Directed by Lorene Scafaria, Susan Sarandon stars as The Meddler, Marnie. An ageing widow who moves to LA where her grown up daughter (Rose Byrne) lives – in order to start a new life. Soon enough the meddling begins and I find myself feeling bad for her daughter, the one at the receiving end of the madness.

The meddling is certainly annoying but it’s not the reason for my overall 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 empathising with Marnie as a woman seeking new purpose in her life after loss. But none of that proved enough save the entire movie. I also can’t say that Sarandon’s seemingly ‘ropey’ NYC accent helped 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. Unlikely is my guess.

Happy Film Loving

G