Ricki and the Flash
Starring Meryl Streep, Mamie Gummer
Directed by Jonathan Demme
Meryl Streep hits the stage to strum her guitar and croon alongside rocker Rick Springfield in Ricki and the Flash and, once again, the 19-time Oscar nominee proves there is no role she can’t tackle.
Streep plays the title character as lead singer of The Flash, a band that spends its nights entertaining a rundown bar in Tarzana, California. Ricki gets a call from ex-husband Pete (Kevin Kline) that her estranged daughter Julie (Meryl’s actual daughter Mamie Gummer) has been abandoned by her husband following his affair. Ricki decides to pack up and head to Indiana to patch up family relations on several fronts. The film’s domestic examination and balance of comedy with drama conjures memories of another recent Streep movie, It’s Complicated.
Thankfully, solid acting perseveres as a talented cast helps Ricki’s jarring tonal shifts and cloying sappiness. Kline is charming as always, singer Springfield is amiable, packing a surprisingly emotional punch in one key scene, but it’s the mother-daughter duo that really elevates the film. Gummer, perhaps best known for her recurring role on CBS’ The Good Wife, carries much of the dramatic heavy lifting while also maintaining a sense of comic timing.
It’s clearly Meryl’s movie however, as the veteran (who also learned to play guitar) once gain morphs effortlessly into a role, channeling a cross between Chrissie Hynde and Ann Wilson, as she belts out a host of rock tunes. It doesn’t break new narrative ground but Ricki and the Flash is a genuine crowd pleaser.
