Soapdish (1991)

Salute to Television Movie #4

Synopsis: Whoa...it’s a soap opera within a soap opera!! Wait, that was the Synopsis for Delirious.... and Tune in Tomorrow, come to think of it

Blurb From the VHS Jacket: “Sally Field leads an all-star cast in this sidesplittingly funny look at a scandal-ridden TV soap opera.” [Sidesplittingly?]

What Did I Learn?: 1) Actors don't like to play coma. They feel it limits their range. 2) Doing dinner theatre is horrible. 3) “Peppy” and “cheap” are better than “depressing” and “expensive.” 

You Might Like This Movie If: You figure it must be a 97-minute version of this.

 

Really?: 1) The movie ends with a live broadcast of The Sun Also Sets. Seriously – a live broadcast? 2) Couldn’t Celeste have found some way to inform Jeffrey of his relationship with Lori without making a fool of herself in front of both the entire cast, and the entertainment reporters. 

Rating: I wanted to like Soapdish a little more than I did. Sally Field and Kevin Kline share some wonderfully acidic exchanges, Robert Downey Jr. is good as a slimy TV exec, and Terri Hatcher is fun to watch in a before-they-were-famous role. Soapdish certainly has its moments, but the plot is far too contrived for it to be believed (see: “Really?”) , and its comedy really isn’t terrible insightful or clever – every scene seems to end with a big shouting match, and the whole thing struck me as a screenwriter’s fantasy of a soap opera set, rather than a real satire of the genre. Oh – watch for veteran TV producer Garry Marshall in a wonderfully funny cameo. 6/10 stars. 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102951/?ref_=nv_sr_1