Ricki And The Flash

Critics Consensus

Meryl Streep's outstanding work helps Ricki and the Flash overcome its inconsistent tone and fairly predictable premise.

65%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 195

43%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 16,384
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Movie Info

Three-time Academy Award (R) winner Meryl Streep goes electric and takes on a whole new gig - a hard-rocking singer/guitarist - for Oscar (R)-winning director Jonathan Demme and Academy Award (R)-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody in the uplifting comedy Ricki and the Flash. In a film loaded with music and live performance, Streep stars as Ricki, a guitar heroine who gave up everything for her dream of rock-and-roll stardom, but is now returning home to make things right with her family. Streep stars opposite her real-life daughter Mamie Gummer, who plays her fictional daughter; Rick Springfield, who takes on the role of a Flash member in love with Ricki; and Kevin Kline, who portrays Ricki's long-suffering ex-husband. (C) Tristar
  • Rating:
    PG-13 (for thematic material, brief drug content, sexuality and language)
  • Genre:
    Comedy, Drama
  • Directed By:
    Jonathan Demme
  • Written By:
    Diablo Cody
  • In Theaters:
     limited
  • On Disc/Streaming:
  • Runtime:
  • Studio:
    Sony Pictures

Cast

Meryl Streep
as Ricki Rendazzo
Mamie Gummer
as Julie
Kevin Kline
as Pete Brummel
Rick Springfield
as Greg
Audra McDonald
as Maureen
Sebastian Stan
as Joshua
Rick Rosas
as Buster
Joe Vitale
as Joe
Bernie Worrell
as Billy
Ben Platt
as Daniel
Peter C. Demme
as Walt
Jim Roche
as Provovative Dancer
Alexa Klienbard
as Provocative Dancer
Keala Settle
as Sharon
Joe Toutebon
as Whitey
Jim Wheeler
as Elvis Guy
Big Jim Wheeler
as Elvis Guy
Brooklyn Demme
as Salt Well Drinker
Eamon O'Rourke
as Salt Well Dancer
Aaron Clifton Moten
as Troy
Adam Shulman
as Total Foods Customer
Chinasa Ogbuagu
as TSA Employee
Majora Carter
as TSA Employee
Gus Halper
as Impatient Traveler
Sister Carol
as Waiting Woman
Cherise Boothe
as Community Security Guard
Bill Irwin
as Single Dad
Ripley Sobo
as Journey
Lucy Owen
as Restaurant Hostess
Nick Westrate
as Adam
Hailey Gates
as Emily
Josh Tobin
as Waiter
Carmen Carrera
as Hair Stylist
Li Jun Li
as Nail Clerk
Gabriel Ebert
as Max
Lisa Joyce
as Nicole
Jimmy Kieffer
as Bartender
Scott Ripley
as Max's Friends
Kelsey Didion
as Max's Friend
John Dreher
as Max's Friend
Suzanne Lenz
as Max's Friend
Scott Vicari
as Max's Friend
Desi Domo
as Max's Friend
Eliza Simpson
as Selfie Girl
Emily Cass McDonnell
as Goodwill Sales Lady
Cynthia Hopkins
as Bodhi
Em Grosland
as Wedding Waitress
Charlotte Rae
as Oma
Beau Sia
as Desmond
Jeff Biehl
as Pete's Cousin Jeff
Victoria Haynes
as Snobby Guest
Joshua Elrod
as Wedding Officiant
Tubten Rabten
as Harpist
Anna Robertson
as Mother of the Bride
Tony Costa
as Father of the Bride
Christopher Tierney
as Julie's Escort
Isabella Way
as Bridesmaid
Leah O'Donnell
as Bridesmaid
Erin Mullin
as Bridesmaid
Trevor Salter
as Groomsmen
Mason Ames
as Groomsmen
Katherine Crockett
as Inquiring Woman
Jos Demme
as Microphone Handler
PigPen Theatre Co.
as Bremen Quintet
Renee Albulario
as Wedding Dancer
Leasen Almquist
as Wedding Dancer
Barbara Christie
as Wedding Dancer
Semhar Ghebremichael
as Wedding Dancer
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News & Interviews for Ricki And The Flash

