The 25 Must-See Titles at the 2017 TCM Classic Film Festival

Poster from Postcards from the Edge. Image via Columbia Pictures.

Postcards From the Edge (1990)

An actress battling substance abuse is forced to move back in with her overbearing mother.

In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve never seen Postcards From the Edge before. And what better way to watch it for the first time than at the TCM Classic Film Festival, complete with introduction by Todd Fisher? This is one of two Reynolds-related titles at the festival (next to Singin’ in the Rain [1952]), but the only one I haven’t actually watched.

Loosely based on the life of Carrie Fisher and her mother, Debbie Reynolds, watching Postcards is automatically going to evoke tears. (Between the festival’s tributes to Debbie and Carrie, alongside honoring Robert Osborne, this could be one of the more dour festivals.) Fisher has detailed the writing of the book and the adaptation, while mother Reynolds was always cagey about discussing how much of the film was authentic. Either way it’s safe to assume that art inspired life, and vice versa.

The movie’s been touted to me as a must-see and I can’t figure out why it’s slipped by me, especially considering it has both Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine. Seriously, this sounds like the perfect film. Add in a perils of Hollywood storyline, and it has all the makings of a “Kristen approved” feature film.

Next: The Princess Bride