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Ricki and the Flash

Play trailer 1:37 Poster for Ricki and the Flash PG-13 Released Aug 7, 2015 1h 40m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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65% Tomatometer 199 Reviews 43% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
It's been a roller-coaster ride for Ricki Rendazzo (Meryl Streep), a one-time wife and mother of three who left her family behind to follow her dreams of rock 'n' roll stardom in California. Now, the singer and guitarist must face the music when she returns home to Indiana to reconnect with ex-husband Pete (Kevin Kline), troubled daughter Julie, engaged son Josh and younger son Adam. Filled with regret, Ricki hopes to find redemption for all of the bad choices that she made in the past.
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Ricki and the Flash

Ricki and the Flash

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Critics Consensus

Meryl Streep's outstanding work helps Ricki and the Flash overcome its inconsistent tone and fairly predictable premise.

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Critics Reviews

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Anthony Lane The New Yorker Demme is unrivalled at filming bands at play—and at noticing the folks who listen and dance along—and Streep’s part is worthy of her formidable gifts. Aug 29, 2022 Full Review Catherine Eaton Bitch Media [Ricki And The Flash] carries a maturity that her earlier films lacked... Despite that, the movie ends in a syrupy sweet reconciliation. Feb 9, 2021 Full Review Max Weiss Baltimore Magazine Streep makes us care about Ricki even when she's being a stubborn jerk. It's another astonishing performance by her, in a film just good enough to deserve it. Rated: 3/4 Jun 12, 2016 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Cody and her characters have more esteem for Ricki than the audience, and she never quite convinces us that the character is worth the complete redemption she receives. Rated: 2/4 May 29, 2022 Full Review Joanne Laurier World Socialist Web Site Ricki and the Flash is stale, slapdash filmmaking-with the inevitable incorporation of identity politics-and largely a placeholder. Feb 26, 2021 Full Review Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com The truth is that there are a handful of performers who make nearly everything they do better. Streep is one of these performers. Rated: 2.5/4.0 Sep 21, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Blu B The music is good and the one saving grace for this. Streep can sing pretty well as a rocker and Rick Springfield is good too. The second half is loaded with musical numbers and it helps turn things around from a very clunky and not good first half. Even though the pacing is alright because of the second half musical numbers the editing overall isn't good and one of the biggest problems. Structurally it's weird in the first half it feels like what takes most film to get out of the way and set up this film drags out way longer. The point where Ricki and the other Mom have their fight, this should've been done in the first 20 minutes or so. It just feels so dragged out and once she gets to her ex husbands house stuff just happens. It really runs out of momentum after a solid opening number. It all just doesn't feel that well connected. It still has that problem in the second half with the musical numbers but at least there cool to listen too and more visually appealing. The acting and cinematography is just alright too. Another weird problem is how basic and uninspired the direction feels. I can't believe this is Demme late in his career. It feels like there is no style or distinction at all from him with this and not in a way where they don't let the direction get int the way of good storytelling. It NEEDS better direction. I don't know if that's because he didn't know how to do musical numbers but the nonmusic scenes feel so lifeless even though they are well lit and framed alright. It's weird to explain honestly. It needed better direction overall. And no one really has that much chemistry honestly save for Streep and Springfield who aren''t bad. But their romance subplot feels like it goes nowhere by the end. Hoenstly skip this I'd say. Everyone involved has done better work including Streep with better musicals. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/27/25 Full Review Kyle M Perfectly paired written direction between Jonathan Demme’s humane dysfunction and Diablo Cody’s psychoanalysis of one’s prioritized growth in need of wholesome heal, albeit restrained from pushing the confrontational envelope under repetitive risk with defensive character study. Meryl Streep, whose character stands out problematically, takes it all in with her caliber ever graceful uniquely spun and averagely downplayed, whilst a demonstrative key to dysfunctional heal by sensitively potential relatability. (B) Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/11/24 Full Review Simon T It's well acted but only the early awkward scenes with the estranged family failing to connect have enough comic mileage. Kevin Kline is wasted as Meryl Streep's ex-husband, and Jonathan Demme fails to pull it all together. He loses sight of the core plot, sacrificing way too much screen time to Streep's endless wannabe rock chick doodlings. What starts astringent ends as mush. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 05/12/24 Full Review Alec B This is the type of role I'd like to see Streep do more (weird, unglamorous, and funny), I just wish the performance was in a better movie. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 12/14/23 Full Review Gerald F Thought it was an excellent story/plot superb acting by Streep & Springfield. Not many of these band type stories play out well, but this one certainly did. Loved it!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/28/23 Full Review Diana D Liked watched because of Rick Springfield love him. The music is great Meryl Streep can really rock it. The first hour and a half was good. A mother being there for her daughter to help her get back on feet and facing her other children what I disliked was what happened did they become a happy family after they played in a band. I had to fast forward the music it was a bit much. Rick Springfield goergeous as ever !!! Rated 3 out of 5 stars 07/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Ricki and the Flash

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis It's been a roller-coaster ride for Ricki Rendazzo (Meryl Streep), a one-time wife and mother of three who left her family behind to follow her dreams of rock 'n' roll stardom in California. Now, the singer and guitarist must face the music when she returns home to Indiana to reconnect with ex-husband Pete (Kevin Kline), troubled daughter Julie, engaged son Josh and younger son Adam. Filled with regret, Ricki hopes to find redemption for all of the bad choices that she made in the past.
Director
Jonathan Demme
Producer
Marc Platt, Gary Goetzman, Diablo Cody, Mason Novick
Screenwriter
Diablo Cody
Distributor
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Production Co
Clinica Estetico, TriStar Pictures, LStar Capital
Rating
PG-13 (Language|Brief Drug Content|Sexuality|Thematic Material)
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 7, 2015, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 4, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$26.8M
Runtime
1h 40m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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