Neil Welch Marnie, widowed nearly two years ago is trying to find a new purpose in life, but it's not easy. Having moved from New Jersey to LA to be near her screenwriter daughter (who finds her mother's constant presence in her life overpowering), Marnie's new life includes planning and funding an expensive wedding for a casual acquaintance, accidental work as a movie extra, encouraging a young iPad salesman to widen his educational horizon and ferrying him to night classes (with consequences), and meeting a man who keeps chickens.Written and directed by Lorene Scafaria, whose scant previous credits include writing/directing Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World and writing Nick And Nora's Infinite Playlist, this movie (which arrived at my local cinema without so much as a trailer preceding it) features Susan Sarandon as Marnie, Rose Byrne as daughter Lori, JK Simmons as Zipper (the chicken-owning cop, the script is undecided as to whether he is retired or not), and several other names in supporting roles.It is possible to get irritated with Marnie's mild inability to mind her own business, just as Lori's tendency towards moody angst could get on your nerves, but it is easy to see where these traits come from, and the death of husband/Dad Jack before the film starts is clearly of major importance to both women - indeed, it seeds the final sequence of the film. Likewise, Marnie's tendency to back off - literally - from the possibility of a close relationship with a man comes from the same place. The impulsive decision to bankroll the lesbian wedding of a friend of her daughter, a woman she hardly knows, is puzzling and required more explanation: inherited wealth is the obvious answer, as evidenced by the late husband's expensive car, but it would have helped to have had some explanation.The biggest flaw here is that there seems to be a lack of purpose to the film. It meanders. The drama is gentle, but doesn't always go anywhere much. Things happen and then the expected consequences never materialise. It's all very soap opera-ish, but without any real pay-off to a number of the plot strands which are established.Having said that, there are happy endings - kind of - to the mother/daughter side of things, and one assumes that Marnie and Lori continue their lives in a slightly more contented vein than previously.

LilyDaleLady It's depressing to see a fine actress and lovely lady like Susan Sarandon reduced to doing this kind of comic shtick. There isn't much here you couldn't find in a 1950s TV sitcom about an "interfering mother" -- about the only surprise is that the character of Marnie Minervini is not Jewish, but Italian. (Speaking of that: would an Italian mother be bringing over BAGELS? not biscotti or cannoli? Really?)The stereotype of the bossy smother-mother -- well-intentioned, but SO overbearing -- is a very, very old trope and yet the director here, Lorene Scafaria, seems to think she's struck comedic gold. A bonus feature on the DVD is an interview with Scafaria and her own real life mother, on whom the film characters are based...and it comes across as creepy & troubling, not cute. About the only thing original is that the "smother-mother" here, Marnie, is a baby boomer and not a member of the Greatest Generation...if you fall into that demographic, it is a bit jarring to realize you are now among the OLDSTERS being mocked, and not the "young hip generation" anymore.But the problem with THAT, is when an overbearing mother of that former era was caricatured (unfairly I think), we KNEW someone of that age was a lifetime homemaker & mother, with no real education or career outside of that. So when their kids were grown and their spouse passed away, they had literally NOTHING else in their lives. That is very hard to accept when it comes to a boomer mom, who almost certainly had a career, went to college, etc. If we take Rose Bryne (age 38) and Susan Sarandon (who looks amazing at 70) literally...she did not have her daughter until she was 32. Yet there is no sense whatsoever that Marnie has ever had a profession or career, even part-time...that she had any life beyond marriage & kids...that she has same-age friends (and not just her daughter's friends)...or a life in Manhattan that she has left behind...or that she has always hovered over Lori (Bryne) who at least in her late 30s, for Lori's entire life.That's because Marnie is reduced to a stereotype; a meddling, clinging old crone with no life of her own. If Scarfaria thinks this about her own mother (besides mining her for lame jokes), it is pretty darn sad.Of course the vehicle that finally gives Marnie "a new life" and gets her claws out of Lori (a little) has to be....a new romance, supplied by J.K. Simmons (who's as charming as always). Indeed, nice single men in their 70s are clamoring for gorgeous Marnie here, which frankly is not something I've seen much for women I know over 60. And in LOS ANGELES! In other words: it is apparently not possible for a woman to heal from widowhood or loneliness or clinginess...unless she finds a new lover/husband.The other kinda distasteful element of the film is that Scarfaria (either reflecting real life OR a kind of cultural elitism) has made Marnie staggeringly wealthy. Of course, some people ARE really wealthy, but THAT also means the story is far less universal. Most older widows struggle financially -- your Social Security check is cut by a third when your spouse dies -- but not Marnie! SHE has apparently inherited MILLIONS from her husband, about which she acts as if he were a great-uncle who left her an unexpected inheritance. (Wasn't their wealth, their mutual assets, HALF HERS all this time? why was she SURPRISED to get it?) Out of a combination of guilt, wealth, control, naivete, and self-destructiveness, Marnie seems driven to spend her millions inappropriately -- buying expensive Apple electronics for people she barely knows, and throwing a very costly, large wedding for two ALREADY MARRIED lesbian friends of her daughter ....a couple whom she has just met! -- at first offering them $13,000 as tax-free gift....but then, paying entirely for a wedding which is clearly more than 2-3 times that much, being a catered affair on a rented YACHT and including a very costly designer dress for the bride!Though the whole concept is tedious, I think that last part lost the whole believability aspect for me. Even sitcoms have to be grounded in something relatable. If my mother spent a sizable chunk of her assets (and my future inheritance!) on a stranger's gay wedding (and not MY OWN wedding!)...I'd be properly concerned she was mentally ill or even showing signs of impending dementia. That isn't cute. It's troubling. It is troubling if the lesbian couple accepts this much money from a wealthy stranger, even as a gift. NOBODY here is behaving like anything resembling a real, normal human being in 2015.Not funny. Sad.

