Want to experience a slice of Jamaica in Melbourne? There's a rum-inspired adventure happening in the city this April that you should lock into your diary. Fine purveyors and makers of rum for over 265 years, Appleton Estate are launching The Appleton Trail in Melbourne — three delicious pop-up stops brimming with rum-tasting, storytelling and celebration of Jamaica's long-loved spirit. The Appleton Trail is taking over three Melbourne bars over three weekends from April 7, kicking off at Loop Roof in Melbourne's CBD from April 7-10, moving to Rochester Hotel on April 14 and 15, and concluding at Nieuw Amsterdam in the CBD on April 22 and 23. Expect a Jamaican-themed pop-up hideaway with specially-created rum cocktails, paired with bespoke Jamaican food menus, and hosted by a Jamaican dancer — all to make you feel like you're finally on that well-deserved island holiday. There'll even be a Jamaican music DJ accompanied by a steel drum player. You'll be able to try the Appleton Estate Signature Blend – the original Appleton Estate rum — alongside the Reserve Blend and Rare Blend 12 Year Old. Plus, Appleton have taken it upon themselves to create four signature cocktails for the event.
Mischief and merriment are on their way to fortyfivedownstairs. Marking 400 years since William Shakespeare's death, local theatre company Nothing But Roaring present their take on the bard's romantic comedy The Merry Wives of Windsor, a tale of seduction gone farcically awry. The play concerns the misadventures of Sir John Falstaff, an old, fat, down-on-his-luck knight attempting to woo a pair of married women and separate them from their fortunes. Unfortunately for him, the two women are best friends, and the plan soon begins to collapse around his ears. Now before you book tickets, you should know that The Merry Wives of Windsor is widely considered to be one of Shakespeare's weakest plays. Then again, that's a bit like talking about one of the world's weakest Michelin-starred restaurants. The Nothing But Roaring production opens April 19 and runs until May 1.
Who would have guessed that Dudley Dursley would grow up to be a playwright? And yet that's exactly what has happened. Peddling is the debut play by actor turned writer Harry Melling, best known for playing Harry Potter's odious on-screen cousin. A one-man show about class and generational divide, the play premiered in London back in 2014, and will be performed in Australia for the first time this week in a strictly limited season at the MTC. Actor Darcy Brown plays our unnamed protagonist, a teenage boy selling household cleaning goods door to door. Supposedly he's part of the Mayor's Young Offenders Scheme, but we soon learn that's just a scam. Described by critics as "a must-see experience" and "an accomplished debut", Peddling shapes up as a highlight of this year's MTC calendar.
Take in the flavours of country Victoria at a day-long culinary cavalcade that foodies would be mad to miss. On Sunday, April 17, the team at the Lake House in Daylesford are hosting their annual Regional Producers Day, featuring butchers, bakers, farmers, makers, brewers, distillers, producers and cooks from all around the region. As far excuses to get away for the weekend go, that is a pretty damn good one. We just hope you're feeling hungry. Ticketholders will get the chance to view demonstrations by local chefs, or stop by the Alquimie Tasting Tent to try wines from great Australian winemakers. As for food, you can sample your way through the various market stalls, or grab something hot from the wood oven or BBQ grill. Once you've eaten your fill, you can sit back, enjoy some live music, and congratulate yourself on your legendary decision to get out of the city.
Now here's a good way to make an entrance to a party: float on in with a crew of 1000 boats. That's exactly what the Inflatable Regatta is all about. 1000 blow-up boats will take to a two-kilometre stretch of the Yarra on Saturday, February 11. In a single or double vessel, they'll paddle down the river for about two hours before reaching the destination party. Should you make it to the end, beers and food trucks will be waiting for you (after all, what's a regatta without a cold bev afterwards?) — and the ticket price includes your boat, so you can even take it home with you. There are some rules though: you can't load your boat with beer (no booze on the river, and you may actually sink your vessel), no DIY vessels and you should wear shoes that can stand to get a bit wet. Boats launch from 9.30am and you can choose your launch time when you book. Tickets cost $60 for a single boat and $110 for a double, and include a life jacket, sunscreen, a bailer (for emptying your boat of water) and a waterproof bag for your stuff. Boats launch from Yarra Bank Reserve in Hawthorn from 9.30am — you can choose your launch time when you book.
Make the most of the balmy weather forecast for Melbourne this Saturday night with a twilight visit to the Heide Museum of Modern Art. To mark the final weeks of their Making Modernism exhibition, the gallery is extending its opening hours until 9pm and hosting a laidback shindig after sundown. From 5pm, visitors will be able to scope out the exhibition, wander through Heide's beloved sculpture park, and enjoy beats by 3RRR's John Bailey. There'll also be food and wine available to purchase, because no jaunt through a gallery is truly complete with a glass of bubbly in hand. That's just a straight-up fact. Entry in Art by Twilight starts at $12 for Heide members, $18 for concession holders and $22 for adults. Image: Jeremy Weihrauch.
Germany in the 1890s doesn't exactly seem like the most obvious time or place to set a rock opera. But try telling that to the creators of Spring Awakening. A folk rock-infused musical about burgeoning sexuality and the tumultuous journey from adolescence to adulthood, the original production took home eight Tony Awards back in 2006. Now, more than a decade later, the show is on its way to Chapel Off Chapel for its Victorian professional premiere. Running from May 19 to June 10, the StageArt production will feature a plethora of local talent, including director Robbie Carmellotti and actors Jessie-Lou Yates, Ashley Roussety and Brent Trotter. "Spring Awakening transports us to a time and place which is almost unrecognisable to today's society," said Carmellotti. "Yet, remarkably, the show's contents still strike a resonating chord in all."
Is there anything better than a simple cup of tea? If leaves rather than beans comprise your preferred kind of hot beverage, you'll know its pleasures: smelling the wafting aroma, feeling the heat radiating from your cup and tasting the hearty flavour. Most tea-lovers experience all of that several times a day; however, expect to do so a few times more on May 20 — it's Melbourne Tea Festival time. Returning for 2017, this celebration of specialty loose-leaf tea boasts two main components: a workshop program that'll teach you about everything from Indigenous sun tea ceremonies to blending your own brews, and a tea market. At the latter, you'll wander around Melbourne Exhibition Centre with your porcelain tasting cup in hand — it's included with every ticket — and sip your way through dozens of stalls. Experience the flavours of artisan teas from all around the world; pick up some homemade tea pots, cups and other wares; or grab something edible from an array of food trucks. Whatever you spend the day doing, one thing is certain: you'll always have your favourite warm bev on hand.
