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Film Review

The Meddler is a sitcom-y, Sarandon-wrapped Mother’s Day valentine

Open this photo in gallery:

Susan Sarandon as Marnie Minervini and J.K. Simmons as Zipper.

Jaimie Trueblood

Brad Wheeler

This article was published more than 4 years ago. Some information in it may no longer be current.

Comments
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3 out of 4 stars

Title
The Meddler
Written by
Lorene Scafaria
Directed by
Lorene Scafaria
Starring
Susan Sarandon, Rose Byrne and J.K. Simmons
Classification
PG
Country
USA
Language
English

"The Meddler" sounds like a Batman villain, and just because the Susan Sarandon-played character isn't that, it doesn't mean she isn't formidable – and adorable and incorrigible. In Lorene Scafaria's crowd-pleasing bicoastal comedy, Sarandon is a well-meaning widow who fends off her grief and procrastinates in getting on with life by meddling in the lives of her daughter (Rose Byrne) and various pseudo-offspring. J.K. Simmons gently excels as a patient ex-cop, chicken-farming suitor. It's a sitcom-y, Sarandon-wrapped Mother's Day valentine.

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