Heartburn (1986)

Mature themes

Nora Ephron's autobiographical novel chronicling the breakup of her marriage to investigative journalist Carl Bernstein (ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN) is adapted for the big screen by director Mike Nichols and solidly acted by Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson. Rachel Samstat (Streep) is Ephron's stand-in, a New York food writer who falls for and marries Washington political columnist Mark Forman (Nicholson) despite her initial misgivings. And it isn't long before a second pregnancy, separate homes, and the return of Mark's womanizing places a strain on the marriage that results in a bitter divorce and inspires Rachel's cynical musings on the nature of love, sex, and relationships.