Directed by Lorene Scafaria, Susan Sarandon stars as Marnie, The Meddler, an ageing widow who moves to LA where her grown up daughter (Rose Byrne) lives, so she can  start a new life.

Soon after, the meddling begins and my sympathies lie with Marbie’s daughter.  The meddling is super annoying, but it’s not the reason for my negative opinion of this movie.

I’m not a fan of The Meddler because I don’t think it’s particularly well executed. Though a comedy/drama/romance, I don’t recall laughing more than once (if at all). There are a couple of potentially heartwarming mother/daughter moments and I did find myself feeling bad for Marnie as a woman seeking new purpose in her life after loss. However, none of that proved enough to change my view of SCafaria’s movie. Additionally, Sarandon’s seemingly ‘ropey’ NYC accent certainly didn’t help matters.

The  few scenes featuring J.K. Simmons were the only real highlights for me. Still, I’m sure I’d have been happier re-watching I’ll See You In My Dreams (2015).

There’s a reason why the trailer for The Meddler is nowhere to be found on this blog. My instincts told me that ‘promising’ is not how it looked. Having now watched the movie, I’m reminded to trust my instincts more.

If you happen to love this movie, please feel free to tell me I’m crazy in the comments. Who knows, maybe I missed something. Though, unlikely is my guess.

Happy Film Loving,

G