Call your mom! That’s the sentiment Lorene Scafaria’s new movie, The Meddler, featuring Susan Sarandon and Rose Byrne as mother and daughter, will leave you with, even if you actively resist it. Let’s get this out of the way: In spite of her well-meaning but unhelpful political statements, I love Susan Sarandon, but I wasn’t sold on her as Marnie, an overbearing widow who moves to Los Angeles seemingly just to interfere with her daughter’s life. While I would never question Sarandon’s ability to convey emotional intelligence, when she opened her mouth in the film’s first scenes, using a thick New York accent, I was like SUSAN SARANDON NO I DON’T BELIEVE YOU. It wasn’t convincing—she just seemed like a very beautiful movie star trying to sound common, an affect that will only ever be jarring.
By the end of the movie, though, I had forgiven her, because I was too busy being a weepy mess (and wanting to call my mom) to preserve my negative attitude.