I would love to be kind because I live in Jonathan Demme's home town and I LOVE Meryl Streep, like Kevin Kline, but this is one of the most excruciatingly bad, painful, annoying, amateurish pieces of crap that I have seen in a long, long time. 15, 20, 25 minutes, just HOPING it would get better and I finally ended the torment by hitting STOP after 30 minutes.
shareHave to agree, getting extra free movie channels and watching this now. I love Meryl Streep as well, first off she it too old for the part, the story is very far fetched, and the dialouge....ugh.
shareI love Meryl Streep as well, first off she it too old for the part
- Yeah both her and Kevin Kline. Both are in their 60s and the kids are in their early thirties, late twenties.
the story is very far fetched and the dialouge....ugh..
- That's Diablo Cody for ya. Can't write a good story and the dialogue in each of her wretched films always blow ass.
Are you being sarcastic? Because people in their 60s having kids in their 20s and 30s is very normal...
shareRight I could not agree more I wonder what was left out was there more filmed and just not used?
This is in my top 5 worst movies of all time.
Maybe its me- maybe I am being so harsh because of the extraordinary talent involved maybe I just expected more...you know like I thought it was going to be a mother who was at a low point and found the strength to put her life back together or something anything Geeze all I got was Merly singing badly (on purpose no doubt)
so disappointed int this movie. (but I still love love love all the actors)
I can't hear you over the volume of my hair.
Amen!! Her character was so over the top. Trying to believe a cover band, without anything exceptional that makes them better than a junior high garage band... Most of the band are able to play well... The exception... The band's supposed name member, Ricky. She's competent, but no headliner, even for a local dive bar. Add her never toning down her rock & roll image, maybe tolerable with aging rock superstars. For her it's annoying...
It could have been so much more...
I'm only 25 minutes in to this and I honestly want to commit suicide.
If this is an example of how "modern" people behave then I need to off myself.
Talk about unlikable characters, every single one of these people were so self absorbed it was truly revolting to watch. I know people like this, I do my best to never get near them.
The opening scene which was supposed to represent ??? was so poorly done, was it intentionally ? An aging lounge bad with no charisma playing in front of 20 people and acting like she's at Madison Square Garden, not good cinema.
And her daughter, someone who is severly depressed does not go out to dinner, and go out around people constantly, she would become a hermit in recluse, not running around town and restaurants with a scowl ready to initiate a fight on every turn.
My Top 50 Films http://www.imdb.com/list/ls033211402/
Agree thepartydjz, very poorly written.
I only watched it or tried to watch it because it was free extra channels this weekend on my cable provider.
You're right, the scene in the restaurant, no severely depressed person is going to go out to eat, running around, and than you put her in your wedding knowing why she is depressed? Ridiculous.
Agree with what thepartydjz wrote. Add to that I was confused on the timeline. Ricki seemed to have left the family in the early -mid 90's and had limited contact with her kids in the era of cellphones, FB, texting, etc. She is stuck in what era I am not sure - 70's or is it 80's?
She left her kids when they were pre-teen or early teen and yet manages to connect with all them 20 yrs later by taking her depressed and suicidal daughter for a pedicure and singing et her son's wedding. No heartfelt talks or apologies or clearing the air. Weird.
She has to leave Indiana to find a seedy, rundown bar to perform in?
I agree completely. I left a comment on a different thread that says the same thing but not as eloquently as yours. I'm married to a professional musician who is in an incredible band and they don't even get as many gigs as R and The Flash. Unbelievable.
shareI love Meryl Streep, a fan of her daughter's work (especially in The Good Wife'), like Kevin Kline and a fan of Rick Springfield from way back - so why did I hate this movie so much? I can't believe I sat through this (borrowed the DVD from the library) - though I did FF the music. What studio head in their right mind gave this the green light?
Sorry but Streep was completely miscast in this - completely miscast. I think the movie could have been saved if they cast Cher - at least it would have been a bit more believable.
I prefer fantasy over reality TV - like Fox News. - B.Streisand
I rewound and watched her singing at the bar after she returned from her first visit. I really couldn't believe how she was trying to sound so hip but only accomplished sounding cheesy. Her ad libs in the Edgar Winter song were cringe worthy. I've always respected her as an actor and liked her choice of films but this was a miss imho.
share Completely agree. I don't waste my time listing all of the reasons why I hated this film; I appreciate that you did take the time.
All I can say is the writing was hideous and clichés were just plain embarrassing. I wish somebody had put something in the food at that restaurant film ~ ending the misery right there.
I was actually considering stopping around the same time, but miraculously around the 45 minute mark I started to like it, and by the end I was cheering. Weird, I know. I get the criticism of this film, but I feel that despite that, Streep, Kline, and all the rest really, still pulled it off in the end.
shareTotally agree with the OP. Just about every character in this movie was a caricature. Plus the storyline and dialogue were painfully unbelievable. I was embarrassed for Meryl. They attempted to create a quirky, lovable character, but IMO... she really was a horrible mother and a fairly pathetic, selfish person. And her daughter was also annoying... I felt zero sympathy for her situation. I kinda think this entire movie was made simply to give Meryl's real life daughter a dramatic role... And to indulge Meryl in her nonexistent musical ability. Sad.
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