Heartburn | |
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Original theatrical release poster
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Directed by | Mike Nichols |
Produced by |
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Screenplay by | Nora Ephron |
Based on |
Heartburn by Nora Ephron |
Starring | |
Music by | Carly Simon |
Cinematography | Néstor Almendros |
Edited by | Sam O'Steen |
Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date
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Running time
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109 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $15 million |
Box office | $25.3 million |
Heartburn is a 1986 American comedy-drama film directed and produced by Mike Nichols, and stars Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson. The screenplay by Nora Ephron is based on her semi-autobiographical novel of the same name, which was inspired by her tempestuous second marriage, to Carl Bernstein and his affair with Margaret Jay, the daughter of former British Prime Minister James Callaghan.
The film's theme song, "Coming Around Again", written and performed by Carly Simon, became one of 1986's Billboard hits, reaching #18 on the Hot 100 and #5 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
New York City food writer Rachel Samstat (Streep) and Washington, D.C. political columnist Mark Forman (Nicholson) meet at a mutual friend's wedding, and they marry, after a whirlwind courtship, despite Rachel's reservations. They purchase a dilapidated Georgetown townhouse in Washington D.C. and the ongoing and seemingly never-ending renovations create some stress in their relationship. Rachel, overjoyed to discover she is pregnant, is determined to make her marriage work and becomes a stay-at-home mom. When she discovers evidence of Mark's extramarital affair with socialite Thelma Rice during her pregnancy with her second child, she leaves him and takes their daughter Annie to New York, where she moves in with her father and tries to jump start her career. Mark eventually convinces her to return home, but Rachel obviously leaves him, after his philandering continues.