Florence Foster Jenkins

2016 "Every voice deserves to be heard."
6.8| 1h50m| PG-13| en| More Info
Released: 12 August 2016 Released
Producted By: BBC Film
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website: http://www.florencefosterjenkinsmovie.com/
Synopsis

The story of Florence Foster Jenkins, a New York heiress, who dreamed of becoming an opera singer, despite having a terrible singing voice.

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Reviews

Alicia I love this movie so much
BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.
Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful
Juana what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.
mark.waltz Back in 2005, the Broadway play "Souvenir" documented the rehearsals for a concert at Carnagie Hall and the relationship between Ms. Jenkins and her piano player. Jenkins sang like a chicken being boiled alive but thought she sounded like an angel. For Tony winning actress Judy Kaye, she believed that her rendition of "Ave Maria" could induce tears, and after 90 minutes of laughing at the denial of the wealthy New York socialite, I was in tears. Somehow in that period of time, I began to love Florence rather than pity her, because indeed inside, she had heart, and truly sang with the passion of a Metropolitan Opera diva.Now it's Meryl Streep's turn, and the New York atmosphere of 1944 is superbly presented. At a time when dancing sailors took over the city in "On the Town", Barbara Stanwyck plotted to kill her husband, Tallulah Bankhead fished with diamonds in the middle of the Atlantic and Judy Garland sang on a trolley, Jenkins brought opera to society in a way it had never been heard. Hughes Grant plays her younger husband (possibly bigamous) who hides from her how awful she is. As a person, Jenkins is needy, affectionate, slightly snooty and becomes sort of a mother figure to her obviously gay piano player Simon Helberg who comes to appreciate her as he spends private time with her.In a sense, Jenkins became a folk hero of sorts, with music patrons deaf to her off key warbling and wounded soldiers influenced by her music. Grant and Helberg are both outstanding, and once again, Streep immerses herself in the part, sort of a singing Julia Child. This shows the real Jenkins at her best and worst, bald as a billiard ball and complaining about syphilis scars she got on the night of her first marriage. If untalented as untalented can be, she at least tried to go for her dreams, and if in denial of her talent at least had the soul to sing from. That in itself makes this movie worth while, coming in an era when dreams die faster than the latest fad and cynicism destroys the will to fully devote to one's goals.
Ed In my youth, the name Florence Foster Jenkins was always a source of laughter as belonging to the world's worse soprano who had an inability to sing on pitch. (A case in point was her infamous attempt at singing the famous Queen of the Night aria, ("Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen") I have not seen the other recent film "Marguerite" (2015) which was very loosely based on her career but this film is closer to her real life. For example, it turns out she was suffering from syphilis caught from her husband Dr. Frank Jenkins early on. So she was perhaps not completely in her right mind afterward.But she made the best of her life as she saw it.Meryl Streep plays Florence with her usual skill in another Oscar-worthy performance, Hugh Grant plays her "sort-of-husband" and manager St. Clair Bayfield (they avoided any conjugal relations by mutual agreement and he had his own real marriage.) and is a fine match for Streep.However, the big surprise is Simon Helberg (Wolowitz on The Big Bang theory) who plays the sorely-tried accompanist to Madame Jenkins, Cosmé McMoon,"McMunn" originally, but that is not mentioned in this film.Although Helberg doesn't avoid McMoon's effeminate gestures, he doesn't overdo them either. (How about best-supporting actor?) Well-done all around!
ericventura A story of an aspiring opera singer with a screeching voice so horrible she could kill someone, Florence Foster Jenkins is so well done the story becomes film. It takes an expertise to craft a comedic story with love and hope and satire just as much as it takes expertise to sing as badly as Meryl Streep does. The flamboyant character imbues the screen with flamboyance and extravagance as every aspect of the film takes on those traits. However, the film is quite traditional with nothing that inspires greatness. So while it is an interesting and entertaining film, it isn't anything special.Streep turns in a magnificent performance as Jenkins. While the somewhat corny subject matter seems to provide her with a disadvantaged role, the seasoned actress turns it into an amazingly deep role of complex love, high hopes, and undying friendships. Additionally, Simon Helberg as the somewhat homosexual, awkward, and talented piano instructor delivers both a nice comedic relief and a means for the moral development of the characters.The screenplay demonstrates a high level of skill by describing both the levitating highs and tragic lows of the main character, while still encompassing the great character. To make both comedy and serious drama of the plight in the film is a tough task, but achieved well. There is a hint of satire to complement and round out the movie's edges. Yet the ending is delivered with the basic form of a feel-good movie, diminishing much of the effect built up throughout the film. A delightfully sweet comedy, but it just fails to deliver.
Davis P Florence Foster Jenkins starring Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant has its entertaining moments and a lot of it is very inspiring. Florence's unwavering determination to sing is so admirable and it's entertaining to see her journey into singing and holding concerts. There were moments that had me bent over laughing at her horrendous singing, bless her heart she was trying so hard but she was so flat and out of tune. That's where the comedic aspect of the film comes in. There are some parts of the film where it was a bit dull, but luckily those parts were rare and the majority of the movie is entertaining. Meryl Streep of course is spot on with academy award nominated performance as Florence Foster Jenkins, she's funny, admirable, and deep when you may not expect her to be. Hugh Grant was pretty good too, honestly Streep as Florence overshadows Grant as her husband, but his performance suffices. Both the costume and set design is wonderfully done! I recommend this funny endearing well acted film for anyone who loves this type of film or if you're a Meryl Streep fan. I watched it because I adore Streep and it was pretty good, especially the ending. 7/10.