I came across this picture at the time of its release, but it turned out to see only relatively recently.
The daughter of popular in certain circles rock musician Ricky, who is not even Ricky, is in a difficult life situation due to parting with his other half, and the father of the family asks his ex-wife and the mother of their children, from whom Ricky left several decades ago, giving preference to his favorite occupation - rock and roll, to come and support his native child ... native, but already alien.
If it weren’t for the lead role, for which I decided to watch the film, then this review would most likely have a neutral gray color. And only the bright, pronounced and unsurpassed play of the most talented Meryl Streep gives my review a green hue and does not allow the picture to become passable in its genre. As the story unfolds, the film raises, of course, topical questions about family and relationships between close relatives, but the film still lacks the depth of characters that are not disclosed, and after watching Ricky and the Flash, there is a sense of understatement. Mami Gummer, on the background of her parent’s play, of course, noticeably loses, given what an extraordinary and unexpected role the winner of three Oscar awards played and what a brilliant game she showed. Also pleased with the live performance of rock music and scenery of the house, where the main part of the shooting took place.
Fans of Meryl Streep’s talent “Ricky and the Flash” are definitely recommended to watch, and the rest are at their personal discretion.
6 out of 10
I remember being jealous of a friend who went to the movies for the premiere of this movie. I must say that a friend, in the past, played drums and bass guitar in a rock band. I also once performed at vocal competitions, taking prizes. We both understood the main character’s aspirations. But now I'm a mother of two young children, and I've completely changed my interests, shifting my focus from the stage to the family. To go to the cinema under the handle with my husband was something from the field of fiction, so I waited when the film appeared on the network, watched it late at night, when my robbers were asleep.
Ricky and the Flash is about choice and consequences. Meryl Streep’s heroine, Linda, dreams of fame, but her achievement depends on a lot. In particular, she has children and a husband who will have to sacrifice for the sake of stage and music. An incredibly difficult choice leads Linda (Ricky) to live in another state, performing covers of famous songs in small clubs. She did not receive any fame or star status during her career. In family life, too, bad luck. It turns out, from her once made decision to leave her family, only losses. Once upon a time, Linda’s ex-husband married another woman who became a wonderful mother to all the abandoned chicks of the cuckoo mother. Now that Linda is invited to her son’s wedding and has to live in her ex-husband’s house, the two women clash in an endless battle of characters: the stepmother is conservative in matters of upbringing, Linda, on the contrary, is liberal, but despite this, it is difficult to call her a mother, because in fact she abandoned her children to achieve her ambitions.
Sparkling, incomparable Meryl Streep coped with the role magnificently. Because she is the mother of four children. However, she had to play a completely unconventional female character, turning the meaning of motherhood inside out. She had to leave her own children for a long time during filming, and therefore she is very clear what a woman can experience in such a situation. I admire Streep’s talent, especially when it comes to combining an exciting career and family. She like no one shows that you can be in demand in the profession, and be the keeper of the hearth in a large family. But her character Linda could not fully realize herself in any field. Unless she meets a kind and good man, part-time second guitarist of her band "Flash".
I really liked Mamie Gummer, the daughter of Streep herself, who chose the same path as her mother. Their relationship in the frame was shrill and full of pain and nature: you do not know whether they play or live like this. This is a great game for mothers!
The film is very deep and touching, sad and a bit bitter. He tells us that behind any of our decisions there may be great storms that will not make us happy or bring us what we want. When you are bold and alone, you can do anything. But when you are already inseparable from the family, breaking off relations with them in favor of a dream is an insidious idea. Pan or gone. I refer to another work by Meryl in Bridges of Madison County, where her character is a mother and wife in a similar situation: between a new love and family, choosing a debt. Amazingly, Destiny allowed Meryl to “lose” both scenarios, albeit only in the frame. It is a pity that we do not have such an opportunity, and we can only dream that our children, having grown up, do not shy away from us and invite them to their own weddings.
Drama, comedy, music. Sebastian Stan continues to throw pigs to those who practice the cultural program What did I watch for you. For those who are not familiar with this concept, I explain: you go by the filmography of an actor: you take a film. You tolerate it. Sorry. You fight. Repeat it all over again.
Ricky is Linda, who doesn't want to be Linda. Let others grow up, take responsibility, stale and let their joints creak! Ricky takes Linda and dumps all her sand and regrets into her, putting the burden of family responsibilities and other joyless, voluntary-compulsive ones on her way to eternal youth and insight as time passes. Skin is flabby, eyes are getting worse and worse, bills are rising at cosmic speed; the latter is especially likely if you left Linda to deal with taxes and rent, turning into Ricky and deciding never, ever to get old.
There's no such thing in life. I think making mistakes and choosing to always be a rock star is cool, even if it’s fraught with the pain you’re causing your loved ones. But perhaps this is the key to the inexhaustible joy of life, to the anxiety that makes the energy warm in the old body. "Ricky and the Flash" is about Linda, who decided to be Ricky, and sort of about her mistakes, which she brings to the altar of infinite freedom - but not completely. Seriously posed dilemma, and also a pinch of feminism, and also, for the sake of equality, which to the bloody foam are now revelling somewhere in the West (and the fuck with them) gays – all buried under the self-serving slapped happy end. It's kind of unreal. And that’s even worse because the movie has a chance. There is a sensual, eternal, playful Meryl Streep, and she even rocks the hanger with her grins. And some of the themes, some of the questions that these moronic characters ask each other sometimes get some kind of response, and it feels like, oh, hooked on something. But then it breaks down and swims away drifting in delirium.
So for example, Moe and Ricky's relationship -- you could add a lot of kicks. In the preponderance of this good theme, the eco-maniacs of Josh were drawn, crumpling his smile, even if the ears of the ears, in dreams of the next part of Captain America, and his bride, a line that never, never in his life, justified itself, because such nonsense simply does not happen. Eco-wedding, dresses made of paper, light bulbs in organic fireflies oil, cocktails of grass with leaves and that's all.
Old age in the rock community, as in This must be the place, Ricky’s inextinguishability and her wisdom, wrapped in carelessness, her exceptionalism and immortal rebelliousness, making her the only living person against the background of boring, properly grown inhabitants, a strange, amazingly human scene in the kitchen that occurred between former spouses – and all this wealth under the rubble of hastily thrown tinsel.
