Ricki and the Flash

{{Infobox film

| name = Ricki and the Flash

| image = Ricki and the Flash poster.jpg

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = Jonathan Demme

| writer = Diablo Cody

| producer = {{Plainlist|

}}

| starring = {{Plainlist|

}}

| cinematography = Declan Quinn

| editing = Wyatt Smith

| music =

| production_companies = {{Plainlist|

TriStar Pictures
TriStar Productions{{cite news |last1=Sneider |first1=Jeff |title=Kevin Kline, Mamie Gummer in Negotiations to Join Meryl Streep in 'Ricki and the Flash' (Exclusive) |url=https://www.thewrap.com/kevin-kline-mamie-gummer-in-negotiations-to-join-meryl-streep-in-ricki-and-the-flash/ |access-date=October 16, 2018 |work=TheWrap |date=17 June 2014}}
Badwill Entertainment
Marc Platt Productions{{cite web |title=Ricki and the Flash (2015) - Financial Information |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Ricki-and-the-Flash#tab=summary |website=The Numbers |access-date=October 16, 2018}}
LStar Capital

}}

| distributor = Sony Pictures Releasing

| released = {{Film date|2015|08|07}}

| runtime = 101 minutes{{cite web | url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/ricki-and-flash-film | archive-url=https://archive.today/20150821045334/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/ricki-and-flash-film | url-status=dead | archive-date=August 21, 2015 | title=RICKI AND THE FLASH (PG) | work=British Board of Film Classification | date=August 7, 2015 | access-date=August 7, 2015}}

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget = $18 million{{Cite news|url=https://www.filmla.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2015_film_study_v5_WEB.pdf|title=2015 Feature Film Study|last=FilmL.A.|date=June 15, 2016|access-date=June 16, 2016}}

| gross = $41.3 million{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt3623726/?ref_=bo_se_r_1 |title=Ricki and the Flash (2015) |website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=June 16, 2016}}

}}

Ricki and the Flash is a 2015 American musical comedy-drama film directed by Jonathan Demme and written by Diablo Cody, about a woman who leaves her family to become a rock star and later gets a chance to make amends. The film stars Meryl Streep, Mamie Gummer, Kevin Kline, Sebastian Stan, Rick Springfield, and Audra McDonald. The film marks Streep and Kline's third collaboration after Sophie's Choice (1982) and A Prairie Home Companion (2006). It was Demme's final narrative film before his death in April 2017.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/jonathan-demme-philadelphia-director-dead-at-73-w478940 |title=Jonathan Demme, Silence of the Lambs and Philadelphia director, dead at 73 |first1=David |last1=Fear |first2=Ryan |last2=Reed |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170426201338/http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/jonathan-demme-philadelphia-director-dead-at-73-w478940 |url-status=live |date=April 26, 2017 |archive-date=April 26, 2017 |access-date=April 26, 2017 }}

Principal photography began on October 13, 2014, in Rye, New York. TriStar Pictures financed, and released the film on August 7, 2015. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the performances of the cast but criticised its screenplay and execution, and grossed $41 million against its $18–30 million production budget.

Plot

Ricki chased her dreams of becoming a famous rock star by abandoning her family. She gets a chance to put things right when her ex-husband Pete asks her to visit Indianapolis and help their estranged daughter Julie through a difficult time.

Ricki has a rock band that plays a regular gig at a small bar, when she is not working as a cashier to make ends meet. Julie recently attempted suicide because her husband cheated on her and is divorcing her. Despite being broke, Ricki comes to Indianapolis to help her daughter, but Julie is hostile. Likewise, her two sons are hostile and unwelcoming. One has come out as gay and the other recently became engaged, though no one told their mother. Still, Ricki gets through to Julie.

Pete's second wife, Maureen, returns unexpectedly, confronting Ricki with some hard truths. She wasn't there for her children when they needed her and Maureen was. Ashamed, Ricki returns to her band in California angry and bitter, insulting her guitarist who is in love with her. He makes her realize he cares and they make love. Maureen sends Ricki an invitation to the son's wedding as an olive branch, but Ricki can't afford to go. Her boyfriend sells his best guitar to pay for the tickets.

Despite her attempts at reconciliation, she's clearly still an outsider. The wedding guests look askance at Ricki when she gets up to toast the bride and groom. As her gift, having no money, she has her band take over and play for the guests. Her son and his bride start the wedding dance and slowly the guests join in.

Cast

{{castlist|

Meryl Streep as Linda Brummel / Ricki Rendazzo
Kevin Kline as Pete Brummel
Mamie Gummer as Julie Brummel
Audra McDonald as Maureen Brummel
Sebastian Stan as Joshua Brummel
Nick Westrate as Adam Brummel
Rick Springfield as Greg
Ben Platt as Daniel
Charlotte Rae as Oma Brummel, Pete's mother
Rick Rosas as Buster
Bernie Worrell as Billy
Joe Vitale as Joe
Gabriel Ebert as Max
Carmen Carrera as Ricki's lead hairstylist
Keala Settle as Bar Patron
Beau Sia as Desmond
Hailey Gates as Emily
Gus Halper as Impatient Traveler

