Ricki and the Flash

Meryl Streep, Rick Springfield, Audra McDonald and Kevin Klein are all worth watching in this predictable and sentimental movie musical. The problem really comes down to a mediocre script from Diablo Cody. I expected more from Academy Award winner Ms. Cody than this workmanlike and often tedious screenplay. The music is great and Streep is a super singer and along with Springfield, they turn in great performances. Audra McDonald is a gem who I hope to see more of in films in the future. The milieu of the sleazy bar in Tarzana where Streep and Springfield are the house band is fascinating. Too bad it all ends up to be nothing more than a tired wedding and predictable emotional resolution of a mother and her entitled children. Thank God for the music which director, Jonathan Demme, allows to play out at length - perhaps to fill in the time since the script was substandard. We all love Meryl Streep but I couldn't help but wonder, how did her daughter get that job.

"Ricki and the Flash" opens with Meryl Streep, boasting acid-washed articles of clothing that looks like it was stuffed away in a 1970's time capsule, half-braided hair, complete with rings, bracelets, and accessorized trinkets all over her body, belting out "American Girl" by Tom Petty. If this doesn't make her one of Hollywood's finest character/method actresses, I don't know what does.

Streep plays Linda "Ricki" Rendazzo, the frontrunner of a band known as "Ricki and the Flash" that plays largely at dive bars and seedy nightclubs. Linda, in the meantime, slaves away at a supermarket job, bossed around by a manager half her age, making paltry wages whilst being estranged from her immediate family. One day, her ex-husband Pete (Kevin Kline) calls her up to inform her that their daughter Julie (Mamie Gummer) is going through a messy divorce after discovering her husband cheating on her. Julie, who has already attempted suicide and since ceased showering and eating, lives with Pete and, upon seeing her mother for the first time in years, is understandably disgusted and appalled that she now wants to play mother. Linda also learns that her youngest son is planning on marrying and subsequently not inviting her to the wedding. Trying to balance out this newfound mess and work things out with her present beau Greg (rock and roll star Rick Springfield), Linda tries to be a mother to those who always needed her and somebody people won't cringe at the thought of putting their faith into as a person.

"Ricki and the Flash" bears a seriously tragic angle from a character perspective, given the fact that while Ricki was an absent mother, chasing rock star glory and fame, she wound up being a cover band in diver bars, the result of a failed marriage, and the bane of her children's existence. Now, Ricki has hit middle age hard and, reflecting on her life and career, she has little to show for it other than a mess of circumstances and success that was never fully realized.

Screenwriter Diablo Cody has a talent for making the most unattractive characters attractive in a way that's not condescending like an Adam Sandler film, yet not depressingly bleak like a Lars von Trier film. Cody is also unique because her films don't focus on characters wallowing in pity and self-loathing, but rather, actively trying to better themselves or making the best out of a bad situation. The latter is what Linda largely spends the majority of "Ricki and the Flash" doing. Instead of wallowing, she's being active in trying to be the mother that she never was to her children.

Streep does some very strong work here, being a captivating presence all throughout the film and remaining an actress who can be trusted with any role in terms of delivering quality. It also helps that Cody knows her strong suits, which are complex characters with a lot of emotions yet no really clear-cut idea of how to express such emotions. The end result, however, is a duo that I never envisioned would work together, yet alone work so well together.

As far as family drama goes, "Ricki and the Flash" finds itself positioned between the lesser "This is Where I Leave You" and the superior "August: Osage County." It's far more dramatic than I ever anticipated, not sacrificing rich, emotional significance for cheap comic ploys or mawkishness. However, there's a theatrical element to the film that undermines its emotions, particularly at the end of the film. Yet "Ricki and the Flash" exhibits a lot of undertones not routinely showcases by the mainstream, which make it such a commendable project, especially with a great actress at the forefront.

As hard as I've tried, I just can't get on the Diablo Cody bandwagon. Yes, I saw Juno and Young Adult, both movies that I thought had great concepts and stories hindered by clunky screenplays. Cody's writing hints at much of what people complain about millennials: narcissistic, overly snarky, and the thought that being a special snowflake makes up for being a miserable, unlikable human being. Ricki and the Flash follows this formula once again.

Sorry, but if you're a mother and you just ditch your family to selfishly "follow your dream", the family shouldn't just accept you back like it's no big deal. I just couldn't get past that. The story felt more like a Disney Channel Movie than anything else.

I like Meryl Streep and it was kind of funny seeing her as a rockstar, but that was about the only good thing going for it. Her performance alone made up for an otherwise weak screenplay and generic story.

Hollywood badly needs more female writers and directors, but Cody's flaws as a writer keep showing up movie after movie. She needs a co- writer or script doctor to help polish up the unrealistic dialogue, characters that appear more like cartoon characters than human beings, and humor that is more eye rolling than gut busting.

I think I'll skip her next film, like I should have skipped this one.

After reading mixed reviews for this movie and I make up my own mind - this is a delight, a relatively quiet film with some really good music. A story of a mother who went her own way and how she works to right a few things and make amends with her three children. Meryl Streep working with her own daughter was good to watch. Easy to see the genes working well together. Some of my favorite actors are in this movie - Kevin Kline is another actor that I would not miss a film of his, of course Meryl Streep - I love the variety of films she does and excels at. Audra McDonald - so good as the step-mother. This is a story of a mother who wants to be there for her daughter who is experiencing a heartbreak of her own., You get the impression that Rikki almost misses what she left. But she has a strong man by her side and has trouble letting herself acknowledging it. This is a good movie, a quiet family drama movie and as I said a movie with some great music. The last scenes make you want to get up an dance.

I have seen every movie made by Meryl Streep and I think she is a GREAT movie actress. Having said that, this movie is vile! The only positive thing that can be said is that the other actors did not embarrass themselves like she did. Not for one second did I buy her as Ricki. It is the only sub-par performance of her career. Now the script and dialog - imagine a soap opera from the fifties. PLot - from the silent era in subtlety. Direction - the wedding scene is flat out incompetent in that not a single character reaction rings true. Now, Meryl's voice is not unpleasant, nor is it any good. For some reason, she tortures the audience with mediocre performance after mediocre performance for what felt like hours. By the way, I really hated this movie