Review: Underwhelming RICKI AND THE FLASH is Sweet, Despite Flaws

RICKI AND THE FLASH, in theaters nationwide Friday, is a virtual treasure-trove of on-screen talent; you will be hard-pressed to find another film this year with a more eclectically accomplished cast. From three-time Oscar-winner Meryl Streep to six-time Tony-winner Audra McDonald to Oscar and Tony-winner Kevin Kline (and let's not forget Grammy-winner Rick Springfield), the all-star cast is no doubt the draw for Diablo Cody's sweet, but slight film. Despite under-written characters and story, the movie succeeds on the strength of a stellar cast doing their absolute best to draw nuanced characterizations out of Cody's surprisingly bare-bones script.

Cody, who won an Oscar for 2007's JUNO, has become one of Hollywood's most important voices, due to her willingness to dive head-first into topics that many other artists avoid. However, in RICKI AND THE FLASH, we don't get nearly enough of her signature wit or perspective, and instead are left with a fairly familiar take on a broken-family story. While there is no doubt that the movie does have a number of examples of Cody's recognizable acerbic and insightful dialogue, there is not nearly enough of it to raise the piece from entertainingly sentimental to profoundly moving and thought-provoking. While most of the characters are incredibly vaguely drawn, what Cody does put on the page is a framework that allows her talented cast to inhabit moments that make you wish for a more fully-formed story.

Ricki Rendazzo (Streep) is a never-was rock singer, who, decades ago, abandoned her family to follow her dream. Now an organic grocery store clerk by day, Ricki feeds her rock-star ambitions as the lead-singer of The Flash, the house-band for the seedy, hole-in-the-wall Salt Well bar in Tarzana, California. The Flash's lead guitarist is Ricki's reluctantly casual boyfriend Greg (Springfield), who is holding back from dropping the "L" word out of fear of scaring her off.

When Julie (played by Streep's real-life daughter Mamie Gummer) goes through a painful separation, her concerned father Pete (Kline) calls his ex-wife and begs her to fly to Indianapolis to be by their daughter's side. Despite being broke and afraid to face the family that she has disappointed for so many years, Ricki returns to Indianapolis, where she is remembered as the far less-glamorous Linda.

Once home, Ricki/Linda is forced to confront all of the good and bad that she has missed in the lives of her daughter and two sons (The Winter Soldier, Sebastian Stan, and Broadway regular Nick Westrate). Also in Indianapolis is Pete's second wife, and the kids' loving second mother, Maureen (McDonald).

Helmed by iconic, Academy Award-winning director Jonathan Demme, this story, with this cast, should have been an emotional journey that explored the redemptive power of love, and held deep meaning for anyone who has either been or had parents. While that might still be true to certain degrees, the underdeveloped script, and underutilized stars, will likely leave you asking why they spent so much time and money filming Cody's first draft.

One of the things that RICKI AND THE FLASH does have going for it from a Broadway fan perspective, is that Telsey + Company did the film's casting; so we get Easter Egg-like glimpses of Broadway favorites Ben Platt, Keala Settle, Bill Irwin, and Gabriel Ebert throughout the movie.

At this point, it likely goes without saying that Streep again shows why she is the best at what she does. Ricki is such an extremely flawed and selfish individual that it would be easy to dislike her from the start. However, Streep has such command of this character that you are able to see the delicacy with which she recognizes, embraces, and overcomes her obvious shortcomings.

As should come as no surprise, at one point in the film, Pete's wives, both ex and current, face-off in one of the most subtly explosive scenes I can remember. While it is far too short, and doesn't go nearly as far as I would have liked, seeing the screen's greatest living actress go toe-to-toe with the stage's greatest living actress is a treat well-worth the price of a ticket.

During Julie's full-on emotional, downward spiral, Gummer proves that she can hold her own against her mother (although she is still indistinguishable to me from her younger sister, Grace); her performance oozes humor, pathos, and intelligence. While it is unlikely that her career will ever rival that of her mother's, I am confident that Mamie has many Meryl-worthy performances in her future. In fact, her character and performance are only ones that feel fully realized in the film.

Despite coming in at a brisk 100 minutes, the film contains numerous full-length performances of well known, and original, songs. While I wouldn't call it a musical (and I didn't have a stopwatch on it), I would venture to guess that RICKI AND THE FLASH contains more Streep singing than either MAMMA MIA! or INTO THE WOODS. In the film, The Flash covers Tom Petty, Lady Gaga, Edgar Winter, Pink, U2, Dobie Gray, Bruce Springsteen, and more.

One question that did bug me throughout the film was, how did Linda and Pete ever actually fell in love? While Streep and Kline had obvious chemistry, their characters were so different in terms of intellect and priorities that it seemed unlikely that they ever could have ever found love in the first place, even if it was somewhat shortlived.

Clearly, RICKI AND THE FLASH never quite lives up to the potential that the assembled talent warrants; however, ultimately it is a touching story about the power of love between a mother and her children. It might not be a perfect film, but it is an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours watching really talented people play on the big screen; and if the final scenes don't bring a tear to your eye, I question your ability to form human emotions.

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Check out the trailer below:

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RICKI AND THE FLASH starring Meryl Streep, Mamie Gummer, Audra McDonald, Ben Platt, Rick Springfield, Kevin Kline, Nick Westrate, Sebastian Stan, and more PG-13 for thematic material, brief drug content, sexuality, and language.

Did you visit the Salt Well to see Ricki and the Flash perform? Were you as underwhelmed by the execution as I was? Let me know what you think in the comments below, or on Twitter @BWWMatt. Also, make sure to follow @BWWMoviesWorld on Twitter for all of the biggest news from the world of movies.

Photo and Video Credit: Sony Pictures
1) Meryl Streep
2) Mamie Gummer and Meryl Streep
3) Rick Springfield and Meryl Streep

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