Gelato Messina is about to become a place both wonderful and strange. With Twin Peaks finally happening again in the form of an eagerly anticipated third season, the gelato kings are getting in on the action by turning two of their stores — one in Sydney and one in Melbourne — into the show's iconic Double R Diner for one day. Naturally, there'll be themed frozen goodness aplenty, as well as free scoops. It's going to be damn fine indeed. In what will be Messina's first ever store transformations, the Double R Diner is set to take over the Richmond store on May 25. There mightn't be staff called Norma and Shelly on-hand, but there will be custom-made cherry gelato 'pie'. If that's your idea of dessert heaven, then here, the ice cream is what it seems. This must be where pies go when they die. In addition to the limited edition pie — there will only be 50 slices available per store — Messina has created three custom Twin Peaks flavours. They'll be served up for free (yes, free) between the hours of 12pm and 4pm, and then again from 5pm to 10pm. Just what those varieties will be, if they'll be wrapped in plastic, and whether there'll be a jukebox on-site playing tunes you just want to click your fingers to — well, you'll have to head along to find out. You can probably expect good, hot, black coffee too. Let's just hope there isn't a fish in the percolator. Unless you've been trapped in the Black Lodge for the past 25 years, you'll know that the whole thing is timed to coincide with the start of new Twin Peaks season, which will drop on Stan in Australia at 2pm on Monday, May 22. All 18 episodes have been directed by David Lynch, so we're in for quite the treat. Celebrating with pie and gelato is something Special Agent Dale Cooper would approve of — remember his wise words of advice: "every day, once a day, give yourself a present".
"I know it's only rock 'n' roll, but I write about it," sang no one, officially — though if anyone was going to paraphrase the Rolling Stones to describe the relationship between writing and music, it's probably someone at Australia's only literary festival dedicated to the two. After launching in Brisbane in 2016, A Rock & Roll Writers Festival returns is coming to Melbourne for the first time to tackle tune-inspired text on Sunday, April 9 at Abbotsford Convent. Crooning, scribbling: both are encouraged at the weekend-long event; however it's chatting about both and how they intersect in panel and interview sessions that proves the fest's catchy refrain. Here, authors, artists, journalists and musicians come together to discuss the relationship between art and freedom, stereotypes of rock 'n' roll stardom, the role of music criticism and the way that a picture can convey the vibe of a live gig, among other topics. And, not only will they trade words about songs in what are certain to be energetic and melodic conversations, but you can head along to watch. The lineup features everyone from musician Jess Ribiero, to radio journalist Dom Alessio, to writers Jenny Valentish and Kate Hennessy from a speaker list that just keeps on keeping on. If you're looking to get your toes tapping before all their talking, the festival has also put together a handy compilation of playlists from this year's guests to really put you in the rock 'n' roll mood.
A brand new film program at ACMI is shining the spotlight on the heroines in Japanese animation. Running from December 14-23 at the cinema in Fed Square, Essential Anime: Heroines will showcase six outstanding films featuring female protagonists, including multiple Studio Ghibli classics. Unsurprisingly, the films of Hayao Miyazaki featuring prominently in the lineup, with the epic Princess Mononoke, the magical Spirited Away and the heartwarming My Neighbour Totoro all included. You'll also find on the slate a more recent Ghibli gem, in Hiromasa Yonebayashi's Arrietty. The program also features a pair of films from acclaimed animator Mamoru Hosoda, in Summer Wars and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. Each film in the Essential Anime lineup will be shown multiple times throughout December, with some available in both English and Japanese with English subtitles. For the full schedule, go here.
In the CBD, there's one bar that's amping up the festivities in the name of Christmas. After last year's popular festivities forced Bar Americano to turn away some festive folk in search of a seasonal skull, this year, the small venue is spreading the joy across 12 days of Christmas. From December 12 through to December 24, Matt Bax's Bar Americano will become Bar Yuletide, and will serve up all kinds of festive drinks to fit the silly season. Christmas concoctions include the ominous-sounding Ghosts of Christmas Past cocktail selection and the bar's own oak barrel-blended glühwein. With the spirit of giving in the air, the vintage reds infused with summer fruits, winter spices, and artisan teas of the glühwein might just make you glow, too — all profits from the sale of the drink will be donated to the UNICEF Christmas Appeal. Bar Yuletide's 12 Days of Christmas starts at 5pm on Monday, December 12 and will run right up until Christmas Eve.
Learn the secrets to becoming the ultimate modern Melbourne man at the city's annual celebration of masculinity and style. Hosted by small business association City Precinct, the Festival of Steve is a day-long event featuring designers, outfitters, retailers and more. Whether you're looking to redo your wardrobe or score a few pool tips from a champ, Steve is here to help you up your game. This year's festival will be held at Taxi Riverside in Fed Square. Expect styling sessions, beer and wine samplings and gin and whisky masterclasses, along with a pool tournament hosted by Triple World Champion Robby Foldvari. The festival will also host a series of talks in conjunctions with ACMI's new Martin Scorsese exhibition, exploring the recurrent themes of masculinity in the movies of one of America's greatest filmmakers. There'll be a whole slew of exhibitors as well, specialising in everything from skincare to glassware to socks. Yes, socks. By the time the day is done you'll be a new man top to toe.
It has been a rough couple of months for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. The wave of popular support in the wake of his ousting of ol' onion breath has dissipated, leaving the PM struggling with a divided party and an unimpressed Australian public. It's hard to even imagine what would be going through his head at the moment. Fortunately, playwright and journalist Ross Mueller has done it for us. Taking over the stage at the Beckett Theatre for four performances only, this Malthouse Theatre production promises to deliver the kind of upfront political address that voters so desperately want to hear. Actors Louise Siversen and Rhys Muldoon will take turns playing Turnbull depending on the night. We'll try not to read too much into the fact that the man in charge of our country is being depicted as literally having two faces.
Pile into the Pussy Wagon with 88 of your craziest friends, and make your way down to 24 Moons Bar for the second annual Tarantino Ball. Inspired by everybody's favourite blood-spattered film geek auteur, this all-night costume party will see Northcote overrun with femme fatales, inglourious basterds and katana-wielding killers. We also suspect we might see a couple of guys in black suits wearing skinny black ties. Kicking off at 8pm on Saturday, May 14, this is more than just your run-of-the-mill costume party. The organisers have gone all-out with the Tarantino theme, with everything from a Jack Rabbit Slims Twist Competition to foot massages from the Foot Fucking Master, and $5 Sailor Jerry Shakes (of course). There'll also be Death Proof, Kill Bill and From Dusk 'Til Dawn tribute shows, along with live musical performances from Jukebox Racket and the aptly-named Tarantinos.
