The Meddler (2016): Mama Mia!

One of the best movies I’ve seen in months, The Meddler is a domestic comedy with heart and soul. First and foremost, it is funny, very funny. But it’s also warmhearted and honest about human relationships in a way quite rare for a funny film. Good comedy is always a balancing act. Where the goal runs a little deeper than “just” laughter, where the underlying topic may be meaningful in some way - such as here where the core of the story concerns loss and recovery - comedy becomes a high wire act. Few movies manage to pull this off as successfully as The Meddler.

The picture stars Susan Sarandon [Bull Durham - 1988, Dead Man Walking - 1995] as Marnie, a recently widowed New Yorker, who has transplanted herself in L.A. to be near her adult daughter Lori (Rose Byrne [Bridesmaids - 2011]). Lori is struggling (a) to establish herself as a writer/director in the TV industry, (b) to get over being dumped by her long-time beau Jacob (Jason Ritter), and (c) to free herself from the smothering attentions of her incredibly meddlesome mom. Marnie calls her constantly, texts even more frequently, and drops by unannounced and uninvited on a daily basis, peering and prying into every crevice of Lori’s life, dispensing unsolicited advice, and generally driving her crazy.

Marnie may be a royal pain to her daughter, but she’s so cheery, well intentioned and quirky that despite her meddling, we can’t help but love her. A lot of credit goes to writer/director Lorene Scafaria   [Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (2008)] for whom this tale is largely autobiographical. She has crafted a story and script that is crackling smart, empathetic, honest and witty.  For a first time feature film director she has shown amazing touch - maintaining a sense of balance and just the right tone throughout the film to carry it off. 

It didn’t hurt that she got Susan Sarandon to play Marnie. Sarandon is absolutely brilliant in one of the best roles in a career full of great performances. She brings a compassion and a wide-eyed, sometimes clueless earnestness to this character that is endearing to us and eventually to several other people whom she gathers under her maternal wing, she’s got her own issues to contend with. Loneliness and grief for example.  Marnie is a passionate, frustrating, loving, lovable and complex character. Sarandon just absolutely nails it.

Rose Byrne’s Lori is also well drawn. She’s a young woman with some of her own personal sorrows to deal with, trying to make her way professionally. She wants to embrace her mother’s love and support, but needs to push back against Marnie’s smothering attempts to invade and control her life.

Cicily Strong (SNL) winningly plays Jillian, one of Lori’s friends, whom Marnie adopts as a project, and someone who truly appreciates Marnie’s effusive attentions.  J K Simmons (Whiplash - 2014) does fine work as an ex-cop named Zipper who takes an interest in Marnie, and whose warmth and humor allows her to expand her horizons and begin to rebuild her own life. Deadpan Michael McKean  is funny as a hapless, would-be suitor.

Did I mention that The Meddler is really funny?

100 minutes

Opening April 22, 2016 nationally in select theaters.