Meryl Streep stars as Ricki, lead singer of Ricki and the Flash, the house band at a bar in Tarzana, California called the Salt Well. We learn that years ago, she left her family to pursue a music career; her career apparently didn't go particularly well, given that she only ever put out one album, is a cashier at the Whole Foods-esque Total Foods, and is about to file for bankruptcy. Early in the film, her ex-husband Pete (Kevin Kline) calls to tell her that their daughter Julie's (Mamie Gummer's) husband has left her and that Ricki needs to fly out to Indianapolis to see her. Ricki is greeted by, at best, skepticism, and at worst, open hostility by the members of the family she finds there. In addition to Julie, Ricki has two sons, Josh (Sebastian Stan) and Adam (Nick Westrate); Josh has gotten engaged and elected not to tell Ricki, while Adam is bitter that Ricki has never fully accepted that he is gay. There is also Pete's second wife, Maureen (Audra McDonald), who is in Seattle visiting her sick father for most of Ricki's visit; she has been there for a lot of the children's life events, both big and small, that Ricki has missed, and is somewhat sympathetic to Ricki while also making it clear that her presence disrupts their lives. Maureen sends Ricki back to California but ultimately sends her a conciliatory letter inviting her to Josh's wedding. Ricki then must figure out how to forgive herself for her past; how to become part of the children's lives while respecting that an awful lot changed while she was away; and how to get out of her own way and enjoy her present, in which she, in spite of everything, has a band that she loves and a boyfriend (Greg, played by Rick Springfield of "Jessie's Girl" fame) who she can hardly believe loves her just as she is.
Screenwriter Diablo Cody (Juno, Young Adult) seems to feel affection for her characters, but isn't above subtly mocking them at times, or perhaps simply seeing the humor in their lifestyles. Ricki almost always looks like she has decided to dress up like a rock star for Halloween; we will see her early in the morning, unmade-up and naturally beautiful, only to scenes later see her out in the world with blue eyeshadow up to her eyebrows, her hair in a wild series of braids, and an omnipresent black leather jacket. It is easy to see why she attracts some odd looks at her son's wedding, yet the stuffy folks in Pete's world aren't above reproach, either; Josh and his fiancée, Emily (Hailey Gates), have a very expensive wedding that features flower girls in fairy wings, cocktails named after the bride and groom, and a vegan/gluten-free menu. It's fairly clear that Ricki probably never fit into her ex-husband's world, yet also clear that the way that she shakes up her ex-husband's and children's routines isn't completely a bad thing; Maureen and Greg are almost certainly better-suited to Pete and Ricki in the present, but you can see what Ricki and Pete saw in each other all those years ago. Ricki clearly brought a bit of spark to Pete's life, and Pete and the children must have settled Ricki a bit. The wedding scene begins to show how Ricki and Pete can continue to do that for each other while being romantically linked with people who let them be a bit more themselves.
The music scenes are top-notch. Ricki and the Flash is primarily a cover band that plays for a bar of aging but enthusiastic patrons who enjoy a variety of classic rock and current pop hits. Perhaps the best use of music in the film is a scene in which Ricki learns that Greg has sold his Gibson SG so that he and Ricki can afford to fly to Indiana for Josh's wedding. She comes to this realization as they begin playing the Dobie Gray hit "Drift Away," and the performance is full of emotion as she finally realizes how much Greg loves her. The casting of Springfield as Greg is fairly brilliant; Streep reportedly learned to play guitar for the film, and it works well to have an established, yet not immediately recognizable, musician as her lead guitarist.
As a whole, the film is enjoyable, with good music and good performances. I would recommend.
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