Review of Florence Foster Jenkins (2016) by Timothy A — 18 May 2016

Sporadically amusing and even more rarely heart-warming. The recent French adaptation shows that the story kind of works with enough of a sharp edge, but Jenkins makes a better anecdote than she does a narrative; there's no joy to be had in watching her fail and no truth in watching her succeed (scenes where the film tries to force this into a moral about the joys of participation are among its flattest).

Hugh Grant kind of succeeds in a role that somehow combines American schmaltz and British reserve, but the whole thing is an unfortunate mis-step for Streep and director Frears.