Though nowhere near as good as TOOTSIE, SOAPDISH is an amusing spoof of the world of daytime drama with a funny story and an impressive all-star cast. Sally Field, who unveils a skill for slapstick comedy that she had shelved for many years, is on target as Celeste, the aging soap diva of THE SUN ALSO SETS, afraid that she is past her prime and constantly complaining about her story lines, co-stars, wardrobe and anything else she can think of. Kevin Kline is charming, as always, as Celeste's ex-husband, who is tracked down at a dinner theater in Florida playing Willy Loman, to come onto the soap to make trouble for Celeste. Robert Downey Jr. steals every scene he is in as one of the producers of the show, who is being cuckolded by another cast member (a wonderfully bitchy Cathy Moriarty)to get Celeste off the show. Whoopi Goldberg plays the show's head writer and Celeste's best friend, who has one very amusing scene at a New Jersey mall where she pretends to recognize Celeste from the soap and fawns all over her, apparently something she and Celeste do from time to time to massage Celeste's delicate ego. Elisabeth Shue also charms as an actress with a secret who joins the show and there are also funny bits from Kathy Najimy, Carrie Fisher, and Teri Hatcher. Despite manic direction and an uneven screenplay, SOAPDISH is still a lot of fun and worth checking out, whether or not you watch soaps.
