Meryl Streep is without question the greatest female actress of all time. She made her screen debut in the 1977 television film THE DEADLIEST SEASON and made her film debut later that same year in the film JULIA. She received the first of her 19 Academy Award nominations with her second film appearance, THE DEER HUNTER, in 1978. Currently she has more Academy Award nominations than any actor or actress in history and has won Best Supporting Actress for KRAMER VS. KRAMER (1979) and Best Actress for SOPHIE’S CHOICE (1982) and THE IRON LADY (2011). Some of her other nominated roles include THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT’S WOMANT (1981), SILKWOOD (1983), OUT OF AFRICA (1985), A CRY IN THE DARK (1988) THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY (1995), THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA (2006), and INTO THE WOODS (2014). Streep has also received 29 Golden Globe nominations, winning eight. Now Streep is back on the big screen and she takes on a whole new gig as a hard-rocking singer/guitarist in RICKI AND THE FLASH.
Ricki Rendazzo (Streep), a guitar heroine who made a world of mistakes as she followed her dreams of rock-and-roll stardom. Ricki lives in the moment and does not act how everybody thinks she should. When her daughter Julie (Mamie Gummer) is facing a personal crisis she is called by her ex-husband Peter (Kevin Kline). Ricki heads to Indiana, to the life she left behind as Linda Brummell, a wife and a mom of three. Returning home, Ricki gets a shot at redemption and a chance to make things right as she faces the music with her family
It must be very difficult and probably intimidating to act opposite Streep. All praises must be given to Mamie Gummer who portrays Ricki’s daughter Julie. She gives a fabulous performance and owns the role of Julie. Gummer’s performance is interesting, complex and moving. As Julie she is shocking and hilarious and heartbreaking and unpredictable. Though I had not remembered seeing her in any previous films, she looked very familiar to me but I just could not place her. The reason for the familiarity? She is Streep’s real life daughter. She more than holds her own against her mother which what had to be quite a nerve wrecking experience. This is not a case of nepotism. She gives a brave and vanity-free performance. I was impressed with her before I knew her lineage and I look forward to her next film.
Along with Gummer good performances, are delivered by Kevin Kline, who can always be counted on with excellence. Rock legend Rick Springfield, best known for his 80s-era music hits and role on GENERAL HOSPITAL (skip his 80’s movie HARD TO HOLD) gives a good performance as Ricki’s boyfriend Greg. Unknown Audra McDonald also gives a good performance. Unfortunately both Springfield and McDonald have underwritten roles with Springfield spending more time singing and playing guitar as a member of the Flash than he does acting in his role as Ricki’s boyfriend. McDonald, who plays Maureen, Pete’s new wife, fares better as she appears in the best scene of in the film in which she lays down the law with Streep. As a side note McDonald is Black and there is not one mention of that fact.
Since this is a film about a musician the film has several, ten to be exact, lengthy musical performances. In essence the Flash became a real band. Everything you see and hear is the real deal. Streep is singing and playing guitar. They are a real band. In the band are Bernie Worrell, a founding member of Parliament-Funkadelic, who plays keys, Rick Rosas – a/k/a “Rick the Bass Player” – who played with Neil Young and Joe Vitale, the original touring drummer for Crosby, Stills & Nash.
As much as I enjoyed the film it seems a bit incomplete as if the third act was abandoned. At this the point the film ends there is no resolution and only superficially handles the issues that were addressed earlier in the film. She has two sons but we barely see them in the film notably in a disastrous family dinner. The film ends on an upbeat happy note; a classic Hollywood ending but the film seems to be missing a third act.
Ricki Rendazzo is definitely a Meryl Streep we’ve never seen before and she is likely to earn yet another Academy Award nomination for playing an actual, authentic, singing guitar player. Streep, already a talented singer, trained for months to play the guitar. The filmmakers seemed to have taken more of an interest in making the music scenes lively but did not take the same care for the off stage material. I have mixed feelings about this film and if feel the 2.5 rating does not do it justice. It is possible to have good performances in a bad film. This is not a bad film and in lessor hands this could have been a Lifetime movie of the week.
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