Located right by the water on St Kilda Beach, Ben & Jerry's Openair Cinema is one of our favourite summer hangouts. This year's program kicks off in late November, with recent releases including The Accountant, Nocturnal Animals and Arrival alongside a smattering of classics such as Elf and Love Actually. Festivities start while the sun is still shining, with live music squeezed in before the film (plus plenty of time to suss out the bar and stock up on snacks). Head along to one of their Sundae Sessions (you guessed it, on a Sunday) to enjoy a great film, live music, and free Ben and Jerry's. No, you didn't hear wrong, that's free ice cream. The Ben and Jerry's Open Air Cinema has a much shorter run than Melbourne's other outdoor cinemas, so if you're keen on catching great film and indulging on some Peanut Butter Half Baked heaven, make sure you lock something in by December 18.
It's the kind of music event every pet lover dreams of, and it's back for another year of cute puppies and pumping sounds. That'd be Dogapalooza, of course. It does have a rather excellent name — and that merry moniker is just the beginning. After wowing crowds with their first fest last year, the dog-friendly shenanigans are bound to get tales wagging again at Richmond's Burnley Park. Expect everything from ethical eating options (including Dogapalooza's own in-house vegan barbecue) to boutique dog product vendors. Even though the music lineup isn't announced until August 26, we're betting that won't find the likes of Bow Wow and Snoop Dog on the bill, as on-theme as they would've been. That said, we're sure that the roster of acts will get your toes tapping regardless — and the paws of your furry best friend too. Dogapalooza isn't just about a day of music-oriented bliss in the sun with your pet pooch, though. All proceeds go raised will go towards helping canines in need via Oscar's Law and Melbourne's dog rescue groups Stafford Rescue Victoria, Melbourne Animal Rescue and Puppy Tails Rescue.
Global warming, renewable energy, sustainable farming and animal rights — these are just a few of the big topics on the agenda at this year's Environmental Film Festival Australia. Beginning in Melbourne on September 29 before touring around the country (including stops in Sydney and Brisbane), the seventh edition of this green-themed film fest shapes up as the biggest one yet. Standout films on this year's program include Sonic Sea — about the effects of noise pollution on marine life — and Time to Choose, a climate change documentary by Oscar winner Charles Ferguson (Inside Job). Those of you with iron stomachs might also want to check out Bugs on the Menu, a sustainable food doco about exactly what it sounds like. In Melbourne they're even pairing it with a special gourmet dinner at Grub Food Van. Yum!(?)
If you've ever used a public bathroom in this town, you could be forgiven for feeling sceptical about this particular Melbourne Fringe installation art piece. A (presumably) tongue-in-cheek tribute to Melbourne's status as a UNESCO City of Literature, The Stalls combines light, sound and video, bringing some of the city's strangest and most revealing toilet stall graffiti to a single lavatory in the Fringe Hub, which is this year located at North Melbourne's Arts House. No need to bring a magazine — there'll be reading material all over the walls.
Hophaus Bavarian Bier Bar Grill is hosting its annual charity dachshund race this week — and, frankly, you shouldn't need any more information to understand why that's a thing you should care about. Returning to the Southbank German restaurant, the teckelrennen is an Oktoberfest tradition, and will see sausage dogs from far and wide pumping their stubby little legs for gold and glow. The first heat kicks off at 11am on Saturday, September 24, with the grand champion expected to be crowned at around 2.30pm that afternoon. There'll also be a costume competition, because the only thing better than dachshunds is dachshunds in tiny adorable outfits. Entry is free for spectators, while all money raised from entry fees paid by competitors will be donated to Dachshund Rescue Australia. https://player.vimeo.com/video/139814129
Hop on board the Route 19 tram and make your way north to the Coburg Carnivale. Part of Melbourne Fringe, this annual street festival will once again take over Victoria Street Mall — as well as the nearby Coburg Library — for five days of performances, workshops, music, food and more. Kicking off on Wednesday, September 21, this year's Carnivale will feature a number of free and ticketed events, including the interactive storytelling experience The Little Wooded Caravan, a pair of performances by comic songwriter Justin Heazlewood (aka The Bedroom Philospher), and the world premiere of General Fiasco's Circus Spectacular. In-between shows, punters can pay a visit to the pop-up park, open every afternoon and long into the night, before grabbing a bite and kicking back under the stars.
For a long while, people have been raising issue with the lack of gender diversity in the music festival scene. Women often occupy tiny stages and small percentages of festival lineups. Up-and-coming female and LGBTIQ musicians struggle to achieve non-gendered recognition. But finally, there's a local collective taking action. Sydney-based record label Sad Grrrls Club is launching their first Melbourne showcase at the Reverence Hotel in Footscray on Saturday, October 1 — and they've pulled together a stellar non-male lineup. The event is designed to be a safe space, free from the kind of harassment that can make festivals so draining for those that don't identify as males. The event motto is: "Be good to each other and have fun". Right on. Check out the full lineup below. SAD GRRRLS FEST 2016 LINEUP Jaala Jess Ribeiro CAMP COPE Simona Castricum Alex Lahey MISS DESTINY Dark Fair Kt spit Claws & Organs Beloved Elk The Girl Fridas Shiny Coin CHELSEA BLEACH Denim Owl Dogood Plus Acoustic Artists: Rin McArdle (SA) Stellar Addiction (NSW) Rachel Maria Cox (NSW) Samara Cullen Sandy Hsu Eli Cash Jo Neugebauer Image: Matt Warrell.
Hightail it down to Bruzzy's Farm in Tallarook and shake it all weekend long. Returning to add lots of boogies to the Eater weekend for the 11th year, this fittingly named boutique music festival is back for three straight days of dancing under the stars. The lineup is as eclectic as ever, with legendary Melbourne band Cosmic Psychos headlining, and playing alongside locals Tyrannamen and Jen Cloher. They'll be joined by US bands Strand of Oaks, Sonny & The Sunsets and Endless Boogie, among others.
There are few things Melbourne likes more than good booze and stinky cheese. If you don't believe us, consider the fact that we're about to have yet another cheese and wine festival. Hot on the heels of Say Cheese and Bon Fromage, Wine and Cheese Fest is rolling into town for an afternoon of serious overindulgence. Taking over the Meat Market in North Melbourne for a second year, 2017's festival will welcome representatives from over 15 different vineyards and breweries, as well as cheesemakers, chocolatiers, meat specialists and more. Patrons will be able to sample the best food and drink from all the different exhibitors, enjoy a live performance by Jazzobell Deux, participate in a cheesemaking class or compete in the Grape Stomp Comp. It all goes down from 11.30am on Sunday, April 2.
