Review of Florence Foster Jenkins (2016) by Samichsupernova — 28 Sep 2016

This is in my top 3 of the year so far. A truly beautiful film that strikes just the right tone and features some strong performances from Streep and Grant (who gives his first real performance in a LONG time).

Simon Helberg also does very good work as Cosme Mcmoon. Florence is truly a lovable character whom you just can't dislike. I felt this film was very warm-hearted in that even though it's extremely funny, it treats the title character with respect and portrays her life and relationships with complexity and realism.

The dichotomy between the "scoffers and mockers" and the pure naive heart of Streep's Jenkins, who loves to sing for the pure joy of performing (no matter how terrible she is) and is a true patron of the arts brings up some interesting questions about art and happiness (and which one is more important), about the subjective quality of music, the way love takes different forms, and about the bubbles that many people end up living within, perhaps without noticing it.

I left this one with a warm and happy feeling in my heart. This film is a classic, IMO. You don't need to be a lover of art or music to appreciate it but if you are you'll likely love it on a very deep level.

The ending was also very strong.