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May 03, 2016 By Shawn Hazelett Web Exclusive

Marnie Mirnivini (Susan Sarandon) is recently widowed, but she has a lot of time and energy to expend before kicking the bucket herself. Problem is, she has few ways in which to direct those resources, except towards her daughter Lori (Rose Byrne), who doesn’t really need commentary on casual sex and weed. After an embarrassing encounter with an ex, she tells her mother that she needs her own life. Since Marnie is 70 years old, that’s easier said than done, and it requires a series of bizarre steps to gain one: volunteering at a hospice, fronting the tuition for the nice boy at the Apple Store, and financing a wedding for a friend of Lori’s. The Meddler starts off almost too quirky and inoffensive before dramatically reversing course with the arrival of the always-welcome J.K. Simmons, playing a fellow retiree who spends his twilight years raising chickens. His good-natured charm stirs unexpected inner conflict in Marnie: loyalty towards her husband mixed with an ageless need to feel necessary.

www.sonyclassics.com/themeddler

Author rating: 5.5/10