Meryl Streep in ‘August: Osage County’

Frequent Oscar nominee Meryl Streep has spent the last several years generally portraying classy, sophisticated women, such as Sister Aloysius in Doubt, Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady, and (supposedly) Violet Weston in August: Osage County. In Ricky and the Flash, she will go against that trend and portray an aging rock star. Diablo Cody (Juno) will write the script, Jonathan Demme (Philadelphia, Rachel Getting Married) will direct, and Marc Platt will produce.

Demme’s previous work has me expecting a tone similar to 2009’s Crazy Heart (which, to avoid any confusion, was written and directed by upcoming Black Mass helmer Scott Cooper). That film had Jeff Bridges as an aging Country music legend sorting out his personal demons. Likewise, Streep’s rock star will attempt to reconnect with her children after neglecting them for most of her life. She will attempt to re-enter their lives just as one goes through a messy divorce. Cody and Demme both have experience with stories of family drama; Cody’s Juno dealt with teen pregnancy, Demme’s Rachel had a recovering addict hoping to reconnect with her family during her sister’s wedding. Streep is coming off her Oscar nominated role as a matriarch with family issues of her own in August: Osage County. All in all, Ricky and the Flash seems well within everyone’s comfort zones, though hopefully we will see at least one flashback scene to Streep’s rock star in her prime.