Director: Stephen Frears
Cast: Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant, Simon Helberg, Rebecca Ferguson
Synopsis: Based on the true story of Florence Foster Jenkins, a New York heiress who dreamed of becoming an opera singer despite having a terrible singing voice.
Well, wasn't this a delightful little piece of cinema? If you like Meryl, and you don't mind your ears bleeding for a while then you'll seriously enjoy this film. Based on the true story of one Madame Florence Foster Jenkins, patron of the arts, music lover and all round inspiration. Jenkins (Meryl Streep) has spent her life bringing music and theatre to life, funding clubs and performances all throughout New York. With a personality made for the stage Jenkins unfortunately doesn't have the voice to go with it and her truly dedicated (yet adulterous) husband St Clair Bayfield (Hugh Grant) has spent 25 years orchestrating performances and shows full of people who will not mock or scoff her. He has created a truly magical world in which Florence resides.
McMoon, Bayfield, Jenkins and Edwards rehearsing for her first concert
image via Paramount Pictures
The story of Jenkins has been played out before in the theatre, but I this version screenwriter Nicholas Martin focuses on the events in her life in 1944. After seeing a magical operatic performance, Jenkins decides she'd like to put on a concert for herself. With the help of her husband, she gets lessons from a renowned vocal coach and conductor Carlo Edwards (David Haig), hires a pianist named Cosme McMoon (Simon Helberg) and begins to prepare for the concert of a life time. After a sell out show with stellar reviews, Bayfield takes a weekend off chaperoning his darling wife to spend some quality time with his girlfriend (unconventional though their marriage may have been, Jenkins and Bayfield loved each other dearly), Jenkins arranges her own performance at Carneigie Hall playing for the first time to a public audience.
Jenkins convincing Bayfield to support her dream of singing on stage at Carneigie Hall
Image via Paramount Pictures
Jenkins gives away 1000 tickets to returned service men, and the audience burst out laughing within about 12 seconds of her opening number. Put smartly back in their place by an obnoxious show girl type, the audience sits through her horrendous performance (and yes, it is horrendous, and yes your ears will bleed), and gives her raucous applause and a standing ovation. Sadly there are some reviews that are not that nice to put it politely, or pretty bloody savage to put it truthfully, and as hard as Cosme and Bayfield try they are unable to shield Jenkins from them. In her fragile health, it sends her into an horrific downward spiral. I would have liked to have seen more if of this, Jenkins suffered from syhpilis for nearly 50 years, and it is touched on just lightly, but I can't help but wonder if the diseased messed with her sanity slightly and could explain her eccentricities. It would have been good to delve into that a little more.
It will come as no surprise to anyone that Streep does an incredible job in this film, we may laugh at her as the incredibly off-key Jenkins, but it takes some serious talent to suck that badly. She has clearly done her research on Jenkins and gets her ear-piercing, glass shattering shrieks down to a tee. There's no Oscar winning hutzpah here, more of a farcical fun times performance, but the ever talented Streep pulls it off without a hitch. Hugh Grant has his moments in this film, he really is devoted and darling when it comes to his wife, but he's a bit, well he's a bit Hugh Grant. A little stiff or stuffy or something at times. The real winner here for me was Simon Helberg as the magical Cosme McMoon. Relying mostly on facial expressions, his face transports you through a serious range of emotions, disbelief, confusion, anxiety, delight, sadness, love, with barely a word spoken. I was really pleased to see Helberg shine in this role.
Jenkins and McMoon recording their first album
Image via Paramount
The script is a little clunky at times, and the jokes rely on farcical timing and facial expressions top work. This musical tragicomedy falls a little flat at times, there's not a lot of pizzaz in the staging or direction, but that being said, it really is a sweet piece of cinema. I think once word of mouth gets out there, people will start heading off to see it (my session only had about 4 people in it this morning and I was sure it was going to be packed), it is a genuine crowd pleaser. If you're a Meryl or indeed a Hugh fan, then I would definitely recommend paying the 20-something dollars to go see it. Take the ladies, take your mum, take your gran or great aunt, you'll have a ball. If it's your choice for date night, take your boyfriend, pretty sure it's not one he'd pick, but he might be surprised by it.
3 out of 5
Xoxo
The Blonde Bombshell
No comments:
Post a Comment