The Meddler

Sometimes, the end of the world comes about in two ways. There's the scenario in which the actual apocalypse strikes, bringing about the general destruction of planet Earth and its beings. And then there is the time when one loses a parent. In her first and now second back-to-back feature films, writer/director Lorene Scafaria has explored both end-of-days events, as well as the common theme of having her characters forced to find levity and comedy in, and finding the will to carry on amidst, the face of such devastating events – but only taking real-life experience from the latter. In Scafaria's follow-up to her directorial debut, 2012's 'Seeking a Friend for the End of the World', the 'Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist' scribe offers an altogether joyful and uplifting tale of human life realism that, though still tinged with some mournful and heartbreaking tone, explores with such heart what happens after someone's world ends, the new reality that must then be accepted and the snags in life that come with it. In Scafaria's own tale of personal devastation, the writer and director learned of her father's passing when in the middle of shooting 'Seeking a Friend'. Shocked, distraught, and altogether dazed, her mother proceeded to fly out to comfort and support her daughter through the production and finishing of the movie, and subsequently, becoming a new part of her daughter's crazed world. 'The Meddler' is exactly that story, a loving tribute of a film from Scafaria to and about her mother, and how the pair were faced with figuring out how the other fits into their lives. Marnie (Susan Sarandon), a spirited, life-affirming, if only slightly overbearing woman, so well- intentioned and good-hearted that she sees no boundaries or personal space between her and the people whose lives she stumbles into, and inadvertently helps in such genuine and caring ways. Her sunny and eager-to-assist disposition are great for everyone around her, including her daughter's new bride-to-be friend Jillian (Cecily Strong) and retired officer of the law "Zipper" (J.K. Simmons), who also manages to catch her eye – everyone, that is, except for her recently single and anxiety-ridden daughter Lori (Rose Byrne). Scafaria shows Sarandon's wholesome meddling, but in such a loving way that Marnie's entire character is one that can't help but be looked at as endearing, sentimental, and caring in that classic, overly-attentive "mom" kind of way (a running joke shows Marnie leaving voicemail upon voicemail to a Lori, only asking her daughter to text her to make sure she's OK). Sarandon here is a true joy – this movie is a vehicle around the star, and she doesn't disappoint when on screen (in the beauty department as well), even when the story lacks in urgency or real development. As a movie, 'The Meddler' is pretty much just a series of situationally-comedic events – she buys an iPad for a baby shower present, accidentally gets stoned when trying to get rid of a younger friend's bag of pot, and walks onto a movie set and becomes an "extra." The winning factor is that Sarandon herself shows so much life, still so comedically and dramatically deft and sharp, which should tickle the middle-aged-mom crowd out there. 'The Meddler', if not the most challenging or complex look at familial loss beyond being a good time, is a highly personal film. Scafaria's near-autobiographical film, that seeks to win over audiences with its funny look at a tragic life, feels tonally reminiscent of writer/director Maya Forbes' 2014 dramedy 'Infinitely Polar Bear', in which Mark Ruffalo stars as Forbes' manic- depressive father, telling a story of morose nature but with light-hearted and optimistic fever. And like that film, 'The Meddler' wins audiences over by its message of how important it is to continue to smile – to live – in the face of grief. Because the end of one world also means the beginning of a new one.

'THE MEDDLER': Four Stars (Out of Five) Comedy-drama flick about a widow; that's desperate to try and help her depressed single daughter get her life back on track. She begins helping numerous other people, she meets, instead. The movie stars Susan Sarandon, Rose Byrne and J.K. Simmons. It was written and directed by Lorene Scafaria (who also helmed the amazing 'SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD'). I really enjoyed this film! Marnie (Sarandon) is an elder widow; who recently moved to Los Angeles to be with her daughter Lori (Byrne). Lori was recently dumped by her boyfriend, Jacob (Jason Ritter), and she's still upset about it. Marnie tries to help Lori, get over her ex, but Lori doesn't want her meddling. Marnie begins helping other people, she meets in the city, instead. The movie is funny, and extremely sweet. Sarandon is fantastic in the lead, and I always love J.K. Simmons. The mother/daughter relationship is very touching, and the romance is moving as well; but it's all the random people Marnie meets, and helps, that is the most beautiful thing to watch about this movie. I really enjoyed it. Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: https://youtu.be/_3w7EWxV5vg

I like Susan and Rose in this movie. In addition all the supporting cast was great. The script was well written, and the scenes were shot very well in order to tell the story. The music was also very complimentary to the narration. I also enjoyed recognizing a few locations from my numerous trips to Los Angeles. The Malibu Pier, and the Mall at Glendale were my favorites. I guarantee you will laugh, and maybe even cry a little. This is a must see movie for mothers and daughters. It might even help you with your relationship if you listen and pay attention. I will recommend this to my fiends and especially to the ladies and some mothers.

"The Meddler" says it all it's a film that's the tale of an aging widow who starts a new path still she wants to meddle in and out of everyone else's life, so this film is feel good and fun yet teaches a lesson to be happy with yourself and accept change. Susan Sarandon is Marnie a New York widow who moves to Los Angeles to start a new life. And soon Marnie involves herself with everything and everyone including her grown daughter Lori's(Rose Byrne)life as she even follows Lori to her work on film and TV sets. Marnie is a giving character from helping black teenage boys seek their dreams to helping old dying folks at the hospital to having dreams of falling in love with a man and she meets him in the form of Zipper(J.K. Simmons). Thru it all a lot is learned about life and people as Marnie learns she can be to strong and over bearing learning in the end to accept life, people, and things for the way they are.

