We were just talking about
Heartburn yesterday, on Carly Simon's birthday. Nora Ephron's semi-autobiographical novel about her marriage to Carl Bernstein (of the Bernstein Bears fame) was one of 2 pairings of Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson and spawned Carly Simon's mega-hit (on VH1 anyway), "Coming Around Again." But why am I tell you this, you were there.
Ephron's best known, best loved pieces, her romantic comedies, her Harries, her Sallies, her Sleeplesses, they distract from her best work: Silkwood. We also wrote about that, back on Cher's birthday. But again, you were there.
Just watching the trailer again I get this overwhelming sense that if any of Nora's movies become a musical, it should be Silkwood. What, When Harry Met Sally? That's just so obvious. No one's expecting Silkwood: The Musical. That's how you get them.
You'll see Meg Ryan fake an orgasm 200 times over the next 24 hours, and that's a perfectly valid way to celebrate Ephron. It is a classic movie moment.
And I think Bewitched was treated too harshly. There's a lot it's lacking, but the general post modern approach, of a failing narcissistic actor rebooting Bewitched with a focus on Derwood is clever. Steve Carell as Uncle Arthur: genius. Michael Caine and Shirley Maclaine: fantastic. And Nicole Kidman has made much worse movies. Much much worse. This is way better than the Stepford Wives adaptation which Nora had nothing to do with.
Nora Ephron passed away due to complications from leukemia, but it's 2012, so it was going to be something. She was the Queen of Romantic Comedies. Rest in peace dude.
