Execution in art is everything—which is why it’s possible for director Jonathan Demme, writer Diablo Cody and a great group of actors to take a familiar concept and make it seem fresh and frisky. It’s the story of Ricki (Meryl Streep), who left her husband and kids years earlier for a music career that never evolved beyond evening bar gigs and a day job as a grocery-store cashier. But she’s pulled back to the family when her ex-husband (Kevin Kline) calls with news that their daughter, Julie (Mamie Gummer, Streep’s real-life daughter), is emotionally reeling after being dumped by her husband. The stunt casting doesn’t play a crucial role in what works here, though Streep and Gummer play a couple of lovely scenes together as the tension between Ricki and Julie thaws. Mostly, it complicates a familiar “prodigal family member” character in effective ways, even when the harsh words feel scripted. And it’s better yet when Demme uses the performances by Ricki and her band—including a surprisingly charming Rick Springfield as her guitarist/boyfriend—to suggest the incremental steps Ricki is trying to take at a life that’s about more than what she wants. By Scott Renshaw