The problem with this movie


Streep as a Rocker just does not work. I didn't watch the movie because when I saw the trailer with her portrayed as a washed up Rocker it just seemed ridiculous. Will not watch, and reading other reviews, looks like I am not going to miss out on anything.

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Agree 100%. Totally miscast in this film. While watching it, all I could think of is Cher in the role - she would have been so much more believable. Streep was out of her league - or way too good for this.

I prefer fantasy over reality TV - like Fox News. - B.Streisand







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She did a great job with the role. I didn't expect much. But I thought Meryl Streep was awesome.

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I have not seen this yet but she looks beautiful
it is on HBO will watch it later today

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Streep did a decent job, but the script was bad. More like a Lifetime movie.

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I think it was a sweet movie. She's wanted to sing so long, but I agree I had to force myself to keep from deleting from my recordings, but I'm glad I did. The ending was worth it.

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Wlell she was a never-was rocker with only 1 album in the 80s, kind of clear she was not a big star and the singing was a hobby.

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Well she was a never-was rocker with only 1 album in the 80s, kind of clear she was not a big star and the singing was a hobby.


^^this.

I saw the trailer as well and thought...no way...but after watching the movie, she was cast well. The role really didn't need a ex-well known star..it needed what Meryl played.

This is a family drama with (in my view) a sh*tty family with all their crap problems while their mom went chasing after an 80s rainbow that never took off.

I...would not have paid to see this in a theater, but it was just fine for a rainy afternoon/sick day and I didn't want to watch anything on Lifetime.


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I didn't watching it because Streep just doesn't work as a rocker?

Sort of like saying, I don't eat crème brulee cause it just doesn't look good on the top, so what's beneath has to be bad.

Streep wasn't playing Bonnie Raitt or Stevie Nicks or Sheryl Crow, for she was playing the role of the over the hill, "failed" rocker.

Mainstream films usually focus on people who chase their dreams and achieve them, whereas their are far more people like Ricki who hocks their wears at crummy neighborhood bars and work even crummier day jobs to keep a roof over their heads.

No doubt this was a wait for cable, but that's true for most of Streep's films.



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So you didn't actually watch the movie but are telling people what the problem was with it. And then make reference to certain other "reviews". If you didn't see it, you can't review it.

Sort of the same category as "I didn't read the article, but let me tell you what I think of the headline". Rendering an opinion on something you didn't experience is kind of arrogant.

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I agree with you because some here don't seem to get that she wasn't supposed to be the best singer but one that didn't really hit the big time but yet she persisted alienating most of her family. It isn't a thriller or a mystery so why shouldn't it be straight forward? Movies are for entertainment and not necessarily the expectations of the audience. I have never thought Streep was much of a singer but she draws on what she does have and she tries to do the best she can and she's better than a lot that are popular right now.

I haven't watched the movie yet but I read a lot about it, have seen scenes and of course the trailer. I plan on seeing it but not because of Meryl Streep so much as Rick Springfield. The man has a HUGE fan base. People have been following him for years. I would suspect all of them came to the theaters. I would guess some don't know how popular this man is even now in his 60s.

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Well said, Tim. 

I never get the point of threads like these. If someone hasn't seen a movie then I don't want to hear their opinion about the movie.

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Streep as a Rocker just does not work. I didn't watch the movie because when I saw the trailer with her portrayed as a washed up Rocker it just seemed ridiculous. Will not watch, and reading other reviews, looks like I am not going to miss out on anything.


No offense, but if you haven't seen the film you are in no position to tell us why "it didn't work".

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She's been so many characters that I thought she might pull this off. I agree with the poster that said Cher would have been better in the role. If you didn't see it, you didn't miss a lot. Dreary movie about a troubled woman who blames her mother for her problems.

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To be fair, she probably IS screwed up because her mother walked out and then didn't see them for years (even if that wasn't entirely her doing, children don't accept excuses). BUT she didn't seem to actually blame her mother for her depression given she very plainly stated that she was devastated because her husband left her for another woman. In real life this certainly could have dredged up abandonment issues (speaking as a trained therapist). She was clearly (and well represented as) suffering from a clinical depression, and that can happen to anyone no matter how well-adjusted they are given it's from the brain's screwed up chemistry.

People who are depressed may blame themselves for everything that's gone wrong and it is actually healthier to turn the blame outward--in this case on the husband where it belonged. Having her mother turn up unexpectedly after all of those years could have made things significantly worse--or made things seem more promising--depending on how she saw her mother's exit and return. When someone is in the throes of a deep depression it can be difficult to see the positive side of anything, or even think that clearly. I thought this was one of the best depictions of depression I'd ever seen in a film--and while it was unrealistic to show her suddenly throwing off her anger, sadness and melancholy in one dramatic move (at the reception), the actress up until that point did a pretty good job of expressing her struggle. Kudos as well for being willing to look so bad! (I didn't know she was Streep's daughter, but I did wonder given the strong resemblance. Her mother certainly has been willing to look less than her best--or even quite different for her roles as well when it was called for.)

As far as Meryl Streep's singing--she isn't that bad and far from terrible (I liked her very much in Mama Mia where she also played a washed up singer), and I thought her level of singing acumen was perfect for the role given some of the most famous (and successful) rock stars really aren't great vocalists (just listen!). Many would never win a singing contest on their own (particularly ones from the 70s and 80s). So for her to be playing a singer in a rock band with one album behind her fits very nicely. Ron stewart is one example. Cher wouldn't have worked, as her voice would be too good for the role--though one could make the argument that her unique style could potentially have kept her from making it big under different circumstances and different choices.

And by the way, it's not unusual at all for professional musicians to have a day job. Standard middle of the road touring bands don't get paid all that well (particularly after expenses). It's the stars who rake in the big bucks, and most of that can wind up in the studio coffers. And yes, I'm speaking from experience.

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I tried watching this movie twice. I simply could not stand it.
Everything looked extremely artificial to me.
This is not a critic or a review but if people prefer change the channel and in spite of liking the actress cannot watch the movie that says something.
I respect when people say "I simply cannot read this book. It is boring."
It is not a review or a critic. Just a feeling.
There is something about this movie that some people simply cannot watch it.
Let the critics explain what it is if they are not that compromised and don't have a conflict of interests.

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her portrayed as a washed up Rocker it just seemed ridiculous


The original poster clearly has problems with logic, saying the Meryl Streep was ridiculous playing a "washed up rocker". Are you saying that she played too good for a "washed up rocker"?

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Good question. LOL

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