MinistryofDoom Yes, there are some pretty big A-listers in this film....Rose Byrne, Susan Sarandon, J.K.Simmons, Jason Ritter, etc...but just because you have some well known faces in your film, it doesn't mean that you have a great film. That should be the takeaway here. My mom is a longtime fan of Susan Sarandon so I watched the film with her. Both of us were bored to tears. The uninteresting life of Marnie and her daughter just seemed to go on for ever and ever and ever. There's no climax in this film, no payoff. Nothing. It just goes on and ends and that's it. There wasn't even any indication that it was even building up to something. It's just the boring story of a mom and her daughter living in L.A. There is no reason to watch this film at all, because it's just a re- enactment of "REAL LIFE". Hell, you're probably living Marnie's life right now and I bet you're more interesting than Marnie.

SnoopyStyle Marnie (Susan Sarandon) lives an empty life after the death of her husband Joey. His death left her with more money than she needs. She moved from New York to L.A. to be close to her TV writer daughter Lori (Rose Byrne) and her grand-doggies. It's a struggle to fill her days and she is constantly trying to get into Lori's life. She's even going to Lori's therapist. Lori is suffering about her ex Jacob and from Marnie's meddling. Lori travels to New York. Marnie promises to pay for Lori's friend Jillian (Cecily Strong)'s wedding. She gives rides to Freddy from the Apple genius store. She volunteers at the hospital. Zipper (J.K. Simmons) is a retired cop working on a movie set that Marnie accidentally works onto.This actually works better after Lori leaves town. Marnie's adventures are fun. Jillian's wedding feels a little Bridesmaids. There is an overload of funny women but it's fine. Jerrod Carmichael is a fun little appetizer but the main course is J.K. Simmons. I actually missed these characters when Marnie goes to New York. I would rather have an indie about Marnie with Jillian, Freddy, and Zipper. It's a bit depressing without them and I can only take so much.