The Meddler (2015)

Comedy, Drama, Romance

Director: Lorene Scafaria
Writer: Lorene Scafaria
Starring: Susan Sarandon, Rose Byrne, J.K. Simmons, Jerrod Carmichael

"A Valentine to mothers everywhere."

Susan Sarandon shines in The Meddler like she hasn't in a long time. She plays Marnie, a lonely and heartbroken New Jersey widow who follows her daughter Lori (Rose Byrne), a struggling television writer, to Los Angeles, in the hope of restarting her life. She gets very involved with Lori's life, and although well-meaning, she becomes quite overbearing. When her daughter pushes her away, she finds other people who are more in need of her assistance, and she starts helping them.

Loosely based on the experiences of writer-director Lorene Scafaria (Seeking a Friend for the End of the World) with her mother after her father died, The Meddler is a heartfelt story of bereavement and recovery that centers around extremely likeable characters, especially Sarandon's. You will probably be able to point out some flaws, but they are really non-issues compared to what this little indie gem has to offer.

Plot summary from IMDb: An aging widow from New York City follows her daughter to Los Angeles in hopes of starting a new life after her husband passes away.

Awards: 2 nominations.
Runtime: 103 min
PG-13