Undoubtedly some of the best fun (and best value) events of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, the Crawl 'n' Bite nights have been a highlight in previous years. And the good news is, they've upped the ante this year with more crawls than ever — so there's still some tickets left. While the whisky bar and oriental crawls sold out quick sticks, you can still book in for one of eight crawls. Go on a tour of northside's "hippest" hotspots, which will see you scoff your gob with snack from Huxtaburger, Biggie Smalls and Belle's Hot Chicken. Or perhaps you'd rather bar hop between the CBD's rooftop bars? At the Rooftop Cocktails crawl you'll sip — you guessed it — cocktails above the city at Bomba, Loop Roof and Madame Brussels. See the full list of crawls happening here. And the best part? You don't even have to get on your hands and knees to take part.
In the opening moments of Nasty Baby, we're introduced to Freddy, played by director Sebastian Silva. Freddy is a Brooklyn-based performance artist whose latest work involves him rolling around on the floor, screaming and gurgling like a newborn child. Sounds deep, huh? Among those working on the project with him are his boyfriend Mo (Tunde Adebimpe) and their mutual friend Polly (Kristen Wiig), who is also trying to convince Mo to help her conceive a child. Freddy and Polly, in particular, are revoltingly self-absorbed – older but no wiser that the characters in outwardly similar New York narratives such as Girls and Frances Ha. But there's an important difference between Silva and his would-be contemporaries. While storytellers like Lena Dunham and Noah Baumbach purport to shine a critical eye on their characters, at the end of the day they tend to pull their punches since they want their characters to be likable – at least to a degree. Silva, on the other hand, shows no such mixed emotions. From the get go it seems clear he views these people with disdain, their privilege and self-importance born of a poisonous hipster culture that indie film increasingly tends to celebrate. That disdain is really crystallised in the film's shocking final act, which we'll do our best to talk about without spoiling. Put vaguely, after an hour of relatively low-stakes drama, Silva pulls the rug out with a vicious narrative turn, leaving both his characters and his audience struggling to find their feet. It's jarring and unpleasant and viscerally effective, but most importantly it speaks to Silva's broader thematic point. People this self-centred aren't just annoying. They're dangerous. The film's three leads are all appropriately understated, with Wiig in particular showing strong dramatic chops in her most interesting film role to date. The other big highlight is Reg E. Cathy, best known for his work in various HBO shows and Netflix's House of Cards. Here he plays Bishop, a mentally unstable old man who lives on Freddy's block, who Freddy regularly antagonises, and whose actual problems throw those of Silva's protagonists into sharp relief. Nasty Baby will no doubt prove divisive. The best films usually do. But love it or hate it, recognise it for what it is: timely social satire of the most scathing and cynical kind. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__uqpDQ9ARs
Melbourne's home for passionate and intelligent talks, The Wheeler Centre, is hosting ten of Australia’s best thinkers and entertainers for a gala evening of storytelling on books that changed and shaped their thinking. Stories can leave indelible impressions, and the Gala Night of Storytelling: Books that Changed Me will cover everything – from the musing to amusing, provocative to poignant – on those fate-changing moments of communion between writer and reader. Perhaps it was Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex that convinced you that ‘one is not born, but rather becomes, a woman’. Or maybe Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment made you cancel plans to murder your local pawnbroker. Whatever may have inspired has also led others to change — and this evening is a chance to hear from Australia’s best. Actor, musician and Koori elder Jack Charles with be joined by former Australian of the Year and founder of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre Kon Karapanagiotidis as well as singer songwriter Sarah Blasko and SBS’s Lee Lin Chin, who will be switching her regular World News broadcast for the evening talk. Formative speakers also include Anna Funder, Russel Howcroft, Susan Carland, Tony Windsor, Graeme Simsion and Nakkiah Lui, so prepare for the profound. After all, there’s nothing quite like finishing a book that leaves you with a sense of wonder. Or better yet — hearing about your next best to read.
When a film is called Dope, you really hope that it is. Telling a hip hop-infused high school tale complete with a '90s-leaning soundtrack to match, writer/director Rick Famuyiwa's movie comes close — and when it's not quite hitting the titular mark, it is having a rather good time trying to. Malcom (Shameik Moore) acts as the feature's guide through his teenage antics, geek-style. He's from a poor, crime-filled part of Los Angeles, and he's a straight-A student in a school where being so isn't cool, but he always has best pals Jib (Tony Revolori) and Diggy (Kiersey Clemons) for company. Their movement up the social ladder comes on account of a drug dealer (A$AP Rocky), who demands that Malcolm passes on a message to a neighbourhood girl, Nakia (Zoë Kravitz). Attraction springs, and so do adventures of the drugs, delinquency and coming-of-age variety. Welcome to this decade's latest version of a 'nerds on top' comedy, as filtered through the pop culture ephemera of the past 30 years. The formula of '80s teen movies, the sounds and clothing of the '90s, and the style and interconnectivity of '00s efforts combine in a film that not only relishes each element but obviously and overtly adores stringing them all together. Indeed, Dope screams enthusiasm, be it for its episodic storyline or for its gleeful mix of genres. Laughs abound, yet so does a caper, a heist and ample race-relations drama, as well as nostalgia. In fact, there's more to Dope than amalgamating its influences: there's also both cultural specificity and ambiguity. Famuyiwa creates a movie that attempts to express both a realistic and exaggerated version of what living in crime-ridden Inglewood as the Harvard-aspiring son of single mother is really like; realistic in showing the many shades of experiences evident, and exaggerated in heightening the complexities, contradictions and differences between seemingly typical inhabitants to stress the film's point about diversity. Malcolm may seem straight outta the Bottoms, but he also likes BMX riding and playing in a punk band — or as he puts it, "white stuff". His friends prove just as multifaceted and stereotype-defying, with Jib (aka The Grand Budapest Hotel's lobby boy) refusing to identify his ethnicity, and Diggy celebrating her sexual and aesthetic androgyny. Accordingly, Dope aims high with its statement, and skews fun in its packaging. Alas, the latter sometimes lessens the former, as enjoyable as the movie proves. Chaotic is the nice way to put it; however, messy and cartoonish also fit, even though the film is always sleek, fast-paced and energetic. It's an offering where the vibe reigns, and the overall sharpness and smartness of its message and dialogue often gets swept up in it.
