Ricki and the Flash (2015)

Not high art, but still enjoyable, this story of a mother and daughter reuniting decades after the former left to chase a career in rock has good production values, some laughs, and some pathos. We know Meryl Streep can sing, as evidenced by A Prairie Home Companion (2006), Mamma Mia! (2008), and Into the Woods, and can do comedy. Her real-life daughter Mamie Gummer (covered in The End of the Tour) is showing promise, here playing Ricki's reel daughter Julie. Rick Springfield (I haven't seen a single one of his 73 episodes of General Hospital but I liked his Grammy-winning song Jessie's Girl in 1981) is quite good as Ricki's bandmate Greg who loves her, and Kevin Kline (last blogged for My Old Lady) and Audra McDonald (this six-time Tony-winner--we saw her as Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill--can sing Broadway to jazz to opera, and was in 77 episodes of the Grey's Anatomy spin-off Private Practice, among others, but doesn't sing a note in this movie) are also compelling as the father and stepmother of Julie and her brothers.

Jonathan Demme (profiled in Rachel Getting Married) directs with an experienced hand from a script by Diablo Cody (covered in Young Adult), who was inspired by her mother-in-law (read this Vanity Fair article).

No composer is credited because the on-screen band performs most of the songs on the soundtrack. Rotten Tomatoes' critics and audiences are pretty tepid at 64/52%. You still might enjoy it, playing at the dollar theaters now, or when it's released on DVD next month.