Ricki and the Flash (2015) – BALINALE Review

Read Time:3 Minute, 27 Second

There are some cases where the movie is too little to contain the star factor of its star. Ricki and the Flash is one of them. With Oscar-winning director, Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs) and Oscar-winning writer, Cody Diablo (Juno), as helmers, it is no more than a regular drama with chic and witty dialogues, but mostly, with a serious cliche problem which has gone to “small” to contain 19-times Oscar nominee, Meryl Streep.

The premise is cool, though. Meryl Streep is a rock-chic, Ricki Rendazzo, who chose her rock-and-roll career over her family in the past. Yet, fortune has brought her home when her former husband (Kevin Kline) suddenly reappears. Reason is, her daughter, Julie (Mamie Gummer—Streep’s real-life daughter) is suicidal as a result of her marriage failure. The thing is, home has never been the same for Ricki as she returns and encounters confrontations. 

That alone should have been an interesting point—’cause we never see Streep’s rocking, but the movie sometimes hits the wrong note—as it keeps changing the tone from being optimistic to being pessimistic, and there’s never been consistency. The plot, though, is a generic and occasionally tedious one although there are some moments that becomes very light and hearty—wrapped in some see-you-again genre cliche.

After all, this is all Meryl Streep’s one-man show. Other characters are good, but not as influencing as Streep. Had Streep not played Ricki, this would have been some movie you like to skip; but Streep is the game-changer. Her character’s not really likeable, but there’s something inside her to crave for reconciliation with her past. And, Meryl Streep emanates that persona in a very sympathetic way

In the end, Ricki and the Flash is a too generic movie despite of its Oscar-winning helmers. It suffers a lot from familiarity and inconsistency before rock-and-roll Meryl Streep comes and saves the day.

Ricki and the Flash (2015)

Drama, Music Directed by: Jonathan Demme Written by: Cody Diablo Starred by: Meryl Streep, Mamie Gummer Runtime: 101 mins Rated PG – 13 for thematic material, brief drug content, sexuality and language

Image courtesy: IMDb | Official Site


Kadang ada kasus di mana sebuah film tidak mampu menampung pesona kebintangan aktrisnya. Ricki and the Flash adalah salah satunya.

Dengan digawangi oleh sutradara kaliber Oscar, Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs) dan penulis naskah yang juga kaiber Oscar, Cody Diablo (Juno), film ini tak ubahnya hanya sebuah drama biasa dengan dialog yang cerdas, namun bermasalah dengan berbagai klise yang gagal menampung kebesaran nominator Oscar sebanyak 19 kali, Meryl Streep.

Premisnya memang menarik. Meryl Streep menjadi seorang rocker wanita, Ricki Rendazzo, yang di masa lalu memilih menginggalkan keluarganya demi karir rock and rollnya. Namun, nasib membawanya kembali pulang saat mantan suaminya (Kevin Kline) datang kembali. Alasannya cukup rumit, karena putri mereka, Julie (Mamie Gummer—putri kandung Streep) mencoba bunuh diri setelah diselingkuhi suami barunya. Sayangnya, rumah tak pernah menjadi hal yang sama sejak ia pergi; tak ada yang menerimanya sama seperti dahulu.

Premisnya sendiri sebenarnya bisa menjadi sangat menarik karena kita pernah melihat Streep menyanyi, tapi belum pernah melihatnya menjadi lady rocker, tapi sayangnya film ini terlalu sering mengambil nada yang fals. Tone film ini kadang berubah-ubah sesuka hati dari optimis menjadi pesimis atau sebaliknya. Plotnya pun terlalu generic dan kadang membosankan meskipun ada kalanya beberapa moment hit the cord.

Namun, ini adalah pertunjukan tunggal Mery Streep. Pemeran lain juga bagus, hanya saja tidak seberpengaruh Streep. Andai bukan Streep yang memeranan Ricki, film ini tentu tidak sama lagi, tapi beruntunglah ada Streep sebagai game-changer. Karakternya memang tidak mudah disukai, tapi ada sisi lain dalam dirinya yang ingin berdamai dengan masa lalunya, dan Meryl Streep seperti biasa mampu menampilkan sisi itu dengan sangat simpatik.

Kesimpulannya, cerita film Ricki and the Flash memang generic walaupun digawangi filmmaker kaliber Oscar. Terlalu banyak klise dan inkonsistensi yang dimunculkan, untung ada Meryl Streep yang menyelamatkannya.


This Ricki and the Flash review is written by Paskalis Damar. Review film Ricki and the Flash ini diterjemahkan oleh Paskalis Damar sebagai liputan BALINALE 2015.


 

6 responses to “Ricki and the Flash (2015) – BALINALE Review”

  1. Big Screen Small Words Avatar
    Big Screen Small Words

    The story does seem generic, but I still might give this a go – it does seem like a light viewing kind of flick.

    1. Paskalis Damar AK Avatar
      Paskalis Damar AK

      True, it’s light movie but from Oscar-winning crews, I think it’s too light. IMO.

  2. Jenna and Allie (@FlickChicksBlog) Avatar
    Jenna and Allie (@FlickChicksBlog)

    Great review 🙂 I was very undecided when I first saw the trailer, but I’m still planning to give it a go at some point.
    – Allie

    1. Paskalis Damar AK Avatar
      Paskalis Damar AK

      Thanks, Allie 🙂 it was actually good but only to some points for me. I just can’t stand watching all the Oscar gears doing nothing at their size.

  3. Jay Avatar
    Jay

    Great review. I love Meryl but wasn’t at all convinced by the story. First time in a long time I didn’t immediately want to check out a movie of hers.

    1. Paskalis Damar AK Avatar
      Paskalis Damar AK

      Thanks! Same here. Meryl Streep is as amazing as usual, only she plays it easy with the movie.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

error: Content is protected !!