Sandy Kenyon review: 'Ricki and the Flash'

What I love about Meryl Streep is she never plays it too safe for too long and her new movie is another example of that.

The star learned how to play guitar for her role in "Ricki and the Flash" and she once again made a believer out of me.

Streep is so cool as an aging rocker to Mamie Gummer, who plays her daughter and is her daughter in reality, that it's easy to overlook the fact this isn't a very good.

Long ago, Ricki left her family in Middle America to pursue stardom in Los Angeles but she doesn't get very far.

Now a family crisis draws her back to her former home in Indiana.

Her ex-husband played by Kevin Kline has forged a new life with his second wife played by Audra McDonald. Ricki's estrangement from her family is obvious.

Mother and daughter give us transcendent moments that serve to disguise the holes in a script that's missing a few chapters.

I was so transfixed by Streep's singing voice and rocker Rick Springfield's guitar licks that I didn't realize until later how little we learn about them and how inadequate he was as an actor.

The meaning of some of the dialogue is unclear, but it's been a long time since I've been this happy leaving a mediocre movie. "Ricki and the Flash" adds up to a sum less than its many enjoyable parts, but for those willing to forgive, it's an experience you won't forget.