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by Guest
Fri Aug 12, 2016 11:54 pm
Forum: Full Reviews
Topic: Florence Foster Jenkins (2016)
Replies: 1
Views: 763

Florence Foster Jenkins (2016)

It is easy to roll one's eyes when Meryl Streep has a new film out. Seemingly more often than not, it results in an Oscar nomination (or sometimes a victory), and Streep has long since suffered a wee bit of scorn from the mainstream (similar to the once wildly beloved and now mildly disliked Jennifer Lawrence). Streep's upset win for Best Actress for The Iron Lady (beating out frontrunner Viola Davis for The Help) caused some of that frustration to seep into the minds of critics as well. And yet, when Meryl Streep is giving reliably great performances over and over, the bitter feelings seem unjust. Indeed, despite the Oscar-baity nature of Florence Foster Jenkins (directed by Stephen Frears - who previously directed the Oscar-winning The Queen, and the Oscar-nominated Philomena - and featuring a score by perennial Oscar favorite Alexandre Desplat), Streep's work here is as good as it's ever been. And thankfully, the film's pretty good too.

Based on the life of Florence Foster Jenkins, Meryl Streep is the eponymous music lover that decides she wants to be an opera singer. She and her husband have a great deal of influence, both because of their established roots in theater and music and also because they are wealthy. But the problem is something more distressing; Florence simply can't sing. She is famously considered the worst opera singer of all time, but Florence doesn't comprehend her awfulness, and decides to perform anyway. And her husband, dealing with an affair, does what he can to please and encourage her. He hides bad reviews, gets audiences with hearing problems, etc. But one can only do so much for a singer who wants to sing.

Aesthetically, Florence Foster Jenkins is a well-crafted film. If it takes off during awards season, it may find itself nominations for Costume Design, Art Direction, and Desplat's score (to say nothing of the cast). The script (by Nicholas Martin) has more depth than one might expect. Each character is uniquely privy to certain information, and the way their actions follow each of their individual motivations is interesting to watch. At the same time, the script wisely relies on showing without telling, leaving a lot for audiences to discover or decide on their own.

Of course, films like this live or die on its cast. Luckily, the acting is very good (and often great). The three central performances come courtesy of Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant, and Simon Helberg. Meryl Streep is excellent as always, somehow finding meaning in some of the most seemingly trivial moments. Her passion for music and the joy of discovery is beautifully communicated through her expressions, instinctively giving someone for the audience to root for. She will almost certainly acquire her 20th Oscar nomination for her work here, but her performance is as much to thank as an early scene where her headpiece is removed (revealing a bald head) and her false eyelashes are taken out. Another later scene where she appears sans makeup seals the deal.

Hugh Grant is also great, finding himself torn between his love for his wife and for his mistress (played by Rebecca Ferguson, last seen motorcycling in Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation). The burdens of keeping two women happy rest uneasily upon him, and Hugh Grant nails it while also retaining his appealing charm. The weakest of the three leads is quite easily Simon Helberg as Florence's pianist, Cosme McMoon. He feels a bit stereotypical, overdoing a role that was written with more subtlety (appropriate considering the times), but nonetheless, Helberg hits most of the right notes (pardon the pun).

As a lightweight, Oscar-vying dramedy with Meryl Streep as a larger-than-life optimist, it's hard not to compare Florence Foster Jenkins to 2009's Julie & Julia. Indeed, it's not nearly as good as that work, which remains one of the best dramadies of this century. But Florence Foster Jenkins still has a great deal of charm, alongside strong performances, and a well-handled script. At 110 minutes it goes on a bit long (though the last scene is beautiful), but that's par for the course for Oscar-bait. And as far as Oscar-bait goes, this one's a lot more genuine.

Score: 7/10