So the impression is twofold. Absolutely, the core of the film is visible - but it vomits from the inside with an abundance of standardized comedy sauce, and under it the main dish is lost. Of course, there is nothing to collect pieces here; you can see, but what to do with it later is not quite clear. The final, which was offered to the viewer, is like a lame compromise, as if the whole idea in the end gave up because they did not have time for the deadline. In fact, things would have turned out differently; you can give the film a presumption of innocence by saying that no one was pursuing realism, but why are there these posh life burdens, if not to claim truth?
It’s not Jonathan Demme’s best film, but it definitely deserves a little more credit than it usually gets.
It has a certain duality: on the one hand, it is concise (for example, I would like to see at least a couple of scenes of interaction between mother and daughter, mother and stepmother, father with stepmother, daughter with ex, but, in fact, there is nothing to add, because everything has already been said), on the other hand, there are several too long scenes, and sometimes you have to miss. However, if you are set for a leisurely and thoughtful viewing, long scenes of performances will not hurt you.
Also, the film is replete with long general plans and it clearly lacks big men. And although it is dedicated to energetic rock music, the energy in it is quite small. And I didn’t like the fact that all the performances are shot in the same manner – and when the main character performs in a bad mood, and when she is depressed, and when she is having fun on stage, and when she is generally in shock and tearing the whole hall to shreds – the directing of these scenes is completely equally boring and sluggish, on one note, not reflecting the change in the mood of the heroine. That's where the musical Rock for Ages, with its adequate choreography of stage performances, wins with a clear edge.
The songs are great, so are the actors. Meryl Streep is here reunited with Kevin Kline and her daughter. The ensemble is helped by the already deserved, but still unfading rock musician Rick Springfield, shining with the results of his blepharoplasty. I was particularly impressed by Audrey MacDonald’s performance: her role is very small, but very significant and vividly played. I immediately wanted to study her filmography in more detail and see other works (and was glad that next year her new joint film with Kevin Kline “Beauty and the Beast” will be released, although the roles are small again).
And finally, I want to praise the accurate and accurate dialogues: they reveal the topic completely, from all sides, and funny cultural references slip through them, Tesha experts in rock. In general, the film is good, it just does not have enough slime, energy, it is too full of age fatigue, as if the fact that the performers of the main roles are far over 60, and the director generally over 70 affects. And even sad somehow, feeling: rock is the good old music of the past in our confused age of Pink and Lady Gaga.
7 out of 10
This film is an example of how great actors exist. This film is an example of how great actors can pull anything. And in the banal plot, you start to see the depth. Thanks to Meryl Streep, I'm sure it's a movie about an unhappy mother. I realized this towards the end, when the son of the heroine Meryl at the wedding said that she too late announced her consent to visit her, the place is not changed, and she was put at the table with the musicians (to the staff). To the staff! Isn't it a tragedy when a son at his own wedding can't put an unhappy chair next to himself at his desk? While the heroine Meryl was walking from her seat at the wedding to the table of the bride and groom, I once again admired the talent of this actress. Step by step we feel this distance. The distance between the tables is like the distance between the heroine Meryl and her family, society, normal life.
I can’t say anything bad about music, as well as nothing good. Specifically, in this film, nothing is given by the fact that the character of Meryl does, however, like all the other characters. Everything is very conditional and moves the plot like the tip of the iceberg, without capturing its entire scale.
Meryl Streep saved this film and my time, which I do not consider wasted on this viewing.
7 out of 10
For the talented actress and the belief that I will see her again on the screen
We’ve all made a lot of mistakes in our lives – some we’ve corrected, some we haven’t. But such is our life that not always, the choices we make are the right ones. This is the movie about it.
Ricky is no longer a young woman who in the past abandoned her husband and three children to fulfill her dream of becoming a rock star. But the dream did not come true and the result: Ricky plays with his musical group The Flash in a seedy bar, which is somewhere on the outskirts of California. As a result, there is no money, relations with the family are not the best, or rather none and it seems that life was spent in vain. But then there is such an event, because of which Ricky has to return to his children, that’s where the changes begin, and what exactly – you learn by looking.
The film was funny and kind. When viewing sometimes rolls bright sadness, but nevertheless the picture looks easy. Good songs and music, bright atmosphere. Nice movie. It shows us once again that it is never too late to change some of the things that haunt us.
Meryl Streep really liked me in the role of an older rock singer, not a typical image for her, but very bright. Marilyn played her character 100% or more. Although she did not perform her songs professionally, she still looked very good. I don’t even know how to sing. Mamie Gummer in the role of a depressed divorcee, who was very much missed by her own mother, was also good. I was very happy to see Sebastian Stan in this film, mercilessly drooling on him since the time of Deal. Also liked Kevin Kline in the image of an immensely loving father and Rick Springfield looked great in the role of a rock singer. The others didn't look bad either. The only thing I really didn’t like is the actress who played the role of Josh’s bride, and I wanted to strangle her character, to such an extent she irritated me. It's a nightmare! Perhaps the only dark spot in the caste.
In the end, I can say that the film was soulful. The plot, though predictable, but the film looks cheerful and easy. Lots of great rock compositions that enliven the narrative. Overall, I liked it.
Meryl Streep is one of those actresses who can play anyone and anything. Not just playing, but really being the person she plays. Moreover, even the weakest film in drama, the actress easily brings to a less watchable level, placing on their no longer young shoulders the ungrateful burden of the initially unsuccessfully conceived project by the authors. Ricky and the Flash is a good example of this. No, I do not doubt the talent of Diablo Cody and respect her for her bold script work, but in this case we have to complain about the implementation of her next frankness by the directors. With the naked eye it is noticeable that the director Jonathan Demme, the creator of the cult picture “Silence of the Lambs”, the theme featured in the tape is banally uninteresting. Let me conclude that he didn’t have much to say, since he had to watch Demme try to fill in the holes in the plot with numerous performances by Ricky throughout the viewing. Yes, I understand the director, it is pleasant to shoot the Strip - it is surely a pleasure to work with her, because every scene with her participation comes to life, and her singing in the heat of passions, emotions and expression is not inferior to the performances of the best rock stars. And if some novice in directing would be forgiven so confused and blundered, the professional still shameful. The tape is devoid of cinematography, the narrative is torn, the concept is completely unthought out ... It seems that we have a friendly cabbage collected in honor of the great actress, in which she decided to appear in a new image for her fans. All this is not bad as a surprise TV show, but the project was created for large screens.
