Following the success of Meryl Streep‘s musical movies comes a new gig.
Meryl Streep takes on the role of Ricki Rendazzo, a guitar rock n roller who makes mistakes as she follows her dreams in the music industry to find stardom.
Played by her real-life daughter Mamie Gummer, Ricki Rendazzo’s daughter is left by her husband for another woman that makes Ricki go home to her family and support her grieving daughter.
Waltzing back into her family’s life, Ricki has a hard time connecting with her children and getting along with her ex-husband’s new wife, as they remember her leaving to pursue her career.
“We all have to live with our mistakes,” says Streep. “I think she wishes that her kids liked her more, understood her – I think that is a regret, but she’s pretty clear-eyed about it. Ricki lives in the moment. She acts on the impulse that feels imperative to her. It’s a relief to play someone who doesn’t act how everybody thinks she should be. She’s saying, ‘I can’t help being the way I am.’”
Greg, the lead guitarist of Ricki’s band and her boyfriend is played by Rock and Roll Legend Rick Springfield.
“That’s a beautiful quality and a necessary one for Greg because he’s a tender character. He’s the lead guitar in The Flash, but he also aspires to be the man in Ricki’s life. Greg just wants her to jump in with both feet, but Ricki has a lot of problems committing, and she’s really not sure she can make it not be a lie.”
The movie is packed with a lot of singing – from Rock and Roll Classics to Meryl Streep’s version of Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance and Pink’s Get This Party Started.
Aside from the music, Get Ready for Ricki is packed with emotional scenes that mothers and daughters can totally relate to. There are also scenes between Ricki and Greg that tackle second chances and parenting.
Ricki is challenged on how to deal with her kids, especially since it had been a long time since she last saw or contacted them. Her eldest son is getting married, another is gay and another is left by his husband. The mother in Ricki doesn’t know where to start.
Though there are family issues, Ricki realises that there is nothing more important than family, and her music can be a tool to bind them closer together and forget the past.
Get Ready for Ricki will be exclusively shown at Ayala Cinemas on September 8.
