Expectations run high when you see a film written by Diablo Cody (Juno), directed by Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia) and starring the indefatigable Meryl Streep. But these expectations remain unmatched by musical drama Ricki and the Flash.

Cody explores a space she knows well: the dysfunctional family. Streep’s Ricki Rendazzo (apparently inspired by Cody’s mother-in-law) is an aging rocker who plays in a local California bar with her band The Flash. Far away in Indiana, her former husband Peter (Kevin Kline) is living the perfect American dream with a sprawling mansion, a successful business and a wife who has selflessly raised his three children after Ricki left home to chase her musical dreams.

Ricki’s daughter Julie (played by Mamie Gummer, Streep’s real-life daughter) comes unhinged when her husband cheats on her. It’s time for Ricki to set down her guitar and nurse her brokenhearted daughter. The interaction between mother and daughter adds meat to a thin bone. Ricki must also face her sons (Sebastian Stan and Nick Westrate) with whom she also has a strained relationship.

Ricki comes to terms with her own insecurities and begins to accept certain truths – such as the support and love of her fellow band member Greg (Rick Springfield) and her own role in driving a wedge in her family. While she regrets her children’s anger towards her, she is content with her choices. Tucked into the narrative sluggishness and Streep squirming in spray-on leather pants and a ghastly hairstyle are themes of parenting, gender roles and acceptance. Women who neglect hearth and home to chase a dream are judged differently from men who do the same.

Streep learnt to play the guitar for the movie, and Demme filmed actual performances by The Flash. The band members are real musicians – Springfield is best known for his Grammy-winning song Jessie’s Girl, the keyboard player Bernie Worrell is a founding member of Parliament-Funkadelic, bass player Rick played with Neil Young, Joe Walsh, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and Jerry Lee Lewis, and Joe Vitale, who played with Joe Walsh and toured with Crosby, Stills & Nash, is on drums.

Cody’s script is patently predictable but also deftly sidesteps stereotypes on occasion. As fun as it is to watch Streep take on a grungy rocker persona, the novelty wears off pretty quickly. Fortunately, the ensemble cast hits the right notes.