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Ricki and The Flash (BLU-RAY)

Ricki and the Flash

Movie
Studio(s): 
Director(s): 
Genre: 
On Blu-Ray: 
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Grade:
A
Running Time: 
101 Minutes
Did You Know?

Mamie Gummer, who plays Streep's daughter in the film, is actually her daughter in real life.

Ricki and The Flash is probably one of the worst titles for this film. Though Meryl Streep (Suffragette) is indeed the title character Ricki (aka Linda), and her band is indeed The Flash, the title pretty much misdirects the potential viewer from the dysfunctional family antics of the film and the heartwarming coming together of said family.

Ricki and The Flash is the story of an absentee mother whose spent her life chasing a dream that was never within reach, leaving behind her husband and children. Today she spends her time balancing an unsatisfying job as a cashier at a grocery store and playing cover tunes in a bar. Her life is suddenly thrown into a spiral when she gets a call from her ex-husband who informs her that their daughter's marriage has fallen apart and that she's stuck in a depressive funk.

Returning to her family she literally has to face the music, though honestly in my opinion there doesn't seem to be that much friction going on. Not in the overly melodramatic way this scenario has been hashed out in several other films pretty much made up of a similar plot.

Kevin Kline (My Old Lady) plays the likeable ex-husband Pete whose cooperative, and sometimes too passive persona, leaves a void between the history of the two characters.

Mamie Gummer (The Good Wife) plays Streep's depressed daughter Julie, who after a brief moment of aggression, quickly converts to her mothers loving, albeit sarcastic, daughter. It's a bit unbelievable at best, but for the sake of progression it manages to work.

Finally were introduced to Ricki's sons, who are sorely underused. Daniel (Ben Platt- Pitch Perfect 1 & 2) and Josh (Sebastian Stan- Captain America: Civil War). Though were given an insight into the two brothers and how their lives are going sans Mom, it's pretty much white noise in the light premise of the film.

Ricki and The Flash makes for a decent rainy day, feel good type of film, but is far from revolutionary.

PICTURE AND SOUND QUALITY:

Ricki and The Flash, like the films plot, has a picture that is pretty straight forward. Detail is great, color saturation is (or should be) organically standard for HD, and there is very little interference from artifacting or banding. Though there's nothing much to take advantage of the high quality picture, other then to put an emphasis on the aging facial features of Steep's forever young Ricki the rocker character, it's just a straight picture enhancer for a film with little to offer in the grand scheme of the HD arena.

Sound stands out, but only during the scenes in which Ricki and The Flash play their cover tunes at the bar. You can get a pretty good immersion experience there with the feel and sound of the band rocking out and the utilizing of surround sound support for the ambiance of the barlife. Other then that the picture is mostly dialog heavy with very little background interference .

BONUS FEATURES:

  • Deleted Scenes: There are four deleted scenes in this segment that include some extended performances from Ricki and the band as well as one that adds a bit more depth to a couple of characters. The longest deleted scene only runs about two and a half minutes so don't expect a whole lot.
  • Getting Ready For Ricki: The Making Of Ricki and The Flash: A second over ten minutes, this feature talks about the more interesting parts of the film, such as Steep's performance as Ricki the musician. I've always been a fan of Meryl Streep and this is just another prime example of an actress throwing herself into a role.  Definitely the one bonus feature to check out.
  • Rediscovering Rick Springfield: This segment talks about casting Springfield in the film.
  • Trailers
  • Photo Gallery
  • HD Digital Copy
     
AJ Garcia
Review by AJ Garcia
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