Review of Florence Foster Jenkins (2016) by Scott W — 03 Apr 2018

Oh, Meryl Streep.... What can I say? WARNING: this review might not be very... objective as I'm often blinded by perfection!

Let's just let this out of the way: Meryl Streep is the best actress that has ever lived! She's my favorite human being, has long been my favorite actress and one of the greatest reasons I've gone to study cinema. She's a divinity walking on earth and in my eyes, she can't do no wrong. In this film, she proves once again her range, as she becomes the infamous bad singer (which she is far from being). What I love so much about her is that in every movie I see, though that at the beggining I'm very excited and aware that I'm seeing her, the actress, I swiftly forget it as she becomes something more, the character. She brings so much honesty, fragility and devotion to the role that you can't help forgetting she's an actress. She's really the driving force, carrying out the plot (which is the film's greatest thing) and getting the point delivered: no dream is too big with perseverance. Therefore, despite what people might say, she deserves to be nominated for the 20th for this perfomance because when you have brilliance, you must recognize it as long as it lasts. That aside, the film is confident, is beautifully directed and it is able to convey the pompous and glossy feel of that era perfectly, topped by a fantastic cinematography and Desplat's score. Hugh Grant gives nuanced support to Meryl and the pianist is capable too, though sometimes a little too cartoonish. The film also holds the distinction of being the one that made me laugh the hardest in this year, giving it the status of what a dramedy should be. Regardless of oscar nominations, this is a good entrance to this year and a greatest one to Streep's deservingly long-lasting career.