer living in New York City. At a wedding, she meets Mark Forman (Jack Nicholson), a Washington, D.C., columnist. They hit it off, fall in love, and get married, despite Rachel's reservations about marriage and Mark's reputation as a ladies' man who avoids commitment. Rachel moves to D.C., and the newly married couple tries to restore a row house as they start a family. Rachel has never been happier, until she begins to suspect that Mark is having an affair. When she learns that her suspicions are true, she goes back to New York City with their baby (while pregnant with their second child) and tries to pick up the pieces of her shattered life, even as Mark makes an attempt at reconciliation.
Is It Any Good?
Excellent acting and Ephron's intelligent script keep this movie from being lumped in with other 1980s dramedies. Despite occasional forays into New Yorker cliches -- at one point, Streep's character laments how, "You can't get a decent bagel in Washington, D.C.!" Heartburn goes beyond its time and place to explore enduring themes of love, marriage, and infidelity. The comedy and the drama perfectly balance each other out; the humor keeps the serious concerns from being too dour, and the drama keeps the movie from being too lighthearted. The result is a poignant exploration of life before, during, and after a marriage that somehow finds hope in the face of cynical despair.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the themes in Heartburn. How are marriage, love, infidelity, motherhood, and work/life balance explored throughout this movie?
The screenplay was written by Nora Ephron and is based on her book of the same title, inspired by her marriage to Carl Bernstein, one of the two Washington Post journalists best known for uncovering the Watergate scandal. What do you see as the challenges in creating movies or books rooted in your own life?
This movie came out in 1986. If it were to be remade in contemporary times, what do you think would be done differently? What would remain the same?
Movie Details
- In theaters : July 25, 1986
- On DVD or streaming : July 6, 2004
- Cast : Meryl Streep , Jack Nicholson , Jeff Daniels
- Director : Mike Nichols
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Paramount Pictures
- Genre : Comedy
- Topics : Book Characters
- Run time : 108 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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