Review of Florence Foster Jenkins (2016) by Jonathan B — 04 Sep 2016

Like many, I knew of Florence Foster Jenkins through the scratchy recordings of her murdering some of the great operatic arias. I'd not really given much thought to the life of woman who made these recordings and so this touching, funny and warm movie came as something of a surprise.

It's clear, that this was a lady who was more than a little self-deluded regarding her abilities and talents. Surrounded as she was by wealth and a cohort of people who protected her from the cruelly accurate reviewers who lurked in the corners of her life, she was, if this movie is to be believed a generous, caring and inspirational character who carried with her a great deal of pain and regret.

Meryl Streep is making something of a career of playing idiosyncratic real-life figures and here she is perfectly cast. I'd go as far as to say that, for me, she has seldom been better in a comedy role than in this movie.

She manages to make Foster Jenkins not so much a figure of fun but a fun loving character with a massive personality and joy for life that carries the viewer along. Hugh Grant, who I can find insufferable, is perfect in this movie as her husband, St Clair, a rather second-rate actor that devotes his life to his wife and her ambitions.

They have a complex relationship and I would have liked a little more insight into why was going on between them and in particular, the fear Foster Jenkins had for sharp objects. The movie provides little more than a snapshot of her final year and this is a woman who clearly had a fascinating back story and I would have liked to learn more about her early life and first, unhappy marriage.

However, in this movie, Stephen Frears has given us a bright and flamboyant confection which is a genuine pleasure to watch.