But let’s look at the main conflict, which, thanks to the talent of a great star, still pleasantly surfaced, exposing the eternal problems of human existence: misunderstanding, understatement, loneliness and, of course, love, which always manifests itself in different ways, while having a similar desire to bring together ever-exciting, but certainly beating hearts. Streep managed not only to reveal the whole nature of his heroine, but also to give her an original inner core. Before us is a woman with a history, with a peculiar manner of speech, with a few vulgar habits and with a strange appearance, especially for her age. Meryl easily tries on this eccentric image invented by Diablo and feels like a fish in the water. Of course, as in all people, there are many contradictions in her Ricky-Linda, and the actress does not just try to justify her character by exposing her as a victim of the situation, but on the contrary, allows us, the audience, to dig with her over the rebellious essence of the strange mother and eventually accept her as she is - with all the advantages and disadvantages. And all this is so interesting to watch that it is not biased to evaluate the picture as a whole, well ... I personally do not work. I watched the Strip without stopping until the final credits floated before my eyes.
But if you take aside the preconceived love for Meryl and look at the tape more soberly, then alas, we have to state the fact that it is very poorly tailored. In addition to Ricky, there are many other characters in the film, the development of which I would like to watch. For example, the daughter of the main character, who, by the way, is her own child in life, at first seemed to attract attention with her unusual character, as well as a sad story, but after that she was almost safely forgotten. But the interaction of the mother and daughter could turn out not only funny, which they actually turned out to be, but also very deep. They both have a lot to say to each other. In addition, the approach to the girl was too reactive, and therefore it was not really believed that a walk to the hairdresser with a mother who did not appear for years took and somehow changed the inner world of the young heroine. Graduality is necessary here, I think, because at the behest of the magic wand, nothing in the world changes. A similar conceptual falsity was evident throughout the wedding banquet. Everyone stood up at once and changed their attitude towards the one who is categorically not understood. Such a happy ending may be pleasant, but still rolls the already mediocre ribbon into complete banality.
But screen time could be enough for the development of the plot and characters. But Demme was so passionate about Streep's vocal performances that he decided not to bother with all that makes a film a movie. And the performances are beautiful, I do not argue – the actress in her characteristic manner gets used to everything that moves and does not move, performs each song incredibly sensual and subtle. But there were episodes that clearly occupied the timing intended to build a storyline. It all turned out to be like pruning ... But morale with all this the author managed to save, and it is very relevant here. People from time immemorial constantly tend to condemn their neighbor, sometimes completely unaware of their own sins. Each lost soul has its own story, in which there are various reasons that motivate certain actions. Yes, we make mistakes. Who didn't? In our quest for freedom, we sometimes overlook many important things. When we achieve freedom, we lament the emptiness that has arisen from the achievement of a goal. We often come back to ask forgiveness from those we have offended. Through a kind gesture, understanding words, or an eternal love song. After all, it is not in vain that they say that everything that is done is done for the better!
P.S. The picture was incomplete, especially in terms of cinematography. But thanks to the talent of one of the best actresses of our time, she is still filled with feelings, emotions and love. But immediately I say, all this can be seen only in the pleasantly contradictory image of the main character, because all the others are ordinary spectators on the rock benefit of a great star. And then the audience becomes not only colleagues of Streep, but also the director himself, who is so carried away by the image of the diva that he completely forgot about his skill.
In recent years, and watching the trend of modern films, I increasingly catch myself thinking that either modern cinema completely forgot how to surprise, or the audience turned out to be so savvy, experienced and sophisticated that everything is taken for granted. But there are always rare exceptions to the rules, which introduce a certain variety in the already stagnant foundations and this film directed by Jonathan Demme can certainly be considered such.
After all, in the last place you expect that the person who shot the creepy and frightening thriller “Silence of the Lambs” can remove something so harmless and cute, and the venerable actress “Maryl Streep” will have plenty of fun in the image of the rock star of the past, and this is perhaps what plays for the benefit of this tape in the first place. Since perhaps it is for these two big names and start watching the film and perhaps not in vain.
It is difficult to call this film ideal, but certainly the director of the film Jonathan Demme kept the picture in very light, lyrical, kind and vital tones that cannot but please throughout the film. Thus, allowing you to watch the film not only with your eyes and mind, but with a wide open soul and heart, which is extremely rare. Perhaps it is this that allows you to perceive all this screen fable by no means ostentatious farce, how much an ordinary fairy tale and only having tuned in to a similar way you get a certain pleasure from watching the tape and involuntarily charged with the brightest emotions. Throughout the film, director Jonathan Demme raises a whole bunch of different themes. Whether it’s about the role of women in today’s society, or a total disregard for those who are different from all of us. As if it were external or a way of life. At the same time, leaving the central theme of the picture is the topic of family and relations in this family.
Screenwriter of the film Diablo Cody in the usual form explores the topic of a rather difficult fate of another unusual representative of the fairer sex and her acute relationship with her own children. The topic itself is not revealed properly and does not demonstrate the inner progress of the main character as a person, but certainly leads to the most important thing that the director wanted to say. What would you choose, give birth, raise and be there for your children, sacrificing the dream of your life, or abandon them to find your own happiness? Everyone chooses the answer for himself and the director of the film Jonathan Demme refrains from condemning any of the characters. Which is what this film is about. Especially since the climax of the picture makes it clear the most important thing. No matter what our parents do, no matter what they forbid us to do, they are always our parents who gave us life and will always love us. In spite of everything and in spite of everything.
Definitely the main pearl of the picture is the performer of the main role Meryl Streep. What roles did not play such a respected and strong actress throughout her rich career, but she has never been so and this certainly gives her character and the tape itself a special charm. Thus, allowing the Strip to not only play out in such an eccentric way, but also perhaps play one of the brightest roles in his career. Especially against the background of such luxuriously performed cult rock ballads due to the impressive vocals Streep. Quite good and Mami Gummer, who, being a real daughter of Streep, authentically played the daughter of her heroine on the screen. You can see that these two women have nothing to do with the script, but something more. Which allows you to sincerely enjoy the indescribable chemistry between these two actresses.
6 out of 10
Ricky and the Flash is a fairly light, kind, vital and pleasant drama, which you see with no eyes and mind, as much as with a wide open soul and heart. Cinema is certainly not perfect, but certainly sympathetic with its magical fabulousness, pleasant narration, morality and naturally Meryl Streep in such an unexpected and eccentric image.
