In the trailer for The Meddler, Susan Sarandon plays a woman who, following the death of her husband, becomes obsessed with the goings-on of her daughter’s (Rose Byrne) life. She shows up at the door unannounced, she gives her daughter’s friends tips on how to conceive, and she needs to be forcibly removed from the scene of an apparent booty call. But we get the sense from Sarandon’s performance that the mother isn’t oblivious—just coping. A second-act romance with a Harley rider played by J.K. Simmons might offer Sarandon’s character an opportunity to start over, if she’s ready to take it. This is the kind of feel-good movie that could easily turn to dreck in the wrong hands, but writer-director Lorene Scafaria (Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World), who is pulling from real-life experiences here, has mined credible pathos from pat setups before. Plus, early reviews are strong.
The Meddler hits theaters April 22. Call your mother.