Why Hollywood rarely offers complex roles to actresses over fifty
In short: When screenwriter Diablo Cody penned the script for Ricki and the Flash, she had a specific mission. She wanted to challenge a common industry trend: the lack of nuanced, complicated characters for women over fifty. The result was a musical comedy-drama that brought legendary performers together for a final cinematic bow.
Written by Diablo Cody, the film follows Ricki, a woman who abandoned her family to pursue a career as a rock star. While working as a cashier and playing gigs in small bars, Ricki eventually travels to Indianapolis to reconnect with her estranged daughter, Julie, who is struggling through a divorce. The narrative explores themes of reconciliation and the difficulty of reintegrating into a family that has moved on without you. The script was partially inspired by Cody's mother-in-law, Terry Cieri, who has led a bar band in New Jersey for many years. The story also touches on the friction between Ricki and her ex-husband's second wife, Maureen.
The production served as a significant reunion for veteran actors. Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline starred in the film, marking their third collaboration following 1982's Sophie's Choice and 2006's A Prairie Home Companion. The cast also featured Streep's real-life daughter, Mamie Gummer, playing the role of Julie—the third time the mother and daughter appeared together on screen after 1986's Heartburn and 2007's Evening. The film's production began in October 2014, with scenes filmed in various New York locations including Rye, Nyack, and Yonkers. The cast also included Sebastian Stan and Rick Springfield.
Directed by Jonathan Demme, the film was his final narrative work before his death in April 2017. Although critics offered mixed reviews—praising the cast's performances but criticizing the screenplay's execution—the film was a notable box office performer. It grossed a worldwide total of approximately $40.1 million against a production budget of $18 million. The film's release was also notable for being the opening selection at the 2015 Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland. In its opening weekend in the United States, the film earned $6.6 million across 1,603 theaters. It later expanded to 2,064 screens during its second week of release.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Ricki and the Flash
- Also: Wikidata — Ricki and the Flash · CC0
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