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Meryl Streep stars as a food critic reluctant to remarry. But who can resist the charm of Jack Nicholson? The two marry and squeeze out a kid, and then sure enough, he cheats on her and the infidelity escalates from there. Heartburn is written by the late Nora Ephron (Sleepless in Seattle) and directed by Mike Nichols (The Graduate), and given that pedigree, it’s somewhat underwhelming — not funny enough to be a comedy and not dramatic enough to emotionally engage you.

The point of Heartburn seems to be that men are scum. In one scene, after Meryl has taken the kid and left Jack, she runs home to her father. Her father doesn’t seem surprised by the split, and coolly offers the following advice: “You want monogamy? Marry a swan.” It’s a tough lesson. I don’t disagree with the sentiment, but it sure makes for one hell of a dreary movie.

Meryl and Jack have their moments in the film (like when they try to sing every song they can think of containing the word ‘baby’), but neither character is fleshed out or compelling. The noteworthy but underutilized supporting cast includes Jeff Daniels, Catherine O’Hara, Stockard Channing, Kevin Spacey, Maureen Stapleton, and Milos Forman. Carly Simon provides the music (featuring her song “Coming Around Again”). Ephron’s script is based on her auto-biographical novel about her split from Carl Bernstein (of Watergate fame).