Wouldn't it be nice to see a music biopic that does its subject justice? One that understands that telling the tale of a rock or pop star requires something other than splashing songs over scenes of arguing? Focusing on conflict is what most movies end up doing, but they don't always elicit much interest. While Love & Mercy does plenty that toes the genre line, thankfully it's more interested in the man behind the band than the usual unhappy group shenanigans. That man is Brian Wilson, and his band is the Beach Boys, the '60s and '70s surfer-themed act turned '80s collaborators with John Stamos. There's much, much more to them than that, of course, and to Wilson. Many consider his innovation, experimentation and harmonies, as evidenced on the widely acclaimed 1966 record Pet Sounds, as markers of musical genius. At first glance, his story reads like a typical before and after snapshot of fame and stardom, including the obligatory drug benders and erratic behaviour, as well as the later fading out of the scene. What simmers beneath the early parties and the eventual burnout is the extent of his musical abilities and its interplay with his fragile mental state. In fact, Love & Mercy makes his mindset the main attraction, rather than the career highs or lows. The film cobbles together a portrait of Wilson from two points in his life, and they comprise quite the contrast. Wide-eyed in his twenties (as played by Paul Dano), he retreats from touring to invest his talents not just in new songs, but in creating the greatest album ever made. Over-medicated in his forties (now in the guise of John Cusack), he tries to rebuild a sense of normality with the help of a new girlfriend (Elizabeth Banks) and his psychologist (Paul Giamatti), the former offering a more nurturing relationship than the latter. You need not be a Beach Boys fan to become invested in his plight, nor fond of Wilson's songs to enjoy an engaging ride through his history. For aficionados and the uninitiated alike, filmmaker Bill Pohlad makes Love & Mercy a personal tale first and foremost. Yes, the movie uses the expected soundtrack, but only when the music suits the on-screen events depicted. Singles such as the iconic 'God Only Knows' take on an entirely new meaning when they're given context by Wilson's troubles and moods. The film also attempts to match its style to its subject, collages combining the two time periods, and mimicking the ups and downs of Wilson's energy. It's a smart, immersive and entertaining move from a director who last made a movie way back in 1990 and is actually better known as a producer of Brokeback Mountain, Into the Wild, The Tree of Life and 12 Years a Slave. His choice of leads similarly proves savvy and well suited, and while Dano and Cusack look nothing alike, they do perfect the one thing that could've made or broken the entire feature. That'd be the vibe of a singer and songwriter who attempted first to thrive, and then to survive, the roller-coaster that is the music industry. Wilson's vibrations aren't always good, befitting the ebb and flow of his reality — but as sensitively transferred to the screen, they do inspire more than enough excitations.
From those Melburnians who are still mourning the loss of their once-favourite shop Alice Euphemia, we’ve got some news that is sure to brighten your day. For one week only they’re opening up their doors (on Gertrude Street this time) to offer up to 70 percent off much-loved independent Australian fashion brands. With a mix of seconds, samples and end of season stock, you’re sure to come across some rather unique pieces. On top of that, there will be designer vintage pieces and designer fabric if you’re more of the DIY type. Some of the designer wares you can look forward to include Celeste Tesoriero, Gary Bigeni, Vege Threads, Yevu, Karla Spetic, Tlux, LP33.3, Rouda, Serpent and the Swan, iinco, Soot and many others. This fashion event focuses on designers who use ‘best practice’, which includes fashions that are made locally, use organic fabric and dyes, ethically recognised production, recycling and so on. There will be both men and women’s fashion available so there's no and support fashion with a conscience.
Fans of Tom Cruise, actors doing their own stunts and impressive action setpieces, prepare to take a trip to the cinema. If you've seen a Mission: Impossible film over the past two decades (or the television series before that), you know what to expect. In fact, if you've watched any of the previous installments, you've essentially already seen this one as well. A different writer/director takes the helm this time around, and a fresh foe threatens the Impossible Mission Force. Yet it still feels like a case of new movie, same ol' stuff. Cruise's super spy Ethan Hunt is hot on the trail of a shadowy, multinational organisation called the Syndicate, chasing a cluster of seemingly unrelated disasters, and hopping from London to Vienna to Casablanca and back again trying to track them down. There's more to Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation, of course — including an unhappy CIA boss (Alec Baldwin) intent on closing the IMF; the Syndicate's ever-crafty, always-one-step-ahead head honcho (Sean Harris); and the intriguing Ilsa (Rebecca Ferguson), who could be either friend or foe. Hunt's trusty colleagues Benji (Simon Pegg), Brandt (Jeremy Renner) and Luther (Ving Rhames) help out, particularly after he goes rogue. But the details don't really matter. They're simply the filler that joins the film's standoffs, heists and fist fights together. That's not to say that filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie, reteaming with Cruise after directing Jack Reacher and writing the scripts for both Valkyrie and Edge of Tomorrow, doesn't craft an engaging-enough and unexpectedly lighthearted feature. It's just all too obvious that he's adhering to a tried-and-tested formula, leaving everything else — the characters, especially, as well as the dialogue — feeling a little too thin. That Baldwin both seems like he's reprising 30 Rock's Jack Donaghy and is forced to claim that "Hunt is the living manifestation of destiny" with a straight face provides the perfect example. Thankfully, what the Mission: Impossible franchise does often (and over and over again), it does well. Zipping through the slick mechanics of a never-really-impossible mission proves as well-handled as ever, notably in opera-set and underwater sequences that are sure to become the film's calling cards. Exuding an energy and urgency that the rest of the movie is lacking, the choreography of the action and the camerawork that captures it is in top form. The same can also be said for the returning cast, including the almost instantly shirtless Cruise, all playing to their strengths even if they are saddled with one-note roles. When Ghost Protocol arrived in cinemas in 2011 after a five-year gap in the series, its pace, smarts and thrills both surprised and impressed — and while none of those stand out in Rogue Nation, the feature does have one trick up its sleeve other than its spectacle. That would be Swedish actress Ferguson, last seen in Hercules, and the welcome addition that the film sorely needs. In an effort that's largely going through the motions, she is certainly not. Enjoying her time on screen is easy; finding anything more than been-there, done-that antics otherwise — now, that's your mission, should you choose to accept it.
Commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the Gallipoli campaign with a brand new exhibition at the Melbourne Museum. Starting April 18, The World War One Centenary Exhibition will showcase more than 350 objects from the Imperial War Museum in London, marking the international premiere of the IWM exhibit that attracted more than 8000 UK entries a day. Visitors to the exhibition will be greeted by the one-tonne Royal Horse Artillery Gun that fired the first British shots on the Western Front. Other significant items include Herbert Hillier’s sketch of the Gallipoli battleground drawn just hours after the initial Allied landing, as well as fragments of the Red Baron’s fighter plane shot down over Northern France. The multi-room exhibition space will be divided by a life-size re-creation of a WWI trench, while video footage and audio production will help bring the wartime experience to life. The World War One Centenary Exhibition runs April 18 – October 4. For more information and to book tickets, visit ww1exhibition.com.au
One big ol' picnic party is coming to the Mornington Peninsula, with a day-long luncheon filled with great food, wine and music. The Peninsula Picnic will feature tasting plates and dishes from some of Melbourne’s best chefs, including The European’s Ian Curley, Terminus at Flinders Hotel’s Pierre Khodja, and Pope Joan’s Matt Wilkinson. The delicious foodie offerings are then matched with peninsula wines from vineyards such as Monalto, Circe and Crittenden Estate. If you’re interested in getting better acquainted with Peninsula produce, there'll be the Produce Patch food stalls, as well as the Hayseed craft markets for you to peruse. There’s even an area designated for lawn games. Speaking of entertainment, expect the likes of The Waifs, Paul Dempsey, Pierce Brothers, Tinpan Orange and Hayden Calnin to serenade you as you sprawl out on the picnic rug in the sunshine. Sounds delightful, doesn’t it?
One of the biggest standouts of last year’s comedy festival was The Reunion, the manic, preposterous and yet oddly touching two men show from UK comic duo Max and Ivan. Their follow-up once again invites audiences on a madcap journey through the personal lives of an array of colourful weirdos, this time in the sleepy English town of Sudley-on-Sea. There’s just one small problem: the world is about to end. With pitch perfect timing and a daggy sense of humour, Max and Ivan are as funny as they are endearing.
Grab hold of your joysticks gamers. Australia’s oldest and largest independent video game festival is back for another year. Celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2015, Freeplay will once again descend on venues around Melbourne; with more than two dozen (mostly) free events ranging from panels to late night parties. Whether you’re an aspiring game designer or are just looking for an alternative to Call of Duty, this is the festival for you. Standout events on this year’s Freeplay program include the Freeplay Fete, featuring gaming sessions and workshops, as well as the Hovergarden Party at RMIT. ACMI, meanwhile, will host a screening of the Australian-made documentary GameLoading, while also representing the analogue world with a board game night. Additionally, 2015 marks the launch of the Freeplay Online Festival, featuring a program of symposiums and panel discussions broadcast live on the web. Discussion topics run the gamut from cultural diversity and queer representation to digital depictions of war, with speakers weighing in from all around the globe. For the full Freeplay program, visit their website. Image: GameLoading.
Robert De Niro tries to inspire laughs, Zac Efron takes off his shirt and Aubrey Plaza fires off ample snark. They're the obvious parts of Dirty Grandpa — or, more accurately, the most obvious parts. There's little within the film's frames that could be called subtle or surprising, or appropriate or amusing for that matter. Given that the movie follows a randy, rowdy, rude and crude senior citizen and his straight-laced lawyer grandson, its lowest common denominator approach is hardly unexpected. What's more tiresome is the been-there, seen-that nature of it all. Audiences who have seen Bad Grandpa, Spring Breakers, The Hangover or any party flick will already be more than familiar with the tired material the movie trots out. When Dick Kelly (De Niro) is widowed and seemingly bereaved, he claims to needs his grandson Jason (Efron) to drive him down to Florida. Though Jason's wedding to the demanding Meredith (Julianne Hough) is mere days away, he reluctantly agrees. But once they're on the road, Dick reveals his true boozing and womanising plans. Along the way, the duo cross paths with Jason's former high school classmate Shadia (Zoey Deutch) and her pal Lenore (Plaza), aka new romantic prospects for both men. Yes, it's all as formulaic as it sounds — and yes, the gags are as well. Showcasing terrible male behaviour is the clear aim of the game, all in the name of apparent hilarity that never comes to fruition. Alas, there's little that's humorous about De Niro pleasuring himself, pairing up with Plaza or physically assaulting Efron's genitals, or about scenes of drinking and drug-taking that could've come from any similar offering. Director Dan Mazer may have co-scripted Ali G Indahouse, Borat and Brüno, and writer John Phillips might be helping pen the upcoming Bad Santa sequel, but neither man demonstrates the cleverness of those films in their work here. Instead, they craft the kind of visually shiny, emotionally soulless movie that trades in standard scenarios and stereotypes, attempts to shock just by being as outlandish as possible, and appears the result of very little effort. And yet, as lazy as the bulk of Dirty Grandpa proves, the same charge can't be levelled at De Niro. Swearing like he's in a Martin Scorsese film, he's as committed to his role as he has been in years, though he's firmly in over-the-top mode. The same can be said of Plaza, who furthers the movie's problematic portrayal of women, but still rattles off filthy chatter with relish. Efron, sadly, mostly just looks bored, clearly having had more fun impersonating De Niro in Bad Neighbours than he does acting opposite the real thing here. Viewers will likely share his pain, particularly when the feature tries to mix its taboo jokes with sentimental heart-to-hearts. There's a supposedly soft centre underneath Dirty Grandpa's vulgarity and music video aesthetics, but it's as ill conceived as everything else.
Here's one for all you meatheads out there: Texan barbecue chef Tom Micklethwait is heading to Melbourne. The man behind Austin's famed Micklethwait Craft Meats will join his friend (and one-time pupil) Chris Terlikar of Lygon Street's Bluebonnet Barbecue, where the duo will show off their slow-cooking, wood-smoking expertise to a restaurant full of hungry diners. Set for Tuesday, February 2 and Wednesday, February 3, this pair of four-course ticketed dinners will give card carrying carnivores the chance to sample world class barbecue in Bluebonnet's newly renovated dining room at the John Curtin Hotel. Each course will be paired with a different beverage, provided by the folks at Nant Distillery, Yak Ales and Pepperjack Wines. And to top it off, 2015 Australian Bar Awards Rookie of the Year Winner Will Sleeman, from Fitzroy's Black Pearl, will be on-hand mixing drinks. Pitmasters Reunited: An Evening with Bluebonnet BBQ and Micklethwait Craft Meats will be held at the John Curtin Hotel at 29 Lygon Street, Carlton on February 2 and 3. Tickets cost $98 plus booking fee, and are available through Moshtix.