Meryl Streep’s 10 Best Movies
Now Streaming: Marvel’s Jessica Jones, Man in the High Castle, And More
On DVD This Week: Shaun the Sheep, American Ultra, Doctor Who, and More
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Critic Reviews for Ricki And The Flash

All Critics (195) | Top Critics (50) | Fresh (126) | Rotten (69)

  • Meryl Streep lets it all hang out as a barroom rocker with family issues in this slight, enjoyable work-out.

    September 3, 2015 | Rating: 3/5

    Abbey Bender

    Little White Lies
    Top Critic

  • After Meryl Streep sang her dungarees off in Mamma Mia!, I had great hopes for Ricki and the Flash.

    September 3, 2015 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

    Kate Muir

    Times (UK)
    Top Critic

  • No chore, and some fun, in an AOR-ish way.

    September 3, 2015 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

    Mike McCahill

    Guardian
    Top Critic

  • Likeable and surprisingly low-key.

    August 26, 2015 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

    Philippa Hawker

    The Age (Australia)
    Top Critic

  • The movie is mature in the way it handles the regrets of absentee parents and the ways in which their children relate to them. There's a little Hollywood artifice here but not so much that the emotions feel inauthentic.

    August 9, 2015 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

    James Berardinelli

    ReelViews
    Top Critic

  • Streep's latest mom role, as Ricki Rendazzo in Ricki and the Flash, has a light, Mamma Mia! vibe, but it still hits all those hot buttons.

    August 7, 2015 | Full Review…

    Susanna Schrobsdorff

    TIME Magazine
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (195)

Audience Reviews for Ricki And The Flash

  • Feb 26, 2017
    For Meryl Streep fans only. And then after at least half a bottle of vino. Or a joint. Or both. Yeah, both.
    Kevin M. W Super Reviewer
  • May 31, 2016
    Okay drama of aging rocker trying to be there for her family after many years away isn't bad but goes on about ten minutes longer than it should.
    jay n Super Reviewer
  • Mar 18, 2016
    A down-and-out, estranged mother comes back into the lives of her upper-middle-class children, ex-husband and his perfect second wife (played by perfect Audra McDonald, naturally). She wins them back through music, and it's really just so much fun. I know Meryl Streep is lauded as the best dramatic actress of her generation, but I've always thought the grand dame a bit stuffy and boring. Perhaps that's why I liked her departure into blue-lidded, Alanis-braided, tatted-up, has-been rockstar. The thing is, Meryl Streep ISN'T a badass; she dabbles in it, as does her character Ricki whom she plays as appropriately lost and hopeful and distant and maternal. She performs the mellow, classic rock selections better than the (possibly altered) mezzo belting of the Witch in "Into the Woods" and the tinny pop of Donna in "Mamma Mia." It's unfortunate that Streep breaks her streak of annual Oscar nominations, seeing as most critics found her performance campy and the movie predictable. Oh well. Mamie Gummer, Streep's doppelganger daughter, is a bit one-note ragey and one-note catatonic, but her Resting Bitch Face is intensely formidable, and I like the casting of real life family members in movies.
    Alice S Super Reviewer
  • Jan 24, 2016
    Directed by Jonathan Demme and written by Diablo Cody, Ricki and The Flash is a satiric character drama about an aging rock star mother who reconnects with her estranged family. Starring Meryl Streep and Mamie Gummer, the film has a solid cast that gives some good performances. The plot however, is kind of all over the place and doesn't have a clear focus. Still, the musical performances bring a lot of energy to the film and are kind of fun. Ricki and The Flash has its moments, but it doesn't really work and is largely forgettable.
    Dann M Super Reviewer
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