Ricki and the Flash: De Volta Para Casa

First thing: it was smart for Diablo Cody to write that Ricki (Meryl Streep, of course it's her) and the Flash (one of them Rick Springfield of all people, he's real good by the way) as bar musicians in this present day and age. Would they, or could they, be playing more legitimate venues? Possibly. But it's clear as day that Ricki (not her real name, but as she jokes she was 'born really as Ricki') is not leading some great revolution of music - she just likes playing her covers of classic rock songs (with some new stuff, she doesn't leave the 'young people' out of Lady Gaga and Pink).

It shows her and her group at a point in life that isn't the most ideal, but they can get by and play music in front of some kind of audience. This is her at her happiest and most in control, as in her day life, working as a cashier at a chain grocery store (always having to keep a smile on her face, as the condescending boss says), and in her personal life (her family hasn't spoken to her in a long time) it's messy to put it lightly, due to the thing of leaving away to go and follow her dreams.

Ricki is not a sympathetic character, and this follows along with Cody from some other protagonists she's had (remember Young Adult), but also for Jonathan Demme, who has his first (relatively wide-release) fiction feature in seven years, and his own previous film, Rachel Getting Married, was about another family f***-up who doesn't know how to get back in good graces, or even how to say the right things. I don't meant to make comparisons through this whole review, just to point out some interesting similarities, which end pretty much there aside from both movies also having weddings. In this case of 'Ricki', her daughter is in personal turmoil - Kevin Kline, father of her kids and ex, tells her that her husband left her for another woman and her marriage has effectively fallen apart - so she rushes to help her. How can she help her? In reality, Ricki's daughter tried to kill herself.

Some deep stuff dramatically speaking is going on in the movie. So why is this actually kind of, sort of, a 'light' movie, in a sense? I think Demme is smart to keep Cody's script this way, and to trust the instincts of the material; there's no easy way to help Julie (Streep's own daughter, Mamie Gummer) except to make sure she gets the therapy she needs and attention she needs. In one fell swoop Ricki does one and not the other, by taking her to get her hair and nails done and missing her therapy appointment. It's a fun little scene - uh oh, she's using the family credit card again, wop-wop - but there are consequences. And yet what's also good is that Cody not only isn't shy of going to those awkward, cringe-type of scenes, she embraces them. The obvious one is when the family goes out to a dinner, and Ricki's estranged sons (one engaged, which she was ignorant of, and one gay, also ignorant but not in a good way). But watch as Maureen, the new wife and mother for so many years to Ricki's kids, lays it down as to why she really has to leave: what can she REALLY do here for her daughter? That Ricki's just out of the shower adds to the, shall one say, nakedness of the emotional truth here.

Yes, there's some goofy stuff here, like the family finding some pot and smoking it and having some munchies and late-night guitar strumming, but Demme handles it without anything feeling too false or sitcomy. In the wrong hands this could be really disastrous, maudlin stuff. I think it's not a great film by any stretch, but the filmmakers are in sync with one another, and even find ways to make songs played on stage into dramatic beats; Streep and Springfield aren't just singing songs, they're acting and going through some emotional crises of their own, in small and big ways, all down to what it means to be a parent for one's child (love, as it turns out, is the thing a parent must do for their kids, not necessarily the other way around if it comes to it).

So while there are some serious issues dealt with here - depression and suicide, marriage and relationships, abandonment issues, and what love can be shown as - music and a light, mostly comic touch, helps to level out the material. Indeed the climax is done almost like one of those old-time rock n roll movies (Demme has in the past decades done his share of rock docs, and his knack for finding the right angle and cuts shows very well), and as the band plays on at a wedding people can either get up and get into the music, or sit down like schlubs and not get into it. It's a nice, uplifting way to reach a conclusion to this story, especially considering what Ricki's done and gone through, an otherwise flawed and damaged individual (and as usual given a nice turn via Streep), and that music is the one thing that a) she's really good at, far as this kind of music goes on this level, and b) the family can see the good in her when she plays it. It's sincere, but heartfelt stuff.

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.

The big surprise to me was Meryl Streep with a guitar. Turns out Meryl pulled this off really well, alongside Rick Springfield and Meryl also has a great voice for Rock & Roll. I've seen it in a lot of flicks where it was clearly evident that the actor or actress with a musical instrument was not actually playing, just by observing their hand movements with the musical instrument but in this movie Meryl appears to be playing, and rather well at that.

Corny, shallow plot line that's been played out on the Silver Screen so many times it isn't even funny but the novelty of this flick is that we get to see a terrific actress demonstrate yet another talent that proves her versatility as a professional actor. The movie's teaser poster suggests that and that is what we get. I reckon not a lot of actors can pull that off as smoothly as Meryl did in this flick.

Definitely worth a look while it is still in a theatre in your town.

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.