Ricki and the Flash

When it comes to comedies, I have a particular taste in how they're written and what the premise happens to be. Case in point: I like a great prat fall, physical comedy as much as another, however if they lean more toward a vulgar, predictable, 'fart joke' type of film, it's a real turn-off. However if they are laced with a great script, well acted, with humor that you have to think about a bit, this to me is a far better comedy. This is basically what we have in the form of "Ricki and the Flash".

Meryl Streep stars as Ricki Rendazzo, a guitar heroine who gave up everything for her dream of rock-and roll stardom, but is now returning home, via a phone call from her long-suffering ex-husband Pete Brummel (Kevin Kline), to make things right with her family. Her daughter, Julie (Mamie Gummer) has been dumped by her husband for a younger woman and is now depressed with suicide ideations. Her son Josh (Sebastian Stan) is engaged to be married, while her other son Adam (Nick Westrate) turns out to be gay. What is a mom to do? Meanwhile, she oversees her band, The Flash, who the lead guitarist, Greg (Rick Springfield) is in love with her and her friend, Daniel (Ben Platt), the bartender where the band plays, basically becomes her advisor. With all these entirely different people in her life to play a balancing act with, can she still obtain what sanity she still has?

Others to round out the cast are Audra McDonald as Maureen, Pete's present wife, Rick Rosas as Buster, Joe Vitale as Joe, Bernie Worrell as Billy and Keala Settle as Sharon.

This was directed by the consummate veteran Jonathan Demme ("Swing Shift" '84, "Swimming to Cambodia" '87, "Married to the Mob" '88, "The Silence of the Lambs" '91, "Philadelphia" '93, "The Truth About Charlie" '02, "The Manchurian Candidate" '04, "Rachel Getting Married" '08, "A Master Builder" '13) plus other films and many documentaries. This director typically chooses films centering around one or maybe two characters and works off these actors, and it works for him well. This was written by Diablo Cody ("Juno" '07, "Jennifer's Body" '09, "Young Adult" '11, "Paradise" '13) plus some TV. Cody is an accomplished writer--she won an Oscar for her writing of "Juno", so it interests me why she treaded on ground that other writers have already treaded. Even though the writing was solid, I can't help to think how familiar the feel of this is to "August: Osage County" '13, "This is Where I Leave You" '14, even "Monster-in-Law" '05. Familiar in that all are basically about the dysfunction of families and their dysfunction between one another. All written solidly and all funny. This opinion certainly doesn't make this film a bad one, just one written by a professional that didn't really need to go this route. Mind you, I did enjoy this--it did take a bit of time to get going, but once it did, it simply soared. I love subtle, well-written films about family dysfunction, because there's so much good material one can inject into a meaty script that when it plays onscreen, it's a laugh riot. Meryl Streep was at her usual best, but we've come to expect that from her at this point in her career. Interestingly, Streep's real daughter, Gummer plays her fictional daughter in this.

If you like this type of dysfunctional, quirky, subtle comedy, you will revel, however if your cup of tea leans more to the loud, brassy, physical, toilet humor type of comedy, this probably won't be a film you will be able to wrap your head around. Certainly if you liked the aforementioned films, this is one that you must see.

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                          Rated: PG-13                               101mins.