Let’s be real: when the film Ricki and The Flash was first announced, I was already on board. Meryl Streep as a kickass punk singer? Check. Seemingly dark comedy about an estranged mother returning to her less-than-pleased family, including her daughter (played by Meryl’s real-life daughter Mamie Gummer)? Check. Diablo Cody? The Winter Solider? Audra McDonald (hopefully singing!)? Kevin Kline?! Check, check, check, CHECK. But throw singer-songwriter/love of my life Jenny Lewis into the mix and all bets are off. Ricki and The Flash is officially the solo summer matinee movie of my dreams. 

In a new clip released from the film, Ricki (Streep) plays a song she wrote for her ex-husband (Kline) and her daughter (Gummer). The song is called “Cold One”, and it was written by Lewis and her frequent songwriting collaborator, Jonathan Rice.

You can hear a lot of Lewis in the stripped down version of “Cold One”, but Meryl gives it her own soulful grit, a sad, seasoned timbre that gives the song a life of its own. After show-stealing turn in Into the Woods (not to mention guilty pleasure Mamma Mia!), Streep has more than proven her vocal chops, but I can’t wait to see her tackle modern rock music.

Director Jonathan Demme is no stranger to the world of rock ‘n’ roll; he’s directed several rock documentaries like Stop Making Sense and Neil Young: Heart of Gold, and made sure Streep learned how to play the guitar and be able to perform live. In fact, Streep’s fictional band, The Flash, includes a host of real-life music legends, including Rick Springfield (her love interest in the film), Parliament Funkadelic member Bernie Worrell, and drummer Joe Vitale, who’s known for his work with a little band called Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. According to Yahoo Movies, Streep learned how to play songs like “Wooly Bully”, Tom Petty’s “American Girl”, and a Bruce Springsteen outtake from Born in the USA, “My Love Will Not Let You Down.” Yep. Dream movie.

Unfortunately, the trailer for the film (seen above) doesn’t quite do it justice, but hopefully fans of music and Meryl can see past the marketing to the promising film underneath. (You can also check out Meryl looking like a total badass in the gallery below.) Either way, I am obviously seeing it.

Ricki and The Flash lands in theaters August 7, 2015.

HT: Yahoo Movies

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Rachel Heine is the Editor-in-Chief of Nerdist. You can nerd out about Jenny Lewis, Meryl Streep, and movie musicals on Twitter @RachelHeine.