THE MEDDLER
US, 2015, 100 minutes, Colour.
Susan Sarandon, Rose Byrne, J. K. Simmons, Michael Mc Kean, Jason Ritter, Laura del Giacomo, Harry Hamlin.
Directed by Lorene Scafaria.
‘Meddler’ is a rather negative word and not quite appropriate to the vibrant character portrayed by Susan Sarandon in this film. Admittedly, she does meddle in her daughter’s life, always ringing, sometimes barging into her apartment, concerned about her relationships, not picking up her daughter’s vibes in terms of leaving her alone – the daughter is played effectively by Rose Byrne.
But, really, Marnie, the 60+ widow played by Susan Sarandon is always ready and willing to help and though she helps those helped do not feel it as if she is meddling in their lives. Her husband Joe has been dead for two years and, beginning humbly, built himself a business and has left his widow very comfortably off. While she does sometimes spend on herself, she seems much happier giving the money to people who need it and not just giving it, becoming part of their lives.
Se is into iPhones and other gadgets and the young man who helps her at the store gets good advice from her about study – and she drives him to classes and back and does a bit of study as backup to help him. She goes to a baby shower and gives the expectant mother an iPad. And she offers to babysit, finding that the mother had a civil ceremony but would like a proper marriage with her ex navel partner, a same-sex marriage, money for her is $13,000, and later buys the wedding dress, rents an expensive yacht as the venue and enjoys doing all of this. She also volunteers at the hospital, finding an old lady who is unable to speak, visiting her, and eventually getting a phone and calling her son who does not know she is in hospital. This is meddling in the best sense.
This is a wonderful part for Susan Sarandon and she brings verve and vitality and complete conviction to her role. For more than 40 years she has been a top-billing star, with roles as different from The Rocky Horror Picture Show to Thelma and Louise to her Oscar-winning portrayal of Sister Helen Prejean in Dead Man Walking.
J. K. Simmons turns up in an amiable role, Zipper, an ex-policeman, who serves as a security guard on a film set that Marnie stumbles onto and get some work an extra. He is a former policeman, who raises chickens, is alienated from one of his daughters (and Marnie, of course, urges him to phone her). There is a very entertaining sequence when Marnie, with some of Zipper’s eggs, makes Toad in the Hole, eagerly cooking as the dance theme from Zorba the Greek plays, and faster and faster as she eats the meal with ever rapid zest and enjoyment.
This is not a film with an intrinsic dynamic, like the action films that Marnie enjoys watching. Rather, it is a series of episodes, many comic, mostly engaging, some with a touch of the serious.
Probably the target audience is grandmothers 60 and over – but, grandmothers are always eager to share their experiences and so we can all go and enjoy The Meddler. (If any readers are familiar with the Enneagram and the Myers Briggs Type Indicator they may be thinking Enneagram 2 and MBTI ESFJ!)
1. The title? Too much of a negative description for the central character? A much more benign and kind woman? Audience response to meddling?
2. Los Angeles and the range of locations, the city, the malls, the Grove, the warm weather…? The contrast with New York City, streets, apartments, television filming set? Comfortable United States, affluent? The world of business and inheritance?
3. Marnie and her meddling, in the shops, the young man and his studies, driving him to class and back, doing some studies to help him, the lift for his brother? The mother, the babysitting, the money for the wedding, hiring the yacht, paying for the dress? Visiting the hospital, the old lady, the phone, her son coming to visit her?
4. Susan Sarandon in the central role, one of her best? Inhabiting the character and bringing her to full life?
5. Marnie’s story, her first love, meeting Joe, marrying after six months, the years of marriage, happiness, having Lori, grief at his death, the issue of his ashes, sad but comfortable? The money, her use of the money, the car, its being stolen, driving Joe’s car? A concern about Lori, Jacob and the relationship? Phoning, the meals, the meetings, the baby shower and the gift of the iPad, enjoying everything, babysitting, the lesbians and paying for the wedding, organising it, lavish, the wedding dress? Wandering onto the film set and enjoying the experience? The encounter with Zipper, talking, driving, the visit, the chickens, her caution about relationship with him, the reaction at the socials with the man from Brooklyn who grew up on the same block? Hitting him? Eating the marijuana to save the brother, out of it and listening to the police stories?
6. Visiting New York, happy, Joe’s family, the table, the stories and reminiscences? Lori and hopes of Ben, talking with him, his showing the ring? Being on the set, Lori’s plot being like the story, Harry Hamlin looking like Joe?
7. Lori, anxious, getting older, her writing, her grief for her absent father, finding her mother trying, the phone calls, her mother barging in, the meal, the drive to the airport? The visit to New York? The pregnancy tests, the humorous situation in buying the ovulation tests? Her not been pregnant?
8. Marnie’s return to Los Angeles, talking about her daughter shooting the pilot at the airport! The issue of the ashes, taking them to the water, her being arrested, the bail, Zipper bailing her out? The gift of the music for the chickens? Meeting again, the kiss, bonding? Her driving into her future?
9. Looking after Lori’s dogs, the grand dogs? Her enjoyment of sharing in other people’s lives? The lavish wedding, the old lady on the phone?
10. Lori, her moods, her mother smothering her, the episodes with Jacob, his girlfriend, still in love with him? The relationship with Ben not followed through?
11. Zipper, his experience, Marnie urging him to ring his daughter? A good man?
12. The student story, the lesbians’ story, the hospital story – all examples of Marnie and her good meddling?