}}

Production

Diablo Cody based the script in part on her mother-in-law Terry Cieri, who has fronted a New Jersey bar band for years.{{cite web |url=http://www.app.com/story/entertainment/arts/2015/07/23/meet-jersey-rocker-behind-meryl-streeps-new-film/30563585/ |title=Meryl Streep plays Toms River mom in new film |first=Alex |last=Biese |work=Asbury Park Press |date=July 24, 2015 |access-date=July 29, 2015}}{{cite web |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/08/meryl-streep-ricki-and-the-flash |title=Meet the Woman Who Inspired Meryl Streep's Ricki and the Flash Character |work=Vanity Fair |first=Julie |last=Miller |date=August 5, 2015 |access-date=September 11, 2015}} Cody said, "I watched her on stage so many times, and I thought to myself, 'This woman's life is a movie.'{{-"}}{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/meryl-streep-learning-guitar-diablo-721337|title=Meryl Streep Learning Guitar for Diablo Cody Movie|date=August 1, 2014|work=The Hollywood Reporter|last1=Abramovitch|first1=Seth|access-date=October 17, 2014}} Cody specifically wrote the role of Ricki with Streep in her mind noting that actresses over 50 in Hollywood typically don't get complicated parts. Ricki's daughter is played by Streep's daughter, Mamie Gummer{{cite news|last1=Sneider|first1=Jeff|title=Kevin Kline, Mamie Gummer in Negotiations to Join Meryl Streep in 'Ricki and the Flash'|url=https://www.thewrap.com/kevin-kline-mamie-gummer-in-negotiations-to-join-meryl-streep-in-ricki-and-the-flash/|access-date=October 17, 2014 |publisher=TheWrap |date=June 17, 2014}} marking the third film the two have made together, after 1986's Heartburn and 2007's Evening."

Ricki and the Flash was dedicated to "Rick the Bass Player", which is the stage name for Rick Rosas who played "Buster", the Flash's bass player in the film, and who died in November 2014.

=Filming=

Filming was first set to begin on October 1, 2014, in New York City. Principal photography officially began on October 13, 2014, in Rye, New York.{{cite news|title=Meryl Streep filming 'Ricki and the Flash' in Rye, NY|url=http://www.onlocationvacations.com/2014/10/15/meryl-streep-filming-ricki-and-the-flash-in-rye-ny/|access-date=October 17, 2014|publisher=onlocationvacations.com|date=October 15, 2014}} On October 14, Streep was spotted filming some scenes at Numi & Co. Hair Salon in Rye. On November 3, 2014, she was also seen filming in Nyack, New York.{{cite news |last1=Muchnick |first1=Jeanne |title=Meryl Streep Films Movie At Rye's Numi Hair Salon |url=http://whiteplains.dailyvoice.com/lifestyle/meryl-streep-films-movie-ryes-numi-hair-salon |work=The White Plains Daily Voice |access-date=October 17, 2014 |date=October 16, 2014 |ref=dailyvoice.com}} The wedding sequence was shot at Untermyer Park in Yonkers, New York.

Release

On May 6, 2014, Sony's TriStar set the film for a June 26, 2015 release.{{cite news|title=TriStar Productions Dates Its First Two Films for 2015|url=https://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=117903|access-date=October 17, 2014 |publisher=ComingSoon.net |date=May 6, 2014}} The release date was later changed to August 7, 2015. The film was chosen as the opening selection for the 2015 Locarno Film Festival which was held on August 5, 2015, in Locarno, Switzerland.{{cite news|title=Meryl Streep Musical Dramedy 'Ricki And The Flash' To Open Locarno Film Festival|url=https://deadline.com/2015/07/meryl-streep-ricki-and-the-flash-diablo-cody-jonathan-demme-locano-1201476112/|access-date=July 17, 2015 |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=May 6, 2014}}

Reception

=Box office=

Ricki and the Flash grossed $26.8 million in the United States, and $13.3 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $40.1 million, against a budget of $18 million.

The film grossed $6.6 million from 1,603 theaters in its opening weekend, finishing 7th at the box office. The film added 461 theaters in its second week (a total of 2,064 screens), but dropped to ninth place with $4.6 million (a decline of 31 percent). In its third week the film grossed $3 million from 2,013 screens.

The film opened in Italy on September 11, 2015, and came in fifth place with a weekend total of $413,800.

=Critical response=

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 65% based on 200 reviews, with an average rating of 6/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Meryl Streep's outstanding work helps Ricki and the Flash overcome its inconsistent tone and fairly-predictable premise."{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ricki_and_the_flash/|title=Ricki and the Flash|work=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=May 12, 2022}} Metacritic gives the film a weighted average score of 54 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".{{cite web | url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/ricki-and-the-flash | title=Ricki and the Flash | work=Metacritic | publisher=CBS Interactive | access-date=August 7, 2015}} Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2015/08/fantastic-four-the-gift-shaun-the-sheep-box-office-1201495506/ |title='Mission: Impossible' Beats 'Fantastic Four'; 'The Gift' Unwraps $11.8M, 'Ricki And The Flash,' 'Shaun The Sheep' Results — Box Office Final |website=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=August 8, 2015}}

IGN gave the film a score of 7.8/10, saying, "Ricki and the Flash offers a breezy, heartwarming, if somewhat manufactured tale about an aging rocker reconnecting with her family".{{cite web|url=https://uk.ign.com/articles/2015/08/06/ricki-and-the-flash-review |title=Ricki and the Flash Review - IGN |publisher=Uk.ign.com |date=2015-08-06 |access-date=2018-02-09}}