Florence Foster Jenkins is a wealthy New Yorker who lives for music. Her husband StClair enthusiastically indulges her passion: she sings for the musical appreciation club she has created, and they all love her. The only thing is, well, she's not very good. But she's harmless and kind and tries her very best, so everyone (including her new pianist accompanist, Cosme McMoon) goes along with her. And she doesn't seem to be aware (or worried) about the fact that St Clair spends very night at another apartment with his mistress.
Based on a real person, this film tells the story of a woman whose talent so woefully falls short of her ambition that the result is funny, yet she would be mortified if she realised that is what people actually thought. StClair cushions her from the unkindness which would otherwise come her way: this protects her, but also encourages her to push her (lack of) talent further, to the extent that she arranges a concert at Carnegie Hall which will inevitably expose her to press hostility. This is the dramatic heart of the film, the story of which is otherwise relatively slight. Having said that, there is a similarity between this film and Eddie The Eagle – superficially they appear to celebrate mediocrity but they actually celebrate the indomitability of the human spirit (see also Ed Wood).
We already knew Meryl Streep can sing: here we found out how brilliantly she can't sing, too: this is an hilarious portrait of someone who specialises in being half a tone out just when she needed not to be, who knows what technique ought to be but can't actually manage it (but thinks she can). This is Les Dawson piano playing, parlayed into operetta. She makes Florence wonderfully human. I also loved Simon Helberg, going from Beatle-wigged nerd in The Big Band Theory to brilliantined accompanist with a very funny line in reaction shots. Oh, and the lad is not bad on piano either. There are some nice turns in the supporting cast, especially Nina Arianda as common-as-muck nouveau riche Brooklyn wife Agnes Stark.
But, for me, this film belonged to Hugh Grant. His quasi-aristocratic StClair, gracefully (for the most part) balancing his support for Florence with his parallel life with mistress Kathleen, it is a nuanced performance of humour, skill and kindness – I was never in doubt about how truly he loved Florence.
This was an excellent film.
Based on a real person, this film tells the story of a woman whose talent so woefully falls short of her ambition that the result is funny, yet she would be mortified if she realised that is what people actually thought. StClair cushions her from the unkindness which would otherwise come her way: this protects her, but also encourages her to push her (lack of) talent further, to the extent that she arranges a concert at Carnegie Hall which will inevitably expose her to press hostility. This is the dramatic heart of the film, the story of which is otherwise relatively slight. Having said that, there is a similarity between this film and Eddie The Eagle – superficially they appear to celebrate mediocrity but they actually celebrate the indomitability of the human spirit (see also Ed Wood).
We already knew Meryl Streep can sing: here we found out how brilliantly she can't sing, too: this is an hilarious portrait of someone who specialises in being half a tone out just when she needed not to be, who knows what technique ought to be but can't actually manage it (but thinks she can). This is Les Dawson piano playing, parlayed into operetta. She makes Florence wonderfully human. I also loved Simon Helberg, going from Beatle-wigged nerd in The Big Band Theory to brilliantined accompanist with a very funny line in reaction shots. Oh, and the lad is not bad on piano either. There are some nice turns in the supporting cast, especially Nina Arianda as common-as-muck nouveau riche Brooklyn wife Agnes Stark.
But, for me, this film belonged to Hugh Grant. His quasi-aristocratic StClair, gracefully (for the most part) balancing his support for Florence with his parallel life with mistress Kathleen, it is a nuanced performance of humour, skill and kindness – I was never in doubt about how truly he loved Florence.
This was an excellent film.