Review of Florence Foster Jenkins (2016) by Bhbarry — 12 Aug 2016

Florence Foster Jenkins" is a movie that stars Meryl Streep in the title role ably supported by Hugh Grant as the husband of this socialite and supporter of the arts who, although dedicated to music and to singing, was more mocked than appreciated by those who heard her.

Enough cannot be said of Ms. Streep who portrays her character with grace and dignity amidst the jeers of her audiences and, through it all, evokes a compassion and sympathy to the viewer. A lesser actor could have made a comedic buffoon of her performance but this is, after all, Meryl Streep, and she strides the delicate balance between a comical and serious performance with the scalpel that only great artists can achieve. The film is based on the life of the real Florence Foster Jenkins. Hugh Grant, as her dedicated and loyal husband joins. Ms. Streep in receiving accolades for his sensitive portrayal as her enabling spouse and companion. Unfortunately, as with most films based on real events, the writer and director are tied to the facts, whether they be interesting or not. In this case, its hard to give this film too high a rating in spite of the fine acting performances because the plot is thin and much too simple. However, and because it represents an interesting and little known part of the world of music in the late 19th and mid 20th centuries, the film deserves to be seen and, for that reason, I give it an 8.