Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Ricki and the Flash Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman November 24, 2015

Ricki and the Flash tells the story of a rocker, but it's not a story of Rock. The film is instead a fairly routine depiction of a struggling family that's long drifted apart, the cracks and chasms that have formed in absence, and the ebbs and flows of reconnection and reconciliation. The film, from the somewhat odd couple tandem of Writer Diablo Cody (Juno, Young Adult) and Director Jonathan Demme (The Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia), builds up and works through a fairly standard family drama concoction that's not particularly satisfying and not particularly grating. The fledgeling, overaged Rock musicians angle adds just enough zest and opportunity to build the story along an agreeable subtext but it does little to help the main story of reunification and healing wounds, basic themes that have been, and will continue to be, cinema staples and that are, here, not invested with any sort of substance that makes the movie a standout amongst its peers.

Ricki Rendazzo (Meryl Streep) is a third-rate rocker whose dreams of making it big have long since been dashed. She's relegated to playing in bars -- and frequently the same one -- with an aging band, including a lead guitarist (Rick Springfield) with whom she's kinda-sorta involved with off the stage. She's barely making ends meet and works a thankless cashier's job at an overpriced organic supermarket by day. One day, she receives a call from her ex-husband Pete (Kevin Kline). His new wife (Audra McDonald) is out of town, and he could use Ricki's help. Their daughter Julie (Mamie Gummer) is suffering from a broken heart. Her marriage has failed. Ricki flies halfway across the country, from California to Indianapolis, and finds Julie disheveled and suicidal. She does what she can to reconcile with her family, no easy taks considering the deep wounds that have long festered in her absence.

Ricki and the Flash suffers under the burden of a generic roster of estranged characters. Diablo Cody's script isn't sharp or novel, instead content to competently rehash tired dynamics, unimaginative burdens that shape the characters not with a fine chisel but instead a blunt instrument. Ricki herself is the most obvious, a separate and unequal member of the family not only considering her distance -- more than half the country -- but financially and politically, too. She's wowed by her ex-husband's wealth and dismisses her gay son's sexuality, which only widens the chasm of dislike with her other children. She's a familiar face that carries an unfamiliar personal cadence, an oddity in a family of lazily scripted "oddballs" that fit right into the generic modern family dynamic, which includes the troubled -- in therapy and suicidal -- daughter whose marriage, like her mother's, is over, and her straight son who wants to keep his upcoming marriage as far from his mother as he can. The loosely constructed but adequately defined threads are brought together under the umbrella of an admittedly satisfying, if not predictable, conclusion. The only question is whether all of the things leading up to it will resonate enough with the audience to make the payoff mean anything.

The cast is fine and does an admirable job of elevating the characters a few notches further than the limited script would otherwise allow as they explore core themes that evolve around life's ebbs and flows as they're defined by hard choices and the consequences that come of them. But even the venerable Meryl Streep cannot elevate the movie all that far. To her credit, she digs deep and finds a character depth that goes far enough beyond the surface to make the audience care, even if it's just a little bit. She refuses to allow her look -- deep and dark eye shadow that makes her look like a zombie and a rocker gal hairstyle that's braided on one side and free flowing yet a bit unkempt on the other -- to do her acting for her. She finds a genuine charisma behind the microphone, a naturally evolving and complex on- and off-stage relationship with her band member boyfriend, a nicely defined personality shaped by the unpredictable and thankless life of a third-rate rocker, and enough genuine motherly care and concern to make the various family scenes work well enough. Mamie Gummer is quite good as her troubled daughter, unafraid of looking ragged and beaten down by life in the early going and, like Streep, finding enough of a genuine rapport -- on both ends of the like/dislike scale -- with her mother to keep the movie afloat. The rest of the cast largely treads water under the script's undemanding dynamics.

Ricki and the Flash Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Ricki and the Flash features a rich, highly detailed 1080p transfer sourced from a digital shoot that never looks flat or glossy. Finely detailed and intricate, lifelike textures are easy to come by. Facial definition is excellent, particularly evident with Streep's heavy eye makeup and the thick braids that hang from the side of her head. Rougher little odds and ends around the bar where she and the Flash perform are terrific, while smoother elements around her ex-husband's home are equally exacting. Colors are robust across the board, whether in the warmer lower light bar or bright, sunny Indiana exteriors. All variety of signs, clothes, instruments, and other details reveal the palette's natural richness and attention to detail. Black levels are deep and flesh tones are honest. Compression problems are never an issue.

Ricki and the Flash Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Ricki and the Flash rocks out on Blu-ray with an amazingly rich and lifelike DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The highlight, unsurprisingly, comes in the way of aggressive small venue live Rock performances. The track's ability to recreate the sensation is uncanny. Musical definition is amazing. Guitar licks smack through the stage, bass lines are heavy and deep, drums clatter, and the listener can literally feel the music pulsing in the chest. Surrounds are active and the fronts offer wide dispersement. The sensation of standing only feet from the musicians is unbelievable. Microphone dialogue reverberates nicely through the venue, too, and little supportive barroom atmospherics complete the experience. The entire stage springs to life in support of other details, too, whether back room clatter at the grocery store or buzzing nighttime insects in Indiana. Much of the rest of the movie is dialogue intensive, and the spoken word always plays with terrific center placement, rich detailing, and faultless prioritization. But the music, the music. It's awesome, pure and simple, sure to leave every toe tapping, face smiling, and sound system exhaustively labored.

Ricki and the Flash Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Ricki and the Flash contains deleted scenes, a couple of featurettes, and a photo gallery. A UV digital copy code is included with purchase.

• Deleted Scenes (1080p): Airport Security (2:39), Wooly Bully (2:16), Not Tonight Greg (1:29), and Indiana Not Iraq (1:41).
• Getting Ready for Ricki: The Making of Ricki and the Flash (1080p, 10:01): Cast and crew discuss core story themes and character details, performing the film's music live, Streep's guitar work, music exclusive to the film, costumes and makeup, shooting locations, and more.
• Rediscovering Rick Springfield (1080p, 5:28): A look at casting Rick Springfield in a key role and the qualities he brought to the part and the film.
• Cast Photo Gallery (1080p).
• Previews (1080p): Additional Sony titles.

Ricki and the Flash Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Ricki and the Flash doesn't amount to much more than a serviceable family dynamics film. The Rock angle adds cursory substance at best. The characters are stale. The drama is routine. It's well made, nicely performed, and reasonably engaging, but one cannot help but wish for more considering the immense talent on both sides of the screen. Sony's Blu-ray release of Ricki and the Flash features excellent video, reference audio, and a few supplements. Worth a look, particularly as a rental or a purchase on a good discount.