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Ricki and the Flash proves Meryl does everything well

Mamie Gummer and her mother have unsurprising on-screen chemistry.

Mamie Gummer and her mother have unsurprising on-screen chemistry.

She’s played a haughty magazine editor in The Devil Wears Prada, an iconic chef in Julie & Julia and even Margaret Thatcher herself in The Iron Lady.

For her latest role, Hollywood mainstay and everyone’s favourite actress, Meryl Streep, tackles an entirely new domain: that of the ageing, hapless mother-cum-rockstar.

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Streep brings her incredible versatility to family dramedy Ricki and the Flash, playing Stevie Nicks/Chrissie Hynde hybrid Ricki Randazzo (nee Linda Brummell).

No surprises here: she nails it.

With swagger and a gravelly singing voice, the ever-elegant Streep is surprisingly convincing as Ricki, a woman who abandoned her husband and three kids to chase an unlikely dream only to end up the lead singer of a glorified pub band.

After hearing of her only daughter’s suicide attempt following a marriage breakdown, Ricki returns to her children and ex-husband (and his new wife) after a notable absence.

Her various attempts to re-enter the family fold are rebuffed by her embittered adult kids, resulting in a mixture of hilarity and sadness.

Upping the authenticity quotient is the fact Streep’s on-screen daughter, Julie, is played by her real-life daughter, Mamie Gummer.

Mamie Gummer and her mother have unsurprising on-screen chemistry.

Mamie Gummer and her mother have strong on-screen chemistry.

Gummer, a carbon copy of her mother in both looks and acting finesse, is the emotionally damaged, wisecracking counterpart to Streep’s hippy hurricane.

The strength of the film lies in both its whip-smart dialogue – expertly crafted by Juno writer Diablo Cody – and the music, which Streep performs alongside 1980s rockstar Rick Springfield.

Streep and Springfield make an inimitable duo onstage, playing classic hits from Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty and even covering modern chart-toppers like Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance.

A real highlight is Streep playing a solo acoustic version of Cold One, a Ricki original song that sticks in your head long after you’ve left the cinema.

Rick Springfield and Meryl Streep play lovers and bandmates.

Rick Springfield and Meryl Streep play lovers and bandmates.

The movie veers into cheesy territory at times, but any sappy predictability is salvaged by the entirely unpredictable characters at the heart of the story.

Sure, it won’t rock the world, win an Oscar or profoundly change your outlook, but tattooed Meryl Streep in leather and eyeliner is damn good fun.

See it as the weirdest, coolest extended concert you’ve ever seen, with added heart and plenty of laughs, too.

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