The Meddler

The Meddler is a 2015 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Lorene Scafaria. The film stars Susan Sarandon, Rose Byrne and J. K. Simmons. Principal photography began on March 30, 2015 in Los Angeles. It was screened in the Special Presentations section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.[4] The film was released on April 22, 2016, by Sony Pictures Classics and Stage 6 Films.

The Meddler
Theatrical release poster
Directed byLorene Scafaria
Written byLorene Scafaria
Produced byJoy Gorman Wettels
Starring
CinematographyBrett Pawlak
Edited byKayla M. Emter
Music byJonathan Sadoff
Production
companies
Distributed bySony Pictures Classics[1][2]
Release dates
  • September 14, 2015 (2015-09-14) (TIFF)
  • April 22, 2016 (2016-04-22) (United States)
Running time
100 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$3.2 million[3]
Box office$5.4 million[2]

Plot

An aging widow, Marnie (Susan Sarandon) is lonely and heartbroken. When her daughter, Lori (Rose Byrne), moves to Los Angeles, she follows along with the hope of restarting her life. She begins interfering with Lori's life, constantly calling her and showing up at her house unexpected and uninvited. This angers Lori who is also currently seeing a Therapist.

On Valentine's Day, Lori agrees to go out with Marnie. At the Restaurant, Jacob (Lori's ex who she is still hung up on) shows up with his new Girlfriend. Lori tries to act like she also has an outing with someone else but Marnie ruins it for her.

Marnie visits Lori's Therapist with the hope of finding out why her Daughter acts the way she does but rather gets evaluated by the Therapist who believes that she (Marnie) needs to sort out her own issues as it relates to dealing with her loss.

During the course of the film, however, Marnie learns to develop strong connections with her new friends- she helped her Tech friend with rides to his School, she helped an ailing Woman at the hospital she volunteered with connect with her son, she threw Jillian (Lori's friend who ended taking her as Mum) a wedding and she also connects with Zipper and his Chickens.

One Day, Lori asks Marnie to help get a pregnancy test kit but Marnie mistakenly gets an ovulation kit. After the rush of emotions and mix up, Lori apologies for the way she had been acting and says she misses her Dad and that she found it hard to look at her because of that to which Marnie replies same but says to her that she is not alone.

Marnie finally pours her Husband's ashes in the Ocean for which she was arrested for. Fortunately, Zipper bails her out, they kissed and agree to go watch an action Movie together. Back in her car, Marnie sees that she had three voicemails from Lori to which she smiled as she listened.

As the Movie ends, Marnie drops a voicemail for Lori asking about her current boyfriend while also informing her of her intended trip with Zipper.

Cast

Production

Principal photography on the film began on March 30, 2015, in Los Angeles.[5][6]

Release

On August 25, 2015, Sony Pictures Classics acquired the North American rights to the film.[7] The film had its world premiere at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival on September 14, 2015 [4] and also screened at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival.[8] The film was released on April 22, 2016[9] and has earned $4.25 million at the domestic box office as of August 2016.[10]

Reception

The Meddler received positive reviews from critics. The film holds an 85% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 143 reviews, with an average rating of 6.96/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "The Meddler transcends its cutesy title and familiar premise with a heartfelt look at family dynamics that's honored by a marvelous performance from Susan Sarandon."[11] On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 68 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[12]

Peter Debruge of Variety gave the film a positive review, stating that "writer-director Lorene Scafaria’s sophomore feature returns to what works for her, as she draws upon personal experience to deliver a heartfelt dramedy that audiences are sure to appreciate. Bound to be among Sony Classics’ top 2016 performers, The Meddler serves as a lovely valentine not just to Scafaria’s mom, Gail, but to mothers everywhere — including the luminous Susan Sarandon in a role that seems to come naturally."[13] Kevin Jaugernauth of Indiewire.com gave the film a B− writing : "But it’s the movie as it stands that must be assessed, and “The Meddler” is earnest and honest, perhaps much like Marnie. The character is eager to help and be involved, and the film carries much of that same spirit: it will try to please you with one thing, but if that doesn’t work, it has another way to make you smile just around the corner. And just like Marnie, it’s hard to resist."[14]

Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair named it the best film of 2016.[15]

References
  1. "The Meddler (2016)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
  2. "The Meddler (2016)". The-Numbers. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  3. "The Meddler star Susan Sarandon on mothering, money and Bernie Sanders". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  4. "Sandra Bullock's 'Our Brand Is Crisis,' Robert Redford's 'Truth' to Premiere at Toronto". Variety. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
  5. Fleming, Mike Jr. (March 6, 2015). "Lorene Scafaria Helms 'The Meddler' With Susan Sarandon, Rose Byrne, JK Simmons". deadline.com. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  6. "On the Set for 3/30/15: Brad Pitt, Christian Bale & Ryan Gosling Start on 'The Big Short', Julianne Moore Wraps 'Maggie's Plan' & More". ssninsider.com. March 30, 2015. Retrieved August 7, 2015.
  7. Kit, Borys (August 25, 2015). "TIFF: 'The Meddler' Nabbed by Sony Pictures Classics for North America". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
  8. "The Meddler". Tribeca Film Festival. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  9. Matthew Jacobs (January 5, 2016). "22 Promising Movies To Shield You From The Woes Of Winter". The Huffington Post. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
  10. "The Meddler". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  11. "The Meddler (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  12. "The Meddler Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  13. Debruge, Peter (September 14, 2015). "Toronto Film Review: 'The Meddler'". Variety. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  14. Jaugernauth, Kevin (April 19, 2016). "Review: Hard To Resist Comedy 'The Meddler' Starring Rose Byrne, Susan Sarandon, And J.K. Simmons". Indiewire.com. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  15. Lawson, Richard (December 7, 2016). "The 10 Best Movies of 2016". Vanity Fair. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
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