High-quality old-school music, valuable morality, contradictory behavior of the hero, immoral jokes and Meryl Streep. Is it possible to combine all this in one movie? And most importantly, will this film be of high quality? This question was asked by director Jonathan Demm, who specializes in family dramas, and screenwriter Diablo Cowdy, who, judging by her recent works, is extremely interested in the stories of women who try to correct the mistakes of the past.
In the center of the story, the soloist of the rock band Ricki and the Flash, 60-year-old Ricky Rindazzo. Once upon a time, many years ago, she ran away from her businessman-husband and three children to fulfill her cherished dream of becoming a rock star. Well, for a few dozen visitors to a backwater California tavern, she is indeed a star performing the hits of their youth. Her daytime side is Linda, who works at a grocery store, barely makes ends meet and struggles to fall asleep at night. Not a better life, but it is. But things suddenly go awry when Ricky calls her ex-husband and asks for help with their daughter, who has fallen into depression after being abandoned by her husband. Ricky somehow scrapes up the money for the ticket, goes home and stumbles upon the inevitable wall of hatred and contempt of grown children. This story is a story about correcting mistakes, thinking about the correctness of a fateful choice.
The film raises a very important topic – the choice of a woman between a dream and a family. A few decades ago, such a choice was not even worth it: the mother could not even think about choosing something other than visiting the baby’s mornings and cooking borschy after work. But a new age has come: a woman is free to plan her own future, free to realize herself in all spheres. But whatever she decides, she must be fully aware of the consequences, as was the case with Meryl Streep. Ricky knows what kind of reception awaits her in the house of her ex-husband, but she goes, because love for her own child conquers self-pity.
It doesn’t matter if they love you. You must love them, they are your children. (c)
As time passes, Ricky's care and attention slowly sinks the ice in the hearts of children. Now her own daughter does not curl at the sight of her mother’s hairstyle, accepts her as she is – an elderly rocker, desperately clinging to her dream. Here the eldest son sincerely smiles and hugs the unlucky parent, and even the youngest slowly lets her into his life. But Ricky still remains an outcast among his family and will always be. The viewer does not feel pity for heroin, on the contrary, there is only respect for a strong person who with his head raised accepts the consequences of a fateful choice. Someone will say: what kind of mother she is, abandoned children, and now pretends to love and care for their fate. And no one will judge him, because there will never be an unambiguous opinion on this issue.
It is worth mentioning another wonderful character, the guitarist of the band “The Flash”, who has pure and beautiful romantic feelings for Ricky, a little callous in this regard. This hero is literally an example of the ideal guy: patiently endures all the cruel hamstrings of his unbalanced soloist, achieves it, sacrificing a lot. And what's great is that Rick the guitarist was not made a memley or hen heels, he is the same strong character, an equal partner, helping the main character bravely go through life.
It would be a mistake to go to Ricky and the Flash as an American comedy. You tune in to an easy movie, and you get the strongest drama that penetrates to the depths of the soul of the scene. And precisely selected musical compositions only enhance this effect. Especially for this film, Meryl Streep learned to play electric guitar, and all 10 works were performed live. The film is seasoned in the right amount and sparkling, sometimes slightly immoral and vulgar humor, which, surprisingly, does not spoil the impression of the picture.
Meryl Streep (Ricky) performed well in dramas, starred in musical films. But this film is like collecting all the best that the actress did. The role of an elderly rocker, strong and grateful, succeeded her to fame, other actors, no less eminent, perfectly played with her, creating an unusual strong film that allows you to look at the eternal problem of fathers and children from an unusual angle.
"Your heart is not a steak." It's like a Big Mac, never go bad.” (c)
I’m not a big fan of Meryl Streep and I started watching this movie by accident. I watched 5 minutes and could not come off: I was absolutely fascinated by this story.
The advantage of the film, undoubtedly, is that there are no unequivocal answers and unambiguous assessments. Did a woman, a mother of three, do the right thing by abandoning them for a musical career? What was she supposed to do? Live for the kids? The filmmakers do not give direct answers to these questions. Yes, the heroine’s life did not turn out as she dreamed of in her youth. Yeah, she didn't become a Hollywood star. Yeah, she knows she wasn't a good mother. But at the same time, he continues to enjoy life, remains himself.
And the duet of Meryl Streep and Mammy Gummer, in my opinion, is also a great success of the film. This kind of secret intimacy of a daughter and mother in the film is simply piercing. It is impossible to play this same half-look, this barely noticeable gesture of a mother repeated in her daughter, this kindred spirit that helps make the story told in the film absolutely true. From all this comes true drama.
Another story about family problems. Completely ordinary, stamped.
This is the first time I've ever put 2 points on a movie with Meryl Streep. The first point, just for her, the second - for reflecting the real picture of the modern generation. I’m part of this generation, which I hate. “My people” – everyone who is at least 8-10 years older and still grew up in the “right culture”: sex, beer, metal, “Terminator”, education without the exam, Tolkien.
As George Lucas puts it in an old interview, “I grew up in westerns.” I had my own heroes that made my imagination work. When I created Star Wars, I wanted the next generation to have heroes. (Not literally, but that's the point.) I don’t know how, but being one of the oligophrenic generation of the 90s, I remained a child of the 60s, 70s, 80s. It is clear that I am very sensitive to metal and rock, but what is shown in "Riki" did not affect.
There is absolutely nothing in Ricky and the Flash: thoughtful characters, conflicts, scenery.
I watch a lot of movies and unwittingly compare pictures of modernity (most) with the good old ones. Terrified. Selection of actors is worth it. Previously, this was approached very carefully, especially in female roles. Take the most beautiful, talented Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Vivien Leigh, others (even not the main roles of the actress were chosen zealously and meticulously) and those who are allowed to lead roles now: Mia Wasikowska, Chloe Grace Moretz, Lea Seydoo, the heroine of Julie (Mamy Gummer) – the daughter of Linda from Ricky, Keira Knightley, Dakota Fenning, Rosemary DeWitt... We can go on forever. Nightmare! Don't look at the horror! The introduction in the form of “divorce of the arsault daughter (Gummer)” gave me only one thought: “How did such a woman even manage to get married?”
