Review of Florence Foster Jenkins (2016) by Rita L — 24 Aug 2016

Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant star is this enjoyable comedy biopic based on the life of New York socialite and deluded diva Florence Foster Jenkins.

In the 1930s Jenkins sang at private recitals, warbling opera, blissfully unaware of her awful singing voice, thanks to her protective British actor husband, St Clair Bayfield, who kept the 'mockers and scoffers' at bay, with selective audiences and bribing critics.

Whilst the back story might read of a rich, old lady being exploited, director Stephen Frears' movie is broad on humour and big heartedness, out to entertain and amuse.

Streep puts in a terrific performance as the ageing socialite who's convinced she's a great singer. She is wonderfully supported by Grant, the dubiously aristocratic not quite husband (living elsewhere in an apartment with a much younger girlfriend). The best of the supporting actors is Florence's accompanist Cosme McNoon, brilliantly played by Simon Helberg, best known for the TV series Big Bank Theory.