If you are going to do product placement in a film then it needs to be subtle, this is up there with that terrible Tom Hanks film with the shipping company product placement or one of those "Mobile Phone" films form the 80's there was another film recently, that was based on a brilliant book, they changed a diary from a book to using a camera so they could do the product placement, it again ruined the film. The story itself was probably not as bad as the commercialisation of the film. I just wish that the distraction of bizarre elements, such as the mentioning of having purchased the places product in the initial call to her daughter, the befriending of the guy who helps her with her placed product and works in the placed product shop, the mentioning of the placed product web browser when searching the internet, her purchasing the placed product for the baby shower, her purchasing placed product for the chickens. This is the future of cinema, it is a commercial dressed up as movie, I think it is much more than one commercial to far. This is a ruined film. Thanks placed product. I know product placement is here to stay, but it can be done well, it can be subtle, it can be and unnoticed part of the story. But when you alter the story and insert extra elements in order to achieve extra product placements then you are at serious risk of making a bad advert instead of a good film.

The movie starts in an Apple Store where Susan Sarandon buy a new Iphone. She explains that the 64GB model is better than the 16GB one. After few minutes she is at a pre maman party, and gift the new mother with an iPad. She explains that it's a very good gadget, that you can install things on it, and the young mother wows very loud at the tablet. Next scene we are on an Apple store, where we can see the "genius" explaining to her how to zoom in and out. At the 15 minutes mark we are at her daughter's house, and on the bed we can see a Macbook. She try to look at the history on safari, but then the daughter comes, and takes the laptop away. If you want to see a 100 minutes Apple commercial, this movie is for you!

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, and over-arched it with powerful messages about important social issues. Since then, Sarandon's name has been associated with a string of high production-value movies and great entertainment. In this context of high expectations, The Meddler (2016) is a disappointingly mediocre story about an irritating mother who farcically acts-out suppressed grief trauma following her husband's death three years earlier. Marnie (Susan Sarandon) is a widow desperately wanting to be relevant in other people's lives as a way to avoid dealing with her own. Her husband left her financially comfortable and she likes spending money on others, whether it's a bag of bagels or paying for the entire wedding of someone she barely knows. Her daughter Lori (Rose Byrne) has relationship issues of her own and welcomes her meddling mother like a blowfly on a summer day. If that sounds like a thin storyline, several comic sketches flesh it out: like Marnie's serial visits to that helpful guy in the Apple Store; being "earth mother" for a lesbian couple's wedding; deciding what to do with her husband's ashes; and the teen-awkward steps towards starting a relationship with an ex-cop called Zipper. The 'world's most embarrassing mother' theme is squeezed for all its worth, but the endless texting, unanswered messages, and unannounced drop-ins are more wearying for viewers than for this mother-daughter duo. While buried grief lies somewhere in the deeper layers of this film, it is largely ignored or at best explored with casual superficiality. Sarandon's acting repertoire means she can handle anything from slapstick to pathos, but she can only work with what she is given. It is a weak script, full of clichéd melodrama, tired gags, and feigned sentimentality. She is on-screen for most of the movie, staying in character as a constantly irritating person who is painfully lacking in self-awareness, or just not particularly bright. If it was directed as a serious drama, the central premise of the story might have led to a satisfying movie. But as a corny comedy, it denigrates the seriousness of its deeper themes and is more squirm-in- your-seat embarrassing than laugh-out-loud kind of funny. While this conclusion may speak against the critical grain, it comes from someone who still has Sarandon on a pedestal.

My darling wife, beloved as she may be, has one slight imperfection. Genetics has cursed her with a bladder about the size of a grape, or maybe a walnut at the most. Frequent movie goers that we are, we've perfected the drill. When (not if) she heads out to the restroom, I make note of where the plot was. Upon her return, I whisper into her ear what she missed, and generally throw in a little kiss, too. This was the first movie where upon her return, she didn't ask what she missed. We both knew before she left that she wouldn't miss anything. For the whole movie, not much happened. Just a lot of ploddingness, talk about feelings, and perhaps two chuckles. The trailer looked good, but it had all the funny bits. A great cast was wasted on this ho hum mess. I kept waiting for the movie to get better, but it never did. If only my watch had a turboboost option... On the bright side, if you have a nanobladder, this may be the perfect movie for you.

source: The Meddler

Susan Serandon stars as the meddler. She is the kind of mother you would wish for as long as you are not her daughter. All the other female characters want her as their mother. The movie is an outstanding written and directed work. Often the writer director starts the movie too late or won't cut a word or scene of their brilliant writing. Here it is a perfect title, perfect start and near perfect script. Many male characters are a bit thinly written and seem like props not people. So what if the action cuts from Bennett's in the Farmers Market to the fountains in the Grove like they are a step away. It seemed the writer needed a car stolen even though it was parked in the most highly visible space at Fisherman's Village in a controlled exit parking lot. The coincidence of walking onto the set to meet JK Simmons was fun but also seemed contrived. Was the credited Sam Ruben left on the cutting room floor when the channel Five morning news team was moved to eight? Susan Serandon, dressed mostly in animal print tops, carries this movie gracefully on her back. She is in every scene and very convincing. There is an outstanding use of music that adds to the fun and carries lots some scenes to a higher level. The movie looks good on the wide screen theater screen. It is a small movie that isn't receiving big studio marketing promotion. It is the type of movie that will benefit from positive word of mouth. Find it in limited release or enjoy it on a home platform.