I was very disappointed with the work of the makeup artist. Disgusting makeup for Meryl Streep. Maybe they wanted to show her as a really old and worthless rocker, but it's Meryl! She can't look like that, even if the role demands it. Unskillful hands and blind eyes of the makeup artist and / or lack of light in the dressing room are thrown.
What is the reflection of the modern generation? At the end. Again, a terribly terrible chick in the role of the bride (so it was realized by Hayley Grace): teeth crooked, pimpling some, hair whirlwinds, facial features look like a monster from the old vile horror movie Pumpkinhead (maybe who watched?), with a helpless look wrinkles from the fact that banally afraid of the rock that is about to begin. (People are afraid of what they don’t understand.) All the others, instead of rejoicing that now will begin a live rock, which at least somehow will save and revive the dreary wedding, freeze, afraid to move and stare at the stage with fright. But you can see how out of the mass of guests the old people quickly pass through everything and begin to nod their heads, smile and stomp with their feet.
This is the only place in the picture where the performance really came in handy. Otherwise, we're tired of songs. Do you know how to fill up your time?
Bottom line: apart from the scary actresses, there is nothing useful in this film. Burn it.
2 out of 10
It’s not a bad one-time movie with a delightful Meryl Streep in the lead role. When I was going to watch this movie, I went online and found the first movie I ever got that I didn't want to sleep on, but I could put it in the background, which I did. But I couldn’t just ignore the film, because from the first minute it captivates and takes all your attention. Of course, because here plays Meryl Streep, which was not accustomed to see in this image, but which she played perfectly.
Ricky and the Flash (Ricki and the Flash, 2015) is not a simple movie. It's not a comedy or a thriller, it's a complicated drama. Those questions, or rather the problems that are raised in the film are found at every step, but to perceive this is very difficult. Personally, after this film, I just hated rock artists, because they seem to me immoral people.
This movie has a certain repulsive factor that will be noticeable only if you are not part of rock culture. Besides, I am not a fan of Diablo Cody’s work, as she writes scripts about difficult women and their difficult fates. But if you get closer to the life of this person, it becomes clear why she has such heroes - she herself belongs to the category of complex personalities. After working for a long period of her life as a stripper, she suddenly began writing scripts and burst into the world of the film industry with her hit "Juno" (Juno, 2007).
Result. Not a bad movie for one-time viewing from which in some places sickened, and sometimes even fun and touches the soul.
The drama Ricky and the Flash, directed by Jonathan Demme, raises questions about the issue of choice and accepting its consequences; about forgiveness and the relationship with parents. The film is also about conflicts between spouses and rejection in the family; about age and growing up; about instability and loneliness; about whether it is possible to correct the mistakes of the past. The film will tell you how to remain yourself and become satisfied with life, not adapting to stereotypes and not suffering from remorse. The characters of the film will have to make a difficult choice between duty and desire; between reason and feelings; between duty and opportunity; and find their way to happiness.
Linda (Maryl Streep) is a vocalist and leader of the rock band Ricky and the Flash. In the evenings, together with her musical group, she performs in a provincial California diner. Where entertains a dozen elderly drunken visitors that sings well-known rock hits. The age of the members of the collective “Ricky and Flash” exceeded 60. As the lead singer of the band, Linda took the pseudonym Ricky. In clothes, she prefers black: leather trousers, heeled shoes with laces. Ricky is decorated with tattoos and many accessories. On the right side her hair is braided in pigtails.
During the day, Linda works as a cashier at a local supermarket to make a living. She lives in a small, cramped apartment, there is barely enough money, there is no close person.
A quarter of a century ago, in pursuit of the success and fame of the rock singer, Linda fled to California, leaving her husband with three children. The call of the ex-husband, reporting a suicidal attempt of the daughter because of a painful breakup with her husband, forces her to break away and fly to the family, calm her daughter.
The desire to conquer the peaks of the rock musical Olympus forced Linda to sacrifice her family for the sake of her career. However, Ricky failed to realize his dream: her career did not work out. Now she is an aging, unsuccessful, useless woman, tired of her uselessness, without family, money and tolerable work. Failed rock singer in the evening plays in a local bar, during the day earns a pittance in the supermarket. But when Ricky picks up a guitar and takes to the stage, her life is filled with meaning.
According to the creators of the picture, the mistake of Linda’s life choice is that she put the desire for career realization above her family. “Mick Jagger, who has seven children with four women, is not criticized for it, not because he is a star, but because he is a man.”
At some point, Linda realized that music was her life and she couldn’t do it without it. If she gave up what was important to her, she would be unhappy: an irritated, dissatisfied woman would blame her loved ones for her undeveloped fate. It is unlikely that they would have received love and support from her. Leaving her family, she gave herself a chance to be sought after. Another thing is that everything did not turn out as I wanted. But now she is able to support and comfort her grown children, enjoy herself and please others with her music.
Linda blames herself for not being a normal mother to her children. But to become a normal mother, in the understanding of most people, she would never be able to. Because she didn’t know how to take care of her family, and she didn’t want to. She would understand that it is not necessary to conform to the framework imposed by society. To be happy, you have to be yourself. Which she did, only because of this, she was constantly tormented by her conscience.
Mothers have a lot to sacrifice for their children. The film conveys to the viewer that it is better for children to live and become adults with those who can normally take care of them and for whom they will become the meaning of life, in this case with a stepmother.
And the image of Linda and the picture turned out to be very ambiguous. Meryl Streep talentedly embodied an elderly, unsettled, lonely, guilty woman. Which, despite its absurdity and absurdity, is not without dignity. Through the efforts of the actress, the dramatic film acquired shades of comicality and frivolity. I admire the efficiency and talent of Meryl Streep. To play Ricky, the actress specially learned to play the guitar and independently performed ten songs in the film. I was also pleased that Jonathan Demma managed to create a good picture from an unpretentious scenario.
Convincing acting, excellent production, bright soundtracks and current themes of our time helped to remove a strong drama with elements of comedy.
7 out of 10
The point of the film is that if you’re different, other people have a place for you. For if you are near, you are rejected, but as soon as you have the attributes of an “original” person, these people immediately lift you up and allow you to determine the vector of your life. That's fun, yeah. Another thought pulled me – it’s not the children who should love you, it’s your duty to love your children. That's right, yeah, that's it. In my opinion, the film will be understood only by those who are different.
Yes, thank you to those who made this film.
