THE MEDDLER

This is one of those 50/50 movies. If you go in expecting an hour and forty minutes of light entertainment with some good laughs and tender moments, you'll leave satisfied and smiling. If, on the other hand, you go in expecting a hilarious movie (as one critic called it) or a great drama, you'll leave somewhat disappointed.

The acting is mostly terrific, which is almost guaranteed for Susan Sarandon and J. K. Simmons. Rose Byrne is good too, but why can't movies and TV these days find "American" actors to play "Americans?"

Also, coming from and living in Jersey and having lived in New York, the accents that are supposed to be Jersey and Brooklyn in THE MEDDLER start out horrible. Though they do get better, or I became more accepting as the movie went on.

All in all, a nice little escape movie with, like I said, some good laughs and some moving moments, but one of Sarandon's lighter offerings.

[PS: I worked as an extra once by accident when I was starting out (thought it was a bigger role) in a pretty bad movie that was the first, or one of the first, starring roles for Sarandon, and she was a pain-in-the-butt diva on that set and didn't give a great performance. But she went on to become one of the greatest actors ever to grace a movie screen and an iconic movie star. Good for her.]