# Carrie Fisher already looked and was terrible in "The 'Burbs" (1989) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 20, 2017, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carrie-fisher-already-looked-and-was-terrible-in-the-burbs-1989/782631 "2017-03-20T17:56:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2017, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carrie-fisher-already-looked-and-was-terrible-in-the-burbs-1989/782631/61 "2017-03-23T05:46:18Z")
I don’t think she looked terrible, but she looked old. I’m a 38 year old man with a 43 year-old wife. I think she looked older than my wife looks now, and if I were paired with her people would probably think she’s my aunt (no, I won’t say mom) or older sister or something. In When Harry Met Sally, I always assumed she was supposed to be playing the role of the older, less attractive friend. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2017, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carrie-fisher-already-looked-and-was-terrible-in-the-burbs-1989/782631/62 "2017-03-23T06:33:19Z")
OP: Um, what? [del]I think[/del] she smoked, which ages one. I think she does look like she could be ten or fifteen years older than she was in some of those movies. But she doesn’t look “terrible” in her early nineties roles. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2017, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carrie-fisher-already-looked-and-was-terrible-in-the-burbs-1989/782631/63 "2017-03-23T08:15:43Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > I think she does look like she could be ten or fifteen years older than she was in some of those movies. But she doesn’t look “terrible” in her early nineties roles. That’s splitting hairs a bit if one can concede that someone looks that much older than they really are but doesn’t look “terrible.” It also ignores the fact that people do use “looks terrible” in this sense: that someone looks way older than they should without necessarily looking ugly in absolute terms. Carrie Fisher looked way old for her age in 1989 and was acting poorly too, seeming “off.” It was, yes, a bit mean-spirited for me to point it out, but it’s true. And her life really is a cautionary tale about hard living and its potential consequences. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2017, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carrie-fisher-already-looked-and-was-terrible-in-the-burbs-1989/782631/64 "2017-03-23T09:35:55Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > If she looks 40, it is an [attractive 40](https://www.google.com/search?q=carrie+fisher+burbs&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwib2vr21eXSAhWCwLwKHWEqAzUQ_AUICCgB&biw=1216&bih=700) as far as I’m concerned. She looks so much like [Millie Bobby Brown](https://www.google.com.au/search?safe=off&biw=1662&bih=1066&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=millie+bobby+brown&oq=millie&gs_l=img.3.0.0i67k1l3j0l7.185175.186438.0.187795.6.6.0.0.0.0.220.1049.2-5.5.0....0...1c.1.64.img..1.5.1045...35i39k1.Ixn_PX77Rt0) (well, vice versa I suppose). It’s uncanny. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2017, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carrie-fisher-already-looked-and-was-terrible-in-the-burbs-1989/782631/65 "2017-03-23T09:39:21Z")
> [@Aeschines](#): > > Carrie Fisher looked way old for her age in 1989 and was acting poorly too, seeming “off.” It was, yes, a bit mean-spirited for me to point it out, but it’s true. And her life really is a cautionary tale about hard living and its potential consequences. I’m not sure that it is, particularly. There are many factors affecting how people age, not least of which genetics. I can point to lots of people who look older for their age than the average person and who don’t do drugs, and vice versa. In my case, my bodyfat is so low I have a six-pack, yet I also have a double-chin. That’s just the way my face has aged: I’ve never done drugs or smoked. Looking homely at 32…even if we say it’s just her (and not the hair and clothing for the part), I don’t see any reason particularly to blame the hard livin’. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2017, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carrie-fisher-already-looked-and-was-terrible-in-the-burbs-1989/782631/66 "2017-03-23T13:54:49Z")
The 'Burbs was a fantastic movie, it’s one of my favorites, and I actively sought it out on DVD. I re-watch it periodically. ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2017, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carrie-fisher-already-looked-and-was-terrible-in-the-burbs-1989/782631/67 "2017-03-23T14:03:22Z")
Wow, in that “timelapse” video linked to above, how many movies in a row did she do with Tom Hanks? ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2017, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carrie-fisher-already-looked-and-was-terrible-in-the-burbs-1989/782631/68 "2017-03-23T16:06:56Z")