This new, musical film attracts attention undoubtedly because of Meryl Streep. I read so many cool and neutral reviews about this film, and I thought the truth of the movie was empty and there was something wrong with it. Finally, after watching it, I say that I liked the film: it was warm and soulful, the music was wonderful, and the acting of the inimitable Mary Streep warms people’s hearts.
In this story, we see an older woman singing with her band for many years. She took the pseudonym Ricky, and the band is called The Flash. Heroes sing for the soul and I do it all my life, because without music can not live. One day, Ricky receives a letter that a disaster has happened. She must go to her ex-husband and her children and help her daughter survive the deepest depression due to a breakup with a loved one. Ricky knows that she’s a stranger there, because she left her family many years ago, but still goes there.
The movie turned out so warm and soulful, these two words characterize it well. Despite the fact that the story is fleeting, the film itself looks with pleasure. It is shot in a pleasant atmosphere and with wonderful music, well-known and familiar songs. A delightful Strip can play any role so that her character will not be loved. Her creative and extraordinary Ricky plays perfectly. With just a look and a smile, you can drown. Her character is not an ordinary person: she left her children, and for her the most important thing is music. Ricky does not try to apologize to the children, she loves them with all her heart, but knows that they were raised by another mother (the wife of Ricky’s ex-husband). It was very important that she thanked her in front of everyone.
But what could be deepened and filmed was the story between Ricky and her daughter, who was abandoned by her husband. The daughter played really daughter Streep Mamie Gummer. In general, Gummer is a theater actress, but in film and television she has already created several interesting and different images. The film began with the story of a mother. We saw Ricky trying to help her daughter, and the story could have been longer and sharpened. I wanted more scenes with Streep and Gummer, I think the film would have turned out even deeper and even more interesting.
Ricky and the Flash is a 2015 American musical melodrama. The film turned out to be sweet and warming, in each song the main character reveals the soul and tries to say something. I enjoyed watching the new film with Strip, enjoy its warm play and unreal charm. I appreciate him positively, I say yes to him. Thank you.
It doesn`t matter if your kids love you or not. It`s not their job to love you, it`s your job to love them.
Is there a dramatic role that Meryl Streep could not play? Probably not. Watching it on the screen, you understand what a real acting game should be. “Ricky and the Flash” is another proof of that.
Not only that, this film is worth mentioning. Other actors also played well. During the film, there is a real connection between the characters. That's partly true, of course. After all, Streep’s daughter is played by her own daughter Mami Gummer, who, by the way, coped with the role perfectly.
The topic was also chosen very well. The problem of forgiveness, conflicts in the family, as well as the possibility of life after the birth of children, is close to many. Everything is for the movie.
But when viewing involuntarily there is dissonance. What is it? Family drama or light musical comedy? As soon as the viewer immerses himself in the problem of relations with parents or thinks about the inequality of positions of the father and mother in the family, there is a musical pause that confuses. Why was this reception chosen? Did Meryl Streep give the picture a drama that was out of place? Or was there a great desire to show her excellent singing abilities, as it was, for example, in "Mamma mia!"?
Many may criticize the film for being too positive. However, it is worth thinking about what would happen to the characters after the last song is played and the final credits begin.
7 out of 10
You know, I don't have kids. I haven't experienced the joys of motherhood. I have a mother like everyone else. I know that children without a mother will grow up. Another question is how they grow up. A rock singer in the past, and now a woman of retirement age in braids and piercings, who has enough energy to replace all the characters in the film, comes to bring her daughter out of depression, because her husband abandoned her. Is that what motherhood is all about? If everything is bad for me, no matter how much my mother supports me, I will not get out of depression. Oh, come on.
I sometimes wonder how American cinema promotes this excessive custody of their children. But what about people who are not just children? That's right. Feeling guilty for doing something they love. And the children have grown up, they must understand what adulthood means, but they are all offended by their mother. But they hide it so much that the daughter calls her a whore, the first son did not invite to the wedding, and the second says that she is homophobic. What prevented them from picking up the phone and calling her? Do they not know that their mother is a singer? Only her husband, an experienced person, long ago forgave her and accepted her, yet apparently they experienced a lot together. And as soon as my mother appeared on the doorstep, my daughter gradually returned to normal. Wash-hair-hair-didn't want to die. Mission accomplished, we can leave. But why not in the film show how any of her children help her with money, for example? She's in trouble, she's bankrupt. But we'll play offended kids, knowing that mother doesn't have a penny. She's the bad one, she left us! At this point, I have a question: what have children done so beautifully that they can insult and blame her for all her sins?
Distract. Since Meryl Streep plays a rock singer, we hear a lot of good songs in her performance. Glad to think she took the case seriously. This is not her first musical work. But I won't talk much about music. In this film it is sometimes as a good addition, and sometimes to fill a hole in the plot.
I also want to note the daughter of Meryl Streep, who in the plot plays the daughter of the heroine. I don't know why she is. There could have been any other actress in this place. The effect would be the same, and maybe better. Probably to attract the right audience. Plus stated Meryl Streep, and this is half the success.
The ending is pretty predictable. Everyone's dancing, having fun. At her son’s wedding, Ricky gives a speech full of sentiment, giving children everything she has, which is music. I thought the kids finally forgave her.
Did I like the movie? 50% to 50%. on the one hand, good music, I love the game Meryl Streep, on the other, a plot that does not justify the behavior of children. Of course, the fact that they are, and the fault of Ricky, but who said that if she was with them all the time her husband would not leave?
Is that the joy of motherhood? If you can call it joy.
Meryl Streep is a great actress, three Oscars, for beautiful eyes, you won't get. The film is fascinating from the first minute. Oscar-winning director Jonathan Demme offers to sit in a bar and enjoy a real rock concert. Vocals and guitar by Meryl Streep, she took guitar lessons for several months, and on stage everything is real. Their music presses into the chair, as during the take-off of an airplane, just a concert by Olga Kormukhin. Okay, Meryl Streep, playing and singing herself, and what musicians around her, there is no doubt that they are all real, but the lead guitar I knew that this is the famous Rick Springfield, but the others are pretty, one keyboardist is worth, something of a Bayanist from the band "Lube" resembles a natural mummy. Beautiful and high-quality performance of real rock music, which could be better in this world, only the divine acting of Meryl Streep, the emotions are overflowing, catastrophically lacking adjectives to express the admiration that she deserves. Yes, she's 66 years old, she's an old purse, but damn it, she's the best in the world! And at the end of the film, as she walked to the stage, what a bright palette of emotions we observe, frankly, so our people in Soviet times went to the dentist.
