The Meddler
Comedy-drama starring Susan Sarandon as a doting mother and divorcée trying to start a new life. Co-stars Rose Byrne (Bad Neighbours) and Oscar-winner J.K. Simmons (Whiplash). From writer-director Lorene Scafaria (Seeking a Friend for the End of the World).
"For Marnie Minervini (Sarandon), motherhood is not a familial duty. It's a vocation. A compulsive advice-giver, the recently widowed but ceaselessly cheerful Marnie cannot stop texting, calling, and showing up unannounced at the home of her daughter, Lori (Byrne). Desperate to gain some control over her life following a messy breakup, Lori attempts to draw boundaries, but that only serves to unleash Marnie's meddling upon the greater Los Angeles area. She starts to chauffeur the nice young Apple Store clerk to his college classes. She gives thousands of dollars to a not-especially-close friend of Lori's so she can have her dream wedding. But a chance encounter with a charismatic chicken-raising rent-a-cop (a surprisingly adorable Simmons) could spark a chance for Marnie to leave her characteristic supporting role behind and finally become the star of her own life." (Toronto International Film Festival)
- Director:
- Lorene Scafaria ('Seeking a Friend for the End of the World')
- Writer:
- Lorene Scafaria
- Cast:
- Rose ByrneBilly MagnussenSusan SarandonJ.K. SimmonsLucy PunchCecily StrongMichael McKeanAmy Landecker
Reviews & comments
Good for laughs despite its weak script, clichéd melodrama, tired gags, and feigned sentimentality
A quarter of a century ago, Susan Sarandon co-starred in Thelma & Louise (1991), still ranked one of the best feminist movies of all time. It sits in the pantheon of cinema greats because of how it combined the finest traditions of storytelling and movie making with powerful messages about important social issues. Since then, Sarandon’s name has been...
Variety
pressSarandon is great at being good in writer-director Lorene Scafaria's loving homage to her mother's uncommonly generous personality.
The New York Times
pressAgreeably (unusually) optimistic about human relationships, despite the melancholy edging its comedy.
The Guardian
pressMight be a bit too simplistic at times and some of the comedic choices are annoyingly broad, but it's a breezy, amiable watch.
Los Angeles Times
pressNot enough can be said about the terrific Sarandon, whose Marnie is reportedly based on Scafaria's own widowed mother.
Hollywood Reporter
pressScafaria has made a deeply personal, unquestionably sincere movie -- which, alas, isn't exactly the same as a very good one.
Variety
pressSarandon is great at being good in writer-director Lorene Scafaria's loving homage to her mother's uncommonly generous personality.
The New York Times
pressAgreeably (unusually) optimistic about human relationships, despite the melancholy edging its comedy.
The Guardian
pressMight be a bit too simplistic at times and some of the comedic choices are annoyingly broad, but it's a breezy, amiable watch.
Los Angeles Times
pressNot enough can be said about the terrific Sarandon, whose Marnie is reportedly based on Scafaria's own widowed mother.
Hollywood Reporter
pressScafaria has made a deeply personal, unquestionably sincere movie -- which, alas, isn't exactly the same as a very good one.
Good for laughs despite its weak script, clichéd melodrama, tired gags, and feigned sentimentality
A quarter of a century ago, Susan Sarandon co-starred in Thelma & Louise (1991), still ranked one of the best feminist movies of all time. It sits in the pantheon of cinema greats because of how it combined the finest traditions of storytelling and movie making with powerful messages about important social issues. Since then, Sarandon’s name has been...
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