Embrace your inner teenager at ACMI this week, with a selective look at the work of Lucas Moodysson. The most celebrated Swedish filmmaker since Ingmar Bergman, who himself described his young contemporary as a "master", few directors capture the angst and agony of adolescence with greater authenticity or understanding. The season begins, fittingly enough, with Moodysson’s debut, the queer coming of age film Show Me Love. His sophomore effort Together, a comedy set in a hippie commune during the 1970s, is also in the program; as is his third film Lilya 4-Ever, a stark drama about a teenaged girl from the Soviet Union forced into prostitution. Rounding out the retrospective is Moodysson's most recent work, last year’s We Are The Best! Set in 1980s Stockholm, the feel-good comedy follows the exploits of three rebellious thirteen-year-old girls as they endeavour to start a rock band —despite not knowing how to play their instruments. The Lukas Moodysson on Film Program runs from May 22 – 26. For more information and session times, visit the ACMI website.
Gentlemen of Melbourne, this one's for you. You are hereby summoned to learn how to perfect the art of being a modern day dapper lad. The Festival of Steve has returned. Before we go on any further we should also point out that the event welcomes females who appreciate a discerning gent; Steve leaves no one behind. This year's Festival ambassador is comedian and radio host, Tommy Little. The day will consist of free forums on everything from style to men's health to choosing the right cufflinks; covering every last realm of gentlemanliness. Starting the day off will be 'Rebel Without A Beard', where Lord Coconut's Mark Boldiston and bespoke tailor Carl Navè will examine how the 'hipster' phenomenon has influenced facial hair the world over. 'All quiet on the men’s front' will be an open discussion focusing on men's health and wellbeing with guest speakers such as psychologist Tom Pietkiewicz and personal trainer Talia Pranskunas. Finally, a panel of both men and women, including Nathan Jancauskas from Men's Biz, dating and lifestyle expert Chris Monak of Manic Workshops, and Little Miss Melbourne Sarah Harrison, will rain down knowledge on how to make an impression that lasts long after the first date for the single modern man. All the events are free to attend (with donations to Beyond Blue strongly encouraged) and held at the Kelvin Club, as well as involving some of Melbourne’s specialist retailers to help you become the modern gentlemen you long to be. Image: Arthur Hidden CC.
Every family has its own stories, but how many can you remember? Every Thursday for over 50 years, Ab Solomons drew a picture on his weekly wage packet for his wife to keep, creating a series of more than 3000 drawings that chronicled their daily life in London's East End. It wasn't until Danny Braverman discovered his great-uncle's doodlings, stored in an old shoebox, that these forgotten memories found a new life on stage. In his disarmingly simple, one-man production, Braverman projects a series of selected drawings and relates the stories behind them. After success at the 2013 Edinburgh Fringe, winning the British Way Award for best new play that same year and then premiering in Australia at Sydney Festival, Wot? No Fish!! has come to Melbourne. Don't miss this honest portrait of the ups and downs of family life – a production that reveals both the comic and affecting moments of the everyday, while exploring ideas of storytelling, forgotten memories and family secrets.
Ready to get Freudian? Darebin Arts year-round theatre program, Speakeasy, is celebrating its third year of innovative performance with a new dance work from emerging company Phantom Limbs. Their latest work, Dreamlogic, explores the subconscious to engage with the 'shadow self'. While the subconscious is an area often studied by psychologists, this performance draws on scientific research to examine our neurological perceptions and their connections to our bodies, minds and the world around us. From founding fathers Jung and Freud to modern day neuroscience and MRI technology, the subconscious appears to be something we're endlessly fascinated by. Dreamlogic purposefully plays with the mind, creating visual illusions with two bodies that'll leave you questioning your own eyes. Artistic duo James Welsby and Amy Macpherson have choreographed the work, which is performed by Welsby and James Andrews. This March, Phantom Limbs want you to explore the darker corners of your mind. Image credit: Ashley McLellan.
Music producing legend Jamie xx has kicked off the New Year with his biggest ever Australian tour. In the last week, the 27-year-old DJ and producer has played to massive crowds at Victoria's Beyond the Valley and Lost Paradise in NSW, and will headline the inaugural FOMO festival in Queensland this weekend. In the meantime, however, he's showing Melbourne a little love, with a pair of shows at the iconic Forum Theatre. The first of the two highly anticipated shows is set to take place on Wednesday, January 6. After that he's off to Brisbane, before returning to the Forum on Saturday, January 10. Those lucky enough to have scored a ticket can expect a mix of tracks from his debut solo album In Colour, which recently earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Dance/Electronic Album.
For a man made famous playing a character named Silent Bob, writer, director and actor Kevin Smith has never had any shortage of things to say. Since bursting onto the scene in the mid-'90s with his underground slacker film Clerks, Smith has cultivated a devoted audience through both his movies and his candid Q&As and podcasts, including ‘Jay and Silent Bob Get Old,’ recorded with his long-time friend and co-star Jason Mewes. Now the dastardly duo is headed to Australia, for an evening of personal anecdotes, filmmaking titbits and all the dick and fart jokes you could possibly desire. Starting in Sydney on Friday September 18 before hitting up Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, Smith’s Australian tour will be split into two sections. The first will involve a live recording of Smith and Mewes’ podcast, where topics range from Mewes’ struggle with drug addiction to arguments about comic book characters. The second half of the show will involve an audience Q&A, with fans getting the chance to question Smith on whatever topic they like. For an idea of what to expect, here he is on his ‘feud’ with Tim Burton. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3-XeM6kyWA&t=0m58s The shows in Sydney and Melbourne are billed as ‘all ages,’ which should prove an interesting challenge for a man known to frequently wax poetical about his sex life, and whose film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back makes use of the f-word 248 times. In addition to Clerks and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Smith’s films with Mewes include Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma and Clerks 2. His recent output has included divisive horror films Red State and Tusk, while he’s currently working on a sequel to Mallrats, due out in 2017.
Cultural mag Avalanche Journal is inviting you to take part in their latest 'uncomfortable conversation'. The third in a series of open public forums following panels on navigating privilege and the death of the university, Avalanche Presents: Invisible Violence will welcome a number of guest speakers to Second Story Studios in Collingwood, to share their thoughts on the ongoing problem of sexual and gender-based violence. The event begins at 6pm sharp on Thursday, September 17, with speakers including journalist and author Alison Croggon, Undercurrent's Anne-Lise Ah-Fat, artist and musician Honor Eastly (of the excellent video below), and history graduate and sex worker Tilly Lawless, who was responsible for sparking the #facesofprostitution campaign earlier this year. Entry is by donation, although you also need to RSVP online. Food will be provided, with the opportunity for further drinks and discussion after the main event.
