Parents' Guide to

Ricki and the Flash

By S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Teen-friendly dramedy tackles big issues; some edgy content.

Movie PG-13 2015 100 minutes
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Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (3):

This well-intentioned but cliched dramedy, while entertaining, suffers from a people-pleasing affliction that robs it of its bite. It's far too easy to see where the movie's headed: It relies on many cliches about estranged parent-child relationships and ex-wife/current wife tensions. And the pacing's strangely flat.

But somehow Ricki redeems itself, in no small part due to Streep's empathetic portrayal of Ricki. She simply won't allow the script's over familiarity to overcome all of its promise. It's wonderful to see her act opposite Gummer, who also rises to the occasion, as does the rest of the cast. They infuse the film with such authenticity that it almost doesn't matter that the script needs work or that the rhythms are off (except for the musical interludes, which are truly enjoyable) or that interesting subplots are discarded without a second look. Thanks to its star, Ricki and the Flash is fun enough to be worth a watch.

Movie Details

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