The Heidi Chronicles (1995)

Beginning in 1965, the film follows a young woman (Jamie Lee Curtis) from high school to a career as an acclaimed art historian in the mid-90s through America's changing landscape from Vietnam to feminism to AIDS, etc. Wendy Wasserstein adapted her Tony award winning play for the small screen (it debuted on Turner Network Television). I haven't seen Wasserstein's acclaimed 1989 play so I must come to the conclusion that it worked better on stage or that perhaps time hasn't been kind to it. Wasserstein's dialogue wants to be profound when it comes across as trite and one wishes Woody Allen would come along and rewrite it and skewer her characters rather than treat them as if as if they were icons of the boomer generation. I couldn't help but scratch my head at Heidi's (Curtis) affectionate attachment to the narcissistic character played by the charmless and uncharismatic Peter Friedman. Curtis tries and with a few exceptions (the speech at a woman's luncheon), she can't bring Heidi to life. Directed by Paul Bogart. With Tom Hulce (who won an Emmy for his performance), Kim Cattrall, Sharon Lawrence, Shari Belafonte and Roma Maffia.