The plot of the film is very interesting: the old rock singer, like a cuckoo, abandoned her husband and three children for stupid music, after many years of our Ricky (Meryl Streep) gets the last chance to contact the family, the eldest daughter Julia (Mami Gumerr, by the way, the real daughter of Meryl Streep) left her husband and she fell into a deep depression. We need to help the girl go this hard way.
To evaluate the performance of actors I can not, because just look at the Sun a little, and then look aside – nothing is visible.
About the technical characteristics and talk about nothing, a master like Jonathan Demme has something to learn.
The film “Ricky and the Flash” will be interesting not only for fans of rock music and Meryl Streep, but also for anyone who has grown children, but their fate has ceased to be tracked, Children for any reason may not love their parents, but parents should always love their children.
I'm afraid modern cinema is on a slippery slope of perfect template. High ratings are alarming by the frequency of their appearance. The way to the heart of the viewer is solved: this is a mix cocktail of real history, recognized actors, chic soundtracks, bright and warm pictures plus humor, a couple of topical themes of our time and - voila! A really good movie is ready. Sometimes I want him to be a little bad.
“Ricky and the Flash” is an incredibly large-scale picture (which can not be said at first glance): it is about everything and nothing at the same time. And it's said on the positive side. There's no room for criticism. It's like the most professional psychologist in the world has shaken all the problems out of your head and put them on shelves. And if someone has something unpleasant on the shelf, you can always present it as a rare exotic souvenir. After all, the value is not who you are, but to remain yourself in spite of everything.
In this picture, everyone will find something completely personal. And there were a lot of themes in my soul that were hard to talk about. And if I wanted to discuss it, it would be impossible because of the ephemeral nature of matter, woven from hidden thoughts, from forgotten desires, from unmade decisions, from unforgivable regrets.
I was amazed at what a wise woman Ricky was! Although superficially everything is presented in a different light. Talking about the acting of Meryl Streep and her daughter (both in the film and in life) is simply superfluous.
The film is light and pleasant in the process of viewing, very soulful with a pronounced intoxicating aftertaste. But in the pursuit of being good for everyone, movies lose their zest, the special atmosphere that makes them memorable. That’s what Ricky and the Flash is to me. He's certainly good, he's certainly graced my evening, but for me he's going to be just one of many.
Ricky and the Flash, or what is Meryl Streep doing here?
I’m a huge fan of Mrs. Streep’s work, so I couldn’t miss her new film. The film had high hopes, and the trailer was tempting. But...
The storyline is raw and developed very poorly. Ricky (Meryl Streep), who abandoned her family years ago for a rock star career (which, in fact, failed), returns home to pull her daughter (Mami Gummer) out of depression. In the film, all this happens somehow inorganic, chaotic and rude, the intrigue appears only in Ricky’s relationship with her ex-husband Pete (Kevin Kline), but it remains unsolved until the end. In the middle of the film, the rocker returns to her former life: working in a supermarket, performing in a seedy bar and a guitarist boyfriend (Rick Springfield). Life was a success, wasn't it? It is unclear what the creators want to convey to the viewer: did Ricky do the right thing or not? Who's right about this whole story? All this confusion is reinforced by often empty dialogues with not always successful jokes.
The idea is good, and the cast is quite decent, but the authors of IMHO did not reveal the main idea and characters of the characters. You can see that Meryl Streep is struggling to revive his character, to understand him, to give realism and drama, which is so lacking. Mamie Gummer is still pretty good, believe her game.
What's really worth it is the wonderful songs that The Flash performs live. This is basically the whole movie.
On the screen we see the life of Linda, who sings under the pseudonym Ricky. When she was young, she left her husband and children to bake at night with the Flash group. For many years, she was almost not interested in the lives of relatives, did not participate in the upbringing of her abandoned children. And now she comes to support her daughter, who was abandoned by her husband, and also tries to establish relationships with adult children.
The main character does not cause me positive emotions, during the whole film I did not even feel pity for her. You can’t just forgive, forget hurts, understand the dreams of another person. Forgiveness must be earned.
Pete evoked sympathy - after his divorce from Linda, he once again married a young, beautiful and excellent woman who replaced his own mother with his children, but he still has feelings for Linda.
In my opinion, Linda was able to combine self-expression in music and the role of a caring mother, being always close to the children. The fact that she chose music, completely forgetting about her family, does not work.
The film teaches us by someone else’s example, all that remains is to understand this and avoid the mistakes that Linda and Pete made.
For a good history, morals and musical accompaniment
7 out of 10
Linda is the architect of her own destiny. The architect, apparently, who graduated from the PTU in a dense backwater, because Linda disposed of her life lousy. Once upon a time, she left her husband with her daughter and two sons, took the pseudonym Ricky and moved to California to become a rock star. Today Linda is already well over fifty, she works as a cashier in a supermarket, earns pennies and plays in bars at night as part of the group “The Flash”, all members of which are the same musicians not of the first youth. Her ex-husband Pete married again a long time ago, and the children grew up with another mother, in prosperity and without her participation.
Perhaps Ricky would have finished her song in California if her daughter Julia had not left her husband. The girl fell into a deep depression: she does not leave the house, does not take care of herself. Pete's current wife Maureen has gone to visit her terminally ill father, and Pete can't cope on her own. There's nothing left to do but call Linda, but the thing is, the family last got together ten years ago. Linda doesn't have a normal relationship with anyone, so everyone will have to try their best if they want to stop being strangers with shared memories.
Characters
Ricky and the Flash is a benefit to Meryl Streep. Linda left her entire life for a dream. The dream didn’t turn out much, the relationship with the family fell apart, Pete married again and built a brilliant career, while she barely manages to make ends meet. Linda is aware of all this, as well as the fact that she herself is to blame. What I really liked was that the main character wasn’t very chaotic. She loves music incredibly, and being able to perform in front of people who value her is the meaning of her life. The character is complex and interesting, even before she tries to reconcile with Pete, her children and Maureen. Played well, it is a pity that dubbing does not allow you to hear how Streep plays.
The rest of the actors appear on the screen for much less time, but this does not mean that someone drops the bar. There are many supporting characters, and they all look very good: that Linda's family, that her band, that Maureen. It is very nice to see that each hero has his own problems, his own life, hints of which we see. Pete’s business, Linda’s group’s financial difficulties, her son’s obsession with everything environmentally friendly and the homosexuality of the second one all affect the characters’ behavior and their relationships.
