Florence Foster Jenkins (2016)

Why so much hype?

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Florence Foster JenkinsUnlike any other biography, it is to-the-point fast paced hilarious feature that demands attention of the viewers through its innovative structure of the script and an eerie perspective. Despite of being a musical, it fails to create the anticipated magic on screen, although it is rich and visually pleasing on costume design and make-up design. The writer being aware of its ironic and comic tone of the plot doesn't install any funny bits forcibly and instead lets it flow swiftly to the shore. Nicholas Martin; the writer, has done an amazing work on writing such a gripping and light screenplay which could have easily been darker and heavier than it seems. Stephen Frears; the director, as always is no short on execution or editing and conveys its message completely within 110 minutes of runtime. Possessing such a bigger cast, the makers manipulates the audience accordingly and uses their potential wisely where every actor is giving their best like Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant and even Simon Helberg; as a supporting cast. Surprisingly, it is a plot driven feature that gives adequate screen time to each and every character and gives them enough room and range for them to factor in. Florence Foster Jenkins is a sharp and genuine whisper that fuels on its subtle yet heart-breaking emotions that is mostly drawn out by its stellar performances.

Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant give memorable performances about arguably one of the worst singers of all time. The film is intriguing in how protected Florence was from knowing the truth and the bonds she had with her assistant and husband.A great film and real treat to watch. 8/10

I'll admit, I thought that the premise of "Florence Foster Jenkins" (wealthy, tone-deaf, opera-singer-wannabee) was pretty thin high-concept until I found out that it was based on an actual person. Meryl Streep (and the film in general) does a good job of walking the thin line between the obvious broad-comedy of Florence's awful singing with the somewhat sad story of a women with medical (and perhaps mental) issues, who just wanted to live out her dream (and had a lot of cash, which helps). There seems little doubt that Jenkins contributed greatly to the music scene in New York, supported the U.S. troops, and was generally liked. Less clear (at least to me) is whether she was completely delusional about her singing prowess or whether she was "in on the joke" to some extent. I have heard some of her original recordings and she is terrible (and I couldn't tell an A-list opera star from a talented amateur), so whether she simply heard what she wanted to hear (as suggested in the movie) is open to debate. Streep is very good, as is Hugh Grant (in a perfect role for his standard British fop delivery), but as her pianist Cosmé McMoon, Simon Helberg, perhaps playing it a bit too close to his Big Bang Theory "Howard" character, was overly 'hammy' for my tastes. In the end, Jenkins' recordings sold well, but I don't know whether people bought them simply as novelty items or whether there was greater merit in her singing than the movie implies. In the fine arts greatness can come with changing tastes (Van Gogh is a classic example), but I'm not sure if that applies to opera.

Meryl Streep can play any role. This is evident when you see her turn the story of a delusional heiress into a retelling of a tender romance. Florence Foster Jenkins, because she was so wealthy, could afford to pay people to praise her. Instead, she wanted to earn their adulation by singing great operatic arias. There may be reasons why she could not hear her own voice as clearly as others could. No excuses - she loved the music too much to think that her heart would not make up for any technical failings in the execution of song. The wonder is that the story becomes a love story, not an operatic 'Dumb and Dumber.' Hugh Grant's character, Florence's husband, at first seems to be a duplicitous continental gigolo. The viewer soon learns that this judgment is facile. Because this is a true story, it's impossible to say that the plot makes no sense. Of course it makes sense - in real life, some nonsense makes sense. Florence could have been a vain scatterbrained doyenne, blind to the feelings of the people around her. The scriptwriters make sure that you understand, eventually, that she is not that person. Getting to realize takes a gradual unfolding of the plot that makes you want to protect Mrs. Jenkins. Outwardly, she is a matron dressed with good taste and panache. Inwardly, she is a delicate flower. Meryl Streep shows this nicely.