Pluskylang Great Film overall

SteinMo What a freaking movie. So many twists and turns. Absolutely intense from start to finish.

ActuallyGlimmer The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Derrick Gibbons An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

MartinHafer I have the utmost respect for Meryl Streep as an actress. She is amazing and has deserved all the acclaim for her roles in a wide variety of exceptional movies. That being said, a few years ago she made "Mama Mia"...which proved that despite her prodigious talents, Ms. Streep cannot do everything...especially when it came to singing. Perhaps this is why she later made "Ricki and the Flash"...to prove she really COULD sing. And, while she was passable, it just convinced me that once again Meryl should NOT be singing in her films. Inexplicably...Streep just finished another musical..."Mama Mia! Here We Go Again". Please, please stop already!!The story begins with a long song delivered by Meryl in a honkeytonk....and there was much more of this to come. If they'd just stopped with that one song, it might have been okay. They didn't. You learn that Meryl left her family to pursue her musical career. Her husband (Kevin Kline) has since remarried and they've both lived totally separate lives since. However, their daughter (played by Streep's real life daughter) is having emotional problems and he has invited her to come back to see their daughter, and, perhaps, to help. What comes after that is pretty cliched, though the film DOES have some excellent moments and might even elicit a few tears. My problem is the shameless way the film had Ricki (Streep) come and perform at her son's wedding and, apparently, that just made everything great and the film ends. Thank heaven for the magical power of Meryl's singing....not.The bottom line is that this movie would have been excellent if there never had been any singing at all...and the singing was a distraction. Additionally, the band actually had, as lead guitarist, Rick Springfield...a guy who really CAN sing and make music....why not let him sing if you insist on having singing?! Overall, I was pretty disappointed in this one...mostly because Meryl is a mega-talent....just not when it comes to singing.

leethomas-11621 I loved Meryl in this movie. As we all know, she is an amazing, amazing actor. Worth watching for her performance alone. But there is a lot more to the movie as well. Great to see Rick Springfield and Kevin Kline. Shortening the Ricki and the Flash performances though would have helped.

namashi_1 The Final Film by the Late/Great Jonathan Demme, 'Ricki and the Flash' is a fairly entertaining film, that works in parts. Though very predictable, this comedy-drama still has its heart at the right place.'Ricki and the Flash' Synopsis: A musician who gave up everything for her dream of rock- and-roll stardom returns home, looking to make things right with her family.'Ricki and the Flash' is a tale on family & bond, and how ambition sometimes can affect relationships deeper than imagined. Its interesting to see Ricki mingle with her estranged family & later realize the importance of being united. Diablo Cody's Screenplay is decent, but its very predictable. There are no surprises here & it firmly sticks to the genre clichés. I wish there was some newness in its Writing. Demme's Direction is faultless, as always. His loss is truly among the most tragic moments of this year, as he was truly a Master at his craft. Cinematography & Editing are fair.Performance-Wise: Meryl Streep as Linda / Ricki, slips into her character effortlessly & comes up with a winning performance. The Thespian doesn't miss a single beat. Kevin Kline, another Acting Giant in his own right, is simply superb as Ricki's former husband. Mamie Gummer (Meryl's real-life & reel-life daughter here as well), is natural to the core as the suffering soul. And Rick Springfield shines as Ricki's supportive boyfriend. Others lend perfect support. On the whole, 'Ricki and the Flash' offers nothing new, but its warm film nonetheless.

laurieteter I am in utter disbelieve that this move got released the way it is – didn't they watch it before they released it?? I imagine they started out with a good screenplay in order to attract that caliber of actors, but it is really shockingly poorly produced and directed and quite seriously insults my intelligence as a viewer. I feel like the scenes are written for a 5th grader smoking pot and, unfortunately, it just gets worse and worse as the movie goes on until it finishes with an ending that was so bad I couldn't even look! I'm just so embarrassed for the truly accomplished and brilliant actors in this film. What a waste of talent.