leethomas-11621
I loved Meryl in this movie. As we all know, she is an amazing, amazing actor. Worth watching for her performance alone. But there is a lot more to the movie as well. Great to see Rick Springfield and Kevin Kline. Shortening the Ricki and the Flash performances though would have helped.
Andres-Camara
To tell the truth, when I went to see her I knew what she was going to see and it did not surprise me, it's a family comedy but with two great actors. But with that music that makes you dance in the armchair, who does not finish seeing even knowing that it is bad. It is more even in the end, with the end you have, but you are smiling.The characters are bad, does anyone expect something different? But the truth is Meryl and Kevin are always great. She puts you in the movie and even knowing that as a mother is bad, but you can not help but catch her darling.In this film I do not believe that it is necessary to analyze it technically, it is not made for that, nor is it worth the analysis of anythingJust have fun with the music and let yourself go
blanche-2
Meryl Streep stars as an aging rocker in "Ricki and the Flash" from 2015. The film also stars Kevin Kline, Audra McDonald, Rick Springfield, and Streep's daughter Mamie Gummer.Ricki Randazzo abandoned her family to pursue her rock 'n' roll dreams. She works as a cashier in a store by day, and by night she and her band The Flash play in a small bar.When her ex-husband Pete (KLein) calls her to say their daughter Julie (Gummer) is having serious problems due to a break-up with her new husband, Ricki returns home.Miraculously, Ricki gets through to Julie and convinces her to bathe, get her hair styled, have a manicure and pedicure, and dress in something decent. Pete's wife Maureen (Broadway superstar Audra McDonald) is out of town but returns early. She and Ricki have a polite showdown where Maureen lets her know that she's been the real mother to the three kids (two boys and Maureen) and that Ricki left them. Ricki angrily returns to the band. Then she receives an invitation to her son's wedding from Maureen as a peace offering.Directed by Jonathan Demme, the script by Diablo Cody is based in part on her mother-in-law Terry Cieri, who has fronted a New Jersey bar band for years. It's not a perfect script by any means. It's predictable, for one thing; for another it's derivative, reminding one of the Greer Garson film "Julia Misbehaves" which has basically the same plot.It's Streep's delightful performance that puts this film on a level where it would not have been otherwise. Kline, Gummer, McDonald, and Springfield round out an excellent cast.I really enjoyed this. It's worth seeing - the music is great, too.
tieman64
"Wherever I am, I am what's missing." - Mark StrandDirected by Jonathan Demme, "Ricki and the Flash" stars Meryl Streep as Ricki, a rambunctious woman who leaves her wealthy husband (Kevin Kline) and embarks upon a quest to become a rock star. These dreams don't pan out, however, and Ricki instead finds herself playing at bars and working as a cashier.Demme directed "Rachel Getting Married" in 2008, a film rife with suicides, weddings and cosy unions between different ethnic groups. "Ricki and the Flash" has similar preoccupations; we watch as Ricki reconnects with her estranged sons, helps her daughter escape suicidal depression, and learns to accept, forgive and beg forgiveness from her husband and his new wife, an African American woman who teaches Ricki to let go of various racial prejudices and preconceptions.At the heart of "Ricki", though, is the tension between being a mother - and so having responsibilities to others - and being an independent artist who lives for one's art. What Ricki learns is that the two positions are not necessarily contradictory. She demonstrates this at the end of Demme's film; Ricki may be a giant train-wreck, but her music brings everyone together. Echoing Demme's many music documentaries/concert shows, "Ricki" thus portrays art as something communal and inclusive. Climaxing with Bruce Springsteen's "My Love Will Not Let You Down", it merges the rebellious ethos of rock-and-roll with more traditional family values."Ricki and the Flash" has all the positives and negatives associated with Jonathan Demme. It's well acted (at this point, Streep is practically a national institution), entertaining, sweet and boasts a catchy soundtrack. Like most of Demme's films, however, its attempts to sketch America's underbelly, with its working class anxieties and racial tensions, are mostly overly cute and overly idealistic. Mamie Gummer co-stars.7.9/10 - Worth one viewing.
AD