Damn…there are people who actually liked _The 'Burbs_? It’s easily the worst movie I’ve ever sat through in its entirety. And I would have walked out if I hadn’t been seeing it with a group including some of my wife’s older relatives. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2017, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carrie-fisher-already-looked-and-was-terrible-in-the-burbs-1989/782631/69 "2017-03-23T16:46:39Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > It’s easily the worst movie I’ve ever sat through in its entirety. You’ve had a pretty limited experience with movies. Just this weekend, I rewatched large parts of a movie far worse than _The 'Burbs_ when I found it on TV–_Barberella_. Saw large parts of _Mac and Me_ again just a few weeks ago. And while it has been years since I watched it, I have the director’s cut of _Caligula_ on DVD. (_Troll 2_ was on last night, but I didn’t watch it this time.) ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2017, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carrie-fisher-already-looked-and-was-terrible-in-the-burbs-1989/782631/70 "2017-03-23T17:33:46Z")
> [@Aeschines](#): > > That’s splitting hairs a bit if one can concede that someone looks that much older than they really are but doesn’t look “terrible.” > > It also ignores the fact that people do use “looks terrible” in this sense: that someone looks way older than they should without necessarily looking ugly in absolute terms. > > Carrie Fisher looked way old for her age in 1989 and was acting poorly too, seeming “off.” **It was, yes, a bit mean-spirited for me to point it out, but it’s true. And her life really is a cautionary tale about hard living and its potential consequences.** Thank you for the lesson. I’m sure none of us knew that and it completely absolves you for trashing Carrie Fisher. JFC. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2017, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carrie-fisher-already-looked-and-was-terrible-in-the-burbs-1989/782631/71 "2017-03-23T17:48:30Z")
Smoking plus having probably done more than her body weight in cocaine by that point would certainly tend to age one. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2017, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carrie-fisher-already-looked-and-was-terrible-in-the-burbs-1989/782631/72 "2017-03-23T18:34:51Z")
The OP is nuts. I would have totally done her then. She looks great in that. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2017, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carrie-fisher-already-looked-and-was-terrible-in-the-burbs-1989/782631/73 "2017-03-23T20:23:17Z")
> [@Helena330](#): > > Thank you for the lesson. I’m sure none of us knew that and it completely absolves you for trashing Carrie Fisher. > > JFC. Right, because saying that someone who hasn’t aged well (likely) because of drugs and is doing a poor, out-of-it job of acting in a movie is “trashing.” Let’s not make her a goddamn saint above criticism. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2017, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carrie-fisher-already-looked-and-was-terrible-in-the-burbs-1989/782631/74 "2017-03-23T20:41:41Z")
> [@Typo\_Negative](#): > > The OP is nuts. I would have totally done her then. She looks great in that. Oh, have you seen the movie? When? ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2017, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carrie-fisher-already-looked-and-was-terrible-in-the-burbs-1989/782631/75 "2017-03-23T20:48:20Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > I’m not sure that it is, particularly. Sure. Though I’ve clearly said, a couple times now, that she seemed addled and out of it in the movie. So it’s not just aging that I’m pointing out but also overall mental condition. > [@](#): > > There are many factors affecting how people age, not least of which genetics. I can point to lots of people who look older for their age than the average person and who don’t do drugs, and vice versa. Your point is taken. Smoking does seem to have aged her a bunch, however. But even smokers have different responses to that, so I agree with you that genetics play a big role. > [@](#): > > In my case, my bodyfat is so low I have a six-pack, yet I also have a double-chin. That’s just the way my face has aged: I’ve never done drugs or smoked. I do medical interpretation, and recently I’ve seen ads in docs offices for that shot that is supposed to take away that chin fat. Have you looked into it? I forget the name. > [@](#): > > Looking homely at 32…even if we say it’s just her (and not the hair and clothing for the part), I don’t see any reason particularly to blame the hard livin’. Well, one thing people can’t say is that I’ve made baseless accusations about her hard living. It’s a known fact, and she’s admitted to it. I don’t think it’s a stretch to connect that with her appearance, though how she would have looked in an alternate timeline with less hard living is unknown. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carrie-fisher-already-looked-and-was-terrible-in-the-burbs-1989/782631/76 "2017-03-24T14:41:14Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Holy fuck, that’s terrible looking? I guess I’ll go melt my face in acid or maybe just magic marker it black. Perhaps wear a bag with the word ‘face’ written on it if Carrie Fisher in The 'Burbs is the standard for old-looking-for-your-age terrible. > > Surely there are real women in your life. You know what they look like and there is no way you would think a 32 year old woman who looked like Carrie Fisher did in The 'Burbs was “terrible” and 'fucked up". I don’t think you are being a dick, however. I think you may be writing with your dick, though. > > I mean, HOLY FUCKBALLS talk about unreachable standards of beauty! I sorta agree. Hmmm. Maybe because I’m in my 50’s, but when the OP said “she’s 32, but looks 40!!!”, my reaction was 😕 . Eight years seems like a lot to you, OP? ---
**Author:** ![Mavic\_Chen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mavic\_Chen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mavic_Chen)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carrie-fisher-already-looked-and-was-terrible-in-the-burbs-1989/782631/77 "2017-03-24T16:40:37Z")
She looked terrible in Force Awakens; all botox filled and barely able to move her mouth. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2017, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carrie-fisher-already-looked-and-was-terrible-in-the-burbs-1989/782631/78 "2017-03-24T16:52:04Z")
> [@Mavic\_Chen](#): > > She looked terrible in Force Awakens; all botox filled and barely able to move her mouth. I noticed it the first time she appeared in the movie and have watched for it on subsequent viewings, but her upper lip literally never moves. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2017, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carrie-fisher-already-looked-and-was-terrible-in-the-burbs-1989/782631/79 "2017-03-25T04:17:43Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > Carrie could have gone the [Meg Ryan route.](http://img.wennermedia.com/300-width/1436380544_meg-ryan-zoom.jpg) This is Meg now at 55. I think it was just about when she hit forty when she did that first thing to her lips and she hasn’t stopped since. I wonder what the OP thinks of Meg’s looks. > \ She \*did \*[go the](https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fi4.mirror.co.uk%2Fincoming%2Farticle6971716.ece%2FALTERNATES%2Fs1200%2FCarrieFisherMAIN.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mirror.co.uk%2F3am%2Fcelebrity-news%2Fstar-wars-legend-carrie-fisher-6971817&docid=PoOcQn6fEFnNBM&tbnid=aGlR9kgkMfdBTM%3A&vet=10ahUKEwiImLvQ5PDSAhVN3WMKHeBvAqgQMwgrKA8wDw..i&w=1200&h=630&bih=699&biw=1304&q=carrie%20fisher%20lips%20job&ved=0ahUKEwiImLvQ5PDSAhVN3WMKHeBvAqgQMwgrKA8wDw&iact=mrc&uact=8#h=630&imgrc=aGlR9kgkMfdBTM:&vet=10ahUKEwiImLvQ5PDSAhVN3WMKHeBvAqgQMwgrKA8wDw..i&w=1200) [Meg Ryan route](https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Flatestplasticsurgery.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F12%2FCarrie-Fisher-Plastic-Surgery-Before-and-After-Photos.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Flatestplasticsurgery.com%2Fgillian-anderson-plastic-surgery-before-and-after%2F&docid=U2n80ZUs_8vEXM&tbnid=rk21wcZTH4PDXM%3A&vet=10ahUKEwiImLvQ5PDSAhVN3WMKHeBvAqgQMwgdKAEwAQ..i&w=637&h=407&bih=699&biw=1304&q=carrie%20fisher%20lips%20job&ved=0ahUKEwiImLvQ5PDSAhVN3WMKHeBvAqgQMwgdKAEwAQ&iact=mrc&uact=8#h=407&imgrc=rk21wcZTH4PDXM:&vet=10ahUKEwiImLvQ5PDSAhVN3WMKHeBvAqgQMwgdKAEwAQ..i&w=637), at least lip-wise. Fortunately she stopped there. I’d love to know who first convinced Hollywood that the way to look young again is to inflate the upper lip. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2017, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carrie-fisher-already-looked-and-was-terrible-in-the-burbs-1989/782631/80 "2017-03-25T16:54:23Z")
> [@Aeschines](#): > > I do medical interpretation, and recently I’ve seen ads in docs offices for that shot that is supposed to take away that chin fat. Have you looked into it? I forget the name. Thanks for this. I wasn’t aware that such a thing existed and some googling turned up Kybella. 8)) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carrie-fisher-already-looked-and-was-terrible-in-the-burbs-1989/782631.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carrie-fisher-already-looked-and-was-terrible-in-the-burbs-1989/782631.md?page=5)