Some films are not meant to appeal to a wide audience as much as they are to a specific target audience. This often begs the question of whether the film is a generally bad film or just a good film that isn’t for everybody. Lorene Scafaria’s The Meddler is one of these films. The Meddler is the story of a widowed mother Marnie (Susan Sarandon) who moves put to Los Angeles to be near her daughter Lorie (Rose Byrne) and becomes a little bit too much of a part of her life. It’s a nice to have a the perspective of an older woman as our protagonist, something that is rarely done in American cinema, but unfortunately Rose Byrne’s Lorie plays in a more supporting role rather than a second lead which may have added more tension in conflict to the film. The beginning of the film sets us up to explore a mother daughter relationship that is bound to come to blows with a bang only to forget about it and let it fizzle out calmly. The film has its charming and funny moments though too such as a scene where Lorie breaks down in tears after a couple pregnancy tests come up positive only to find out her mother had bought ovulation tests instead or when Marnie’s new retired cop friend Zipper (J.K. Simmons showing his softer side) introduces her to his Dolly Parton-loving chickens. Susan Sarandon puts in an admirable performance as always infusing the character nuance and humor which especially comes out during bursts of voicemail disguised as narration as Marnie tells her daughter the mundane events of her day as if they are the most exhilarating occurrences of her life. There is a sense that Scafaria has accomplished what she set out to do and yet one can’t wonder whether she shouldn’t have set the bar higher for herself. The end product comes out to be a very light family story for that your retired aunt and uncle can enjoy on a Tuesday afternoon, lacking of any real dramatic moments to truly drive the story forward. The film is paced quickly enough that it doesn’t drag coming in at a tight 100 minutes and perhaps the most accomplished directorial effort comes in the seamless assimilation of Jerrod Carmichael playing two roles within the same frame. Even if it is just for one quick scene, the technique is pulled off better than some portions of Tom Hardy’s dual portrayals in Legend. The Meddler seemed like a film that won’t have its praises sung but also won’t find its name dragged through mud. It’ll be a film that probably won’t be mentioned in conversations during Oscar nominations but also won’t have it’s name in conversations during Razzie nominations. I left theater not thinking it was bad film but simply a film that existed, a film that I could certainly see a certain person enjoying, but not one that I would recommend to any of my friends or acquaintances.

Photo by GabboT