The Meddler (2015)

An aging widow from New York City follows her daughter to Los Angeles in hopes of starting a new life after her husband passes away.

Director:

Lorene Scafaria

Writer:

Lorene Scafaria

Stars:

Susan Sarandon, Rose Byrne, J.K. Simmons

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Susan Sarandon	...	Marnie
Rose Byrne	...	Lori
J.K. Simmons	...	Zipper
Jerrod Carmichael	...	Freddy / Fredo
Cecily Strong	...	Jillian
Lucy Punch	...	Emily
Michael McKean	...	Mark
Jason Ritter	...	Jacob
Sarah Baker	...	Elaine
Casey Wilson	...	Trish
Amy Landecker	...	Diane
Billy Magnussen	...	Ben
Megalyn Echikunwoke	...	Elise
Jo Jordan	...	Old Woman
Chance Bone	...	Movie Set AD

Storyline

An aging widow from New York City follows her daughter to Los Angeles in hopes of starting a new life after her husband passes away.

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Plot Keywords:

overbearing mother | lesbian wedding | mother daughter relationship | singing in a car | reference to atlantic city new jersey | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for brief drug content

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Production Company

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 June 2016 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Ma mère et moi

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,200,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$57,022, 24 April 2016, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$4,265,673, 19 August 2016

Company Credits

Production Co:

Anonymous Content, Stage 6 Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lucy Punch and Casey Wilson were both pregnant during filming of the movie. Their pregnancies were written into the story.

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Goofs

When Zipper gives Marnie a ride on his Harley, they leave Du-Par's Restaurant in the Fairfax neighborhood heading north on Fairfax, then in the next shot are shown going north on Van Nuys Blvd. crossing Magnolia Blvd., which is over ten miles north in the San Fernando Valley. After that brief shot, they are shown sitting on a bench south of the Santa Monica Pier. Santa Monica is nearly due west of the Fairfax area. Unless the BMW dealership in Sherman Oaks paid for a product placement, there's no reason for them to have gone so far north.

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Quotes

Marnie: I would kill my daughter if she died on a motorcycle.

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Connections

References Nemo (1990)

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Soundtracks

Crease In The Map
Written by Chance Bone and Dan Molad
Performed by Chance Bone, Lennon Bone, Andrew Burri, Peter Lalish, David Lizmi, Dan Molad and Elizabeth Ziman
Courtesy of Chance Bone

User Reviews

Sarandon Makes the Film

Characters like Marnie, the role played by Susan Sarandon in this film, I find really hard to tolerate. In fact I wasn't going to watch the film but decided to only because I knew Sarandon would elevate it. And now, having read some of the reviews here, I realize how comparable it was to Sally Field's recent film, My Name is Doris.

What these two films share in common, besides being made watchable thanks to the talents of their respective main star, is that they were character portrayals of the aging baby boomer as a childlike character.

As an aging baby boomer female myself, I found myself asking, with both films, but I'll stick to The Meddler here, did Marnie take too many drugs in her youth? Because there's something so innocent, spaced out, cutesy, and ultimately kind of brain dead, about her.

Reviewers have referred to her as happy, cheerful, smiling, caring, etc. which are all accurate, but when I ask myself, is she someone I'd like to spend time with, or even have as my mother, my answer is a resounding No. Maybe because in my own family I was the "adult child" I think I'd have to assume that role with Marnie, too. Because frankly she fits into la la land so perfectly. And I always feel that characters/people like that are able to get away with something that I can't.

Which is all to say watching The Meddler was a mixed experience.