Ricki & the Flash (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
In 'Ricki & the Flash', directed by Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs, Rachel Getting Married), & written by Diablo Cody, (Juno), Meryl Streep plays Linda Brummell, a 60-ish rocker who fronts the house band, Ricki & the Flash, at a divey L.A. bar. Her 'career' peaked several decades ago (when she released only 1 album), but she keeps at it because she is-and-always-will-be a rocker at heart. But her music career comes at a price ... she's a non-factor in the lives of her Indiana-based family; having left them long ago. They include ex-husband, Pete (Kevin Kline), & 3 children: depressed Julie (Streep's own daughter, Mamie Gummer), about-to-be-married Josh (Sebastian Stan, of Captain America), & out-of-the-closet Adam (Nick Westrate).
Her situation in L.A. ain't so rosy, either; barely making ends meet by working at a supermarket. Furthermore, she rejects the sweet advances of her band mate, Greg (Rick Springfield, yes THAT Rick Springfield). Then she gets an unwanted call from Pete back in Indianapolis. After being ditched by her hubby, Julie has tried to commit suicide. Now she's holed-up in her bedroom in Pete's mansion & won't come out (poor hygiene, volatile, miserable). With his wife (Broadway vet, Audra McDonald) away caring for her father, Pete has nowhere to turn but Linda/Ricki {she prefers her stage name}, who reluctantly makes the trip to offer guidance.
Her 1st encounter with Julie goes all wrong - long-buried accusations come forth - but they then manage to form a fragile bond over the next couple of days. Things don't go as smoothly with Linda's other kids. Josh is {sort of} willing to engage with her, but his stuck-up fiance (Haley Gates) doesn't approve, and her other son Adam makes it crystal clear that he doesn't want any part of her. Humor, catharsis, & melodrama ensue as Linda tries to make sense of her present (will she allow herself to love band mate, Greg?), while also trying to mend her broken family relationships. But will forgiveness come easy from any of them?
I enjoyed 'Ricki ...'. But this cliched dramedy, while entertaining, needed some 'bite'; suffering from a lack of dramatic incident, as well as a too-soft ending. There are edgy moments and, Ricki likes to be viewed as edgy, but the aforementioned cliches (estranged parent/child and ex-wife/new wife tensions) kind of take the sting out of the film. Yet somehow, 'Ricki ...' redeems itself, in no small part due to Meryl Streep's skilled & empathetic portrayal of the lead character. Yes, the script is overly familiar, but she works her magic as a superb thespian; making the film immensely watchable & intriguing {where it wouldn't have been otherwise}.
It's also interesting to see her act opposite Mamie Gummer, who also impresses; bringing a potent melancholy to the role of Julie {she's flat-out scary, at times ... that HAIR!}. Kevin Kline made me chuckle during the cliched let's-watch-straight-laced-dad-smoke-some-marijuana scene. I liked Audra McDonald as the nurturing, concerned stepmom to Ricki's kids {wish I heard her voice lifted in song, though}. And perhaps most surprising is Rick Springfield. Best known as 80s pop icon, his scenes (musically & dramatically) actually rang truest of all; of course, opposite the great Meryl Streep. If 'Ricki ...' has a message to impart, it's that: while you can try to fix your mistakes from the past (such as abandonment, parent/child estrangement, accepting one's sexual identity, etc.), forgiveness doesn't come easy. Perhaps it's better to establish a new connection with one's children AS adults, rather than try to make amends for the wrongdoings done decades earlier.
So yeah, 'Ricki ...' is enjoyable and will be appreciated most by a more mature adult demographic. But when you consider the amount of talent that was assembled to make this film: Oscar-winning director Jonathan Demme, Oscar-winning writer Diablo Cody (both known for their 'edgy' work), Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, ace cinematographer/set designers/costumers, and a beautiful original song (sung twice by Meryl) ... it's just a tad disappointing that the end product was simply 'nice', when it could-&-should have blown us all away. This is the perfect movie to watch in August as counter-programming to all the superhero flicks clogging up theaters. But any power it holds as a fun, entertaining diversion can be attributed - mostly - to the wonder that is Meryl Streep.
Her situation in L.A. ain't so rosy, either; barely making ends meet by working at a supermarket. Furthermore, she rejects the sweet advances of her band mate, Greg (Rick Springfield, yes THAT Rick Springfield). Then she gets an unwanted call from Pete back in Indianapolis. After being ditched by her hubby, Julie has tried to commit suicide. Now she's holed-up in her bedroom in Pete's mansion & won't come out (poor hygiene, volatile, miserable). With his wife (Broadway vet, Audra McDonald) away caring for her father, Pete has nowhere to turn but Linda/Ricki {she prefers her stage name}, who reluctantly makes the trip to offer guidance.
Her 1st encounter with Julie goes all wrong - long-buried accusations come forth - but they then manage to form a fragile bond over the next couple of days. Things don't go as smoothly with Linda's other kids. Josh is {sort of} willing to engage with her, but his stuck-up fiance (Haley Gates) doesn't approve, and her other son Adam makes it crystal clear that he doesn't want any part of her. Humor, catharsis, & melodrama ensue as Linda tries to make sense of her present (will she allow herself to love band mate, Greg?), while also trying to mend her broken family relationships. But will forgiveness come easy from any of them?
I enjoyed 'Ricki ...'. But this cliched dramedy, while entertaining, needed some 'bite'; suffering from a lack of dramatic incident, as well as a too-soft ending. There are edgy moments and, Ricki likes to be viewed as edgy, but the aforementioned cliches (estranged parent/child and ex-wife/new wife tensions) kind of take the sting out of the film. Yet somehow, 'Ricki ...' redeems itself, in no small part due to Meryl Streep's skilled & empathetic portrayal of the lead character. Yes, the script is overly familiar, but she works her magic as a superb thespian; making the film immensely watchable & intriguing {where it wouldn't have been otherwise}.
It's also interesting to see her act opposite Mamie Gummer, who also impresses; bringing a potent melancholy to the role of Julie {she's flat-out scary, at times ... that HAIR!}. Kevin Kline made me chuckle during the cliched let's-watch-straight-laced-dad-smoke-some-marijuana scene. I liked Audra McDonald as the nurturing, concerned stepmom to Ricki's kids {wish I heard her voice lifted in song, though}. And perhaps most surprising is Rick Springfield. Best known as 80s pop icon, his scenes (musically & dramatically) actually rang truest of all; of course, opposite the great Meryl Streep. If 'Ricki ...' has a message to impart, it's that: while you can try to fix your mistakes from the past (such as abandonment, parent/child estrangement, accepting one's sexual identity, etc.), forgiveness doesn't come easy. Perhaps it's better to establish a new connection with one's children AS adults, rather than try to make amends for the wrongdoings done decades earlier.
So yeah, 'Ricki ...' is enjoyable and will be appreciated most by a more mature adult demographic. But when you consider the amount of talent that was assembled to make this film: Oscar-winning director Jonathan Demme, Oscar-winning writer Diablo Cody (both known for their 'edgy' work), Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, ace cinematographer/set designers/costumers, and a beautiful original song (sung twice by Meryl) ... it's just a tad disappointing that the end product was simply 'nice', when it could-&-should have blown us all away. This is the perfect movie to watch in August as counter-programming to all the superhero flicks clogging up theaters. But any power it holds as a fun, entertaining diversion can be attributed - mostly - to the wonder that is Meryl Streep.