Impressions
The anime has a wonderful genre of "slice of life." This is not a drama or a comedy, but life as it is without any special intrigue or conflict common to the whole film. Our lives are often made up of many small and large problems, friction, misunderstandings, and how we deal with them. There aren’t many films trying to show it that much.
Ricky and the Flash is one of them. This is the story of a woman who has come to terms with most of the consequences of a choice she made, but is still trying to make a difference in her relationships with people she cares about. Everything here is based on acting and a good script. Meryl Streep is beautiful, conflicts are played well, there is no division into good and bad, the script and dialogue are great.
Since Linda is in the band, there is a lot of music in the film. It is mostly classic 80s rock and moderately modern pop in rock processing. It’s cool that Meryl Streep sings herself and does it very well.
Operator work and installation do not pay attention to themselves at all, which is necessary from them. The movie keeps the attention throughout the viewing.
Conclusions
"Ricky and the Flash" rises to a level above just a pleasant film thanks to live supporting characters, good music and how the main character's growth is shown over the course of the film. I recommend it.
P.S. The Russian slogan “When a mother is younger than a daughter” has nothing to do with the content of the film. “Get Ready for Ricki” was translated, for which many thanks to our masters of creative translation.
It is difficult to talk about the musical melodrama "Rocky and The Flash", but it is necessary: when the writer and director are denied a sense of proportion, and a sense of humor is completely absent, then in defense of the elderly Hollywood stars one has to speak, gaining more air in the chest.
We all know. We all see: the old wrinkled movie stars of the glossy world look at best like a man-walking mummy Stallone strapped into a knot of skin at the back of his head... Age beautifully and admit to their "I'm super-old" unit, most still trying to fool time and viewers. To do that, they (like Pierce Brosnan and Bruce Willis) have the suckers of Chinese investment funds, falling to actors with loud baggage and old script modules.
It's a story. The point of my message is that Disney fairy tales do not write about old heroes. Hollywood loves the young and hot. "Madison County Bridges" because they became possible as an exception that they were filmed by another pensioner on self-service Clint Eastwood.
Sad for Meryl Streep. Yes, I am old, yes, I am old. Especially in the role of the released rocker, day working at the box office in a department store like Maxima, and in the evening, for 10-15 regulars of the sour bar, other people's hits - from Springsteen to Lady Gaga ... Life has failed, there is no money, and two decades ago she gave up her children in pursuit of His Majesty Success. She writes songs, but only listens to those close to her. Longing. It is no coincidence that on the poster it seems that her heroine has not fashionable shoes, but orthopedic shoes. And the inscription “rock star” on the same movie poster looks like a mockery and outright deception.
If it were not for Meryl Streep, Rocky and the Flash could be considered a pure festival film for Toronto and Sundance about what in America the “crisis of family relations”. And yet (it seemed) about the fact that blacks have seized power over the rich whites and behave in this control of the situation rather rigidly and unceremoniously not in some stuffy suburb of Ferguson, but in steep districts for rich sons of bitches of America.
So why? Format TV series When you see from the first frame a confused face and a frightened look of the legendary actress “clearly not in his plate”, you want out of respect for her to take the remote and switch, so as not to blush for this shame. But it's a movie!
Therefore, look to the finale, in which the rocker, alas, will not get close to her relatives so that “forever, my favorites”, but will sing them a flirty Bruce Springsteen song about “I love, love, love, love” at her son’s wedding.
I don't know. As for me, the film obviously lacked dramatic depth (all these people: a slacker-daughter experiencing an emotional breakdown, gay sons and a quiet person – such a plot and politically correct banality). And it certainly lacked self-irony. Like in a similar story "Denny Collins" about an aging American Stas Mikhailov. Or like in the TV series "Sex, drugs, rock and roll."
One plus: hear five or six rock songs performed by Meryl Streep. Her voice is wonderful. Consider it a bonus to go to her concert.
It would seem that the slogan “when mom is younger than daughter” promises that you will see a film about the adventures of a sloppy mother, but the film is not quite about that.
The main character (Meryl Streep) is really a rock mom, but the film is not about her adventures, but rather about what happens after them. How to choose between a dream, a business you like, and a family? Will your children accept this choice as adults? Can someone take your place in their hearts?
Nuance is that this topic is covered from a female perspective. From the point of view of a mother of three children, who once made a choice in favor of music, which did not bring her any special wealth or fame.
If you’re a fan of the Rolling Stones or Dire Straits or Aerosmith or Guns’n Roses or all of them, you’ll love the music in the movie. In my case, the hall did not part on credits, but listened to the final song.
I won’t say that the film is from the category of mandatory viewers and pretending to become a classic, but Meryl Streep in chains and tattoos is beautiful, and her rock band of elderly musicians also looks very characteristic. Fans of this genre in music will certainly appreciate long gray hair and scythes.
7 out of 10
I like to watch movies to think about something deeply and/or to cheer up.
An aging rock singer comes to her ex-husband and children to save her daughter from depression and sees that her years of absence have damaged the lives of children. They are not ready to accept her, she feels guilty. And at the same time, her career did not work out, she works in the store during the day, plays in the bar in the evening. Money is not enough all the time, lives in poor housing, sincere relations with no one.
Behind all the simplicity of this plot lies in my opinion several topics: first, how intolerant society and family can be to you if your aspirations are different from them; second, the role of women in society; third, the moral and ethical aspect of choosing between duty to children and the realization of your dreams. I really liked the phrase of the main character: “When a man leaves his family for a career, he is forgiven, a woman is not.” What can you say here, the woman gave birth to them and she is primarily responsible. Of course, it would be logical that if you want to build a musical career, then do not start a family, and if you have already started, then first fulfill your duty to her.
First of all, I was touched by the first topic. How vulnerable and dependent on public opinion. How it affects your life. How do you then, all the years of your conscious life, get rid of the childhood traumas that you received because you were different from others, but actually manifested yourself as who you are? And now, as an adult, you've learned to mimic, not to lean out, not to express your opinion in public. And if you do, it's in front of people like you.
The next stage, when you don’t care and suddenly someone else doesn’t care either. You become completely free from all of this.
To achieve this, you need to go to such films, to look back again and let everything go.
8 out of 10