There aren’t many of us whose childhood wasn't in some way influenced by Jim Henson. Whether you learnt arithmetic from Sesame Street, had nightmares about The Dark Crystal, or re-watched your copy of Muppets Take Manhattan so many times that it broke the family VCR, the Mississippi-born puppeteer helped create some of the most iconic characters of all time, shaping literally millions of lives in the process. In celebration of Henson's incredible career, ACMI are hosting a three-week retrospective, one they've fittingly titled Muppets, Music and Magic: Jim Henson's Legacy. Beginning September 21, the program includes screenings of Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal as well as specially produced compilations such as Jim Henson: Commercials and Experiments, Muppets 201: Rarities from the Henson Vault and Miss Piggy: A Sow is Born. Also included are a pair of documentaries on Sesame Street's biggest stars, in Being Elmo and I Am Big Bird.
Dance meets the world game in a new show at the North Melbourne Town Hall. Presented by Arts House, SDS1 is the latest solo work from former soccer player Ahilan Ratnamohan, one very much inspired by his experiences on the pitch. Running for just four nights from Wednesday, August 19, to Saturday, August 22, the 55 minute show will draw on the physical, theatrical and psychological elements of the game, focusing on the parallels between sport and dance — the discipline, the focus, the athleticism — in order to delve into the psyche of the player/performer. The two disciplines might not seem like natural bedfellows at first, but then again, let's face it: no one who's ever watched the World Cup could deny that there's a heavy element of theatre at play.
Marc Maron of WTF with Marc Maron, one of the most downloaded podcasts, is coming to Australia in October, and if you're not there then you are a fool, a foolish fool. For you see, while he is best known for his podcast, averaging 4 million downloads each month and interviewing guests including the POTUS himself, he's just as brilliant alone on a stage, mic in hand, practicing his original craft. If you're not much of a podcast listener (why not? Get on that, they're the best), then you may have caught Maron’s critically acclaimed half-hour scripted series Maron, created, written and produced by Maron himself, on ABC2. Or perhaps his latest special, Thinky Pain, on Netflix. The man is a machine of brilliant cultural output. Get stuck in.
The southern hemisphere's biggest showcase of Indian cinema, The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne is back for another year. Celebrating its fourth anniversary, IFFM 2015 will once again shine a spotlight on the very best Bollywood blockbusters, documentaries and independent features, plus gala events, filmmaker Q&As and more. With events at Hoyts Melbourne Central, Hoyts Highpoint, the National Gallery of Victoria and Federation Square, this festival begins on Friday, August 14, with opening weekend timed to coincide with Indian Independence Day the following day. The theme of this year's festival is 'equality,' as highlighted by such films as Newborns, about women who have survived acid attacks, and Tell Me A Story, about gay men living in Bombay. Other standout titles include a Bollywood adaptation of Hamlet titled Haider, as well as political thriller Phantom which will bring the festival to a close. For the full IFFM 2015 program, visit their website.
Speakeasy Cinema and journalist Clementine Ford have teamed up to present a brand new monthly program featuring films by female filmmakers. Screening at Fitzroy's Grey Gardens Projects on select dates throughout spring, She Speaks First will showcase three excellent contemporary films from directors with two X chromosomes, before washing them down with a post-credits conversation about the place women occupy in the world of film today. The season begins on Tuesday, September 29 with A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, which is hands down the best black and white Iranian hipster vampire western you'll see on the big screen this year (no but actually, it's awesome). On Sunday, October 18 catch Gillian Robespierre's Obvious Child, starring Jenny Slate as a young stand-up comedian who needs to get an abortion. It may not sound it, but trust us when we say it's absolutely hilarious. The series will conclude on Sunday, November 15 with Mary Dore's recent documentary She's Beautiful When She's Angry, which chronicles the history of the modern women's rights movement.
She’s been everyone from a magazine editor in The Devil Wears Prada to Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady, and now she’s an aspiring musician. She’s the inimitable, ever-chameleonic Meryl Streep, of course, and in Ricki and the Flash, she’s channelling her inner rock goddess. She’s also belting out everything from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ 'American Girl' to Lady Gaga’s 'Bad Romance'. And yes, she's actually playing the guitar and singing the tunes herself. As the titular character, Streep plays a wannabe past the point where wanting to be something else is acceptable. With her band — including guitarist and lover Greg (Rick Springfield) — she gigs at a San Fernando Valley pub by night; to make ends meet, she works as a supermarket checkout operator by day. Ricki has been chasing her calling for sometime now but shows no signs of hitting it big. Then a phone call from her ex-husband, Pete (Kevin Kline), thrusts her out of her dreams and back to the children — about-to-be-divorced Julie (Mamie Gummer, Streep’s real-life daughter), and sons Josh (Sebastian Stan) and Adam (Nick Westrate) — she left behind years ago. Returning home and receiving something less than a warm welcome isn’t an uncommon movie narrative, or an uncommon movie-of-the-week one either. While Ricki and the Flash explores family problems from the female perspective, as well as attempting to shine a light on the judgments imposed on women who want to be something other than mothers and homemakers, there’s never any doubt that it covers well-worn territory. Writer Diablo Cody (Juno, Young Adult) and director Jonathan Demme (Rachel Getting Married) have much to do with the fact that the feature that results still offers an all-round pleasant viewing experience, with the script engaging despite its obviousness, and the film a well-framed, highly polished affair that suits its jukebox soundtrack of old hits. That said, that the movie always seems so nice and gentle — and absent any sense of edginess, other than Streep's half-braided hairstyle and black-heavy wardrobe — sometimes feels a bit out of place given its rock 'n' roll packaging. What she's wearing is the least impressive aspect of the star's performance, though, with her Ricki as convincing in her unattained desires as she is in her barely expressed regrets. Streep is not the film's only highlight, however. Gummer does much more than just convey her natural rapport with her mother, and Kline is as wanted a presence as ever on screen as the figure trying to reunite them. Together, they're as amiable as performers playing with a feel-good story steeped in several levels of cookie-cutter dysfunction can be. So is the likeable end product that is Ricki and the Flash itself, even if it doesn't amount to much more than its music and its cast — and even if Springfield doesn't sing his '80s classic 'Jessie's Girl'.
