Soapdish (1991) * * *

 

Directed by:  Michael Hoffman

Starring:  Sally Field, Kevin Kline, Elisabeth Shue, Carrie Fisher, Robert Downey Jr., Cathy Moriarty, Teri Hatcher, Whoopi Goldberg, Garry Marshall

The longtime star of soap opera (excuse me, daytime drama) The Sun Also Sets, Celeste Talbert (Field) is under siege from all sides in Soapdish, which satirizes a time in which daytime dramas were king.  Something tells me all of the backstage drama, backstabbing, conspiring, plotting, and egomaniacal behavior we see in Soapdish doesn't stray far from real life.

Written by Andrew Bergman, who wrote sharp-witted comedies such as Honeymoon in Vegas and The Freshman, Soapdish is madcap fun you don't see anymore.   Celeste may win awards for her role on the show, but the ratings are dwindling which alarms the network vice-president ("Quiz shows are beating us").   Showrunner David Barnes (Downey) is under pressure not only to boost the ratings, but to write Celeste out of the show so he could bed her scheming co-star Montana (Moriarty).   David has to circumvent the show's head writer/Celeste's best friend Rose (Goldberg) to dream up scenarios which would force Celeste to quit in protest.   One is having Celeste's character murder a homeless girl (Shue), who is played by Celeste's niece Lori.  The network loves Lori, though, so she stays.   

David then rustles up Celeste's former co-star/boyfriend Jeffrey Anderson (Kline), who after being kicked off the show twenty years ago is now resigned to playing dinner theater in Florida.   Jeffrey has dreamed of revenge and makes the moves on Lori, which horrifies Celeste but not for reasons you would think.   The behind-the-scenes drama brings itself to the foreground thanks to Entertainment Tonight, and viewers tune in just to see what will happen next between Celeste, Jeffrey, and Lori.   The Sun Also Sets becomes a show within a show.

Soapdish at times ventures too close to silly slapstick which doesn't work as well as the pointed satire of the daily pressures of running, writing, directing, or starring in a daytime drama.   The actors provide the frenetic energy necessary to keep Soapdish going, sometimes expressing themselves with crazy body language to express their innermost desires.   Just watch Jeffrey when he hears Celeste's name.