Film

Heartburn

Name: Heartburn
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Released: 1986
Cast: Meryl Streep, Jack Nicholson, Jeff Daniels, Maureen Stapleton, Stockard Channing

Romantic comedy

A sharp-toothed divorce comedy about a magazine writer (Meryl Streep) and a philandering journalist (Jack Nicholson) whose marriage implodes spectacularly. Funny, wounded, and honest about how much you can resent someone you love. Streep gets to be angry and comedic in the same breath—a rare thing for women in 1986 films.

TMDb rating

3.0

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy sharp, talky comedy that lets a wounded heroine be funny about her own humiliation, and you don't mind a bruised marriage at its centre.

Skip it if you want a light, breezy romance, since this one turns bitter in places and the jokes often cover real hurt.

What it asks of you: Expect about 108 minutes of close attention to quick, overlapping dialogue, and patience with characters who are often unkind to one another.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Working Girl1988

Melanie Griffith climbs the ladder and finds love in Manhattan. Sharp comedy about ambition, class, and romance that never punches down. A genuine crowd-pleaser with intelligence behind the humour.

But The fish-out-of-water setup is familiar, and some 80s touches feel dated. It's broader than Heartburn, less interested in anger.

Terms of Endearment1983

Shirley MacLaine and Debra Winger's mother-daughter relationship anchors this comedy-drama about love, marriage, and growing older. Feels effortless and genuine. Streep fans will recognize the emotional texture.

But Swings between comedy and real pain without always finding the balance. Some moments feel stagy. It's longer than it needs to be.

Silkwood1983

Meryl Streep in a different key: angry, working-class, fighting against the system. Cher is her roommate. The rage is earned and specific, the friendship is real. Drama that doesn't soften its edges.

But Heavy and bleak. There's no romantic payoff. If you want escape, this isn't it.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Heartburn

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?1966

Both are about marriages where intelligence and love coexist with infidelity and resentment. Both use comedy as a weapon. Both trust the audience to hold two feelings at once: rage and tenderness.

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton as a married couple spending a night tearing each other apart with wit, sex, and rage. It's Heartburn's spiritual ancestor—intelligent, vicious, about what happens when two smart people who love each other try to destroy one another. Adapted from Edward Albee's play. The dialogue is merciless.

But Three hours of relentless argument. If you need plot momentum or relief from hostility, this will exhaust you. It's performed, deliberately theatrical—some find that distance off-putting.

Kramer vs. Kramer1979

The other side of divorce: a father learning to parent while his wife (Streep again, briefly) reasserts her autonomy. Devastating and tender. Meryl's performance in a small role somehow expands the whole film.

But Feels very much of its moment—some gender politics are dated. Streep has less screen time than you'd want. It's earnest in ways that can feel heavy.

Moonstruck1987

Cher and Nicolas Cage in a romantic comedy that's genuinely weird and deeply felt. Magical realism meets Brooklyn Italian-American life. Funny without being afraid of emotion—the opposite of cynical.

But The tonal shifts take adjustment. It's talky and theatrical. Some will find it precious rather than charming.

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore1974

Ellen Burstyn after her husband dies, figuring out who she is without him. Tender, funny, and concerned with real women's lives. Martin Scorsese directed this character study—it's a side of him few people know.

But Episodic and loose. It meanders in ways that can feel shapeless. The resolution is quiet rather than cathartic.

The Poseidon Adventure1972

Jack Nicholson in an ensemble disaster film with Maureen Stapleton, who also appears in Heartburn. Completely absurd fun—a ship capsizes, everyone panics, and it's inexplicably entertaining. Pure Hollywood spectacle.

But It's ridiculous on purpose, and the plot is thin. If you prefer character to catastrophe, this will feel empty. It's very long for what it is.

Places in the Heart1984

Sally Field as a Depression-era widow learning to run her farm. A quiet, assured piece about women's labour and resilience. The emotional core is unshowy. Beautifully made.

But Slower than Heartburn and less funny. The period setting keeps some people at a distance. It earns its sentiment rather than gifting it easily.

Postcards from the Edge1990

Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine as a recovering actress and her mother. Written by Carrie Fisher from her own novel. Funny, sad, about codependence and survival. Streep sings. It's warm and unsentimental at once.

But The Hollywood setting doesn't appeal to everyone. Some plot threads are underdeveloped. It feels smaller than you might expect.

Courage Under Fire1996

Both centre female anger at marriage and male infidelity. Both refuse to make women small. Both locate comedy and humanity inside betrayal.

Deepa Mehta's film about two women in Delhi whose friendship becomes love, told against the backdrop of their crumbling marriages to men. A portrait of female desire and marriage's lies. Intimate, angry, visually sumptuous. Audacious in its directness.

But It sparked genuine threats and protests in India. The sexual content is explicit. The film is bleak about heterosexual marriage in ways some will find bitter. It's in Hindi with subtitles.