BrendanW 
Meryl Streep has been nominated for 19 acting Oscars throughout her career. Yes, you read that right. NINETEEN. This means that anytime Meryl has performed in a film that is even marginally well-received, she has usually been nominated for an Oscar even if she doesn’t win every year (in fact, she’s “only” won thrice). There is a reason for this though – she is one hell of an actress that can take pretty much any kind of role and make it come to life whether she is evil, angelic, vulnerable or determined you never doubt the realism of her performance and sometimes one gets so involved that you even forget that you’re watching Meryl. That element right there is usually enough to draw me to a film starring the thespian but was everything else surrounding the film able to hold up as well?
The plot involves the true story of a deathly ill woman named Florence Foster Jenkins (Meryl Streep), who often performs concerts and sings opera songs for her adoring public thanks to her loving husband (Hugh Grant). The only catch? She can’t sing worth a lick and the audience members are very carefully selected so as to not make her think that she is ill-equipped to croon in any way, shape or form. However, she has desires to go further and so after hiring an accompanying pianist in the form of the introverted Cosme McMoon (Simon Helberg) they scramble to protect Florence from the harsh critics and allow her to live out her dream.
This film’s biggest asset is its acting and obviously right at the top of the heap is Meryl Streep. She pulls off a very difficult role. She is flighty and precise at times but she also has to be charming and pull off a purposely bad singing voice but still make it funny to listen to and enjoy anyway. It’s another wonderful performance and I’m sure it will garner Meryl her 20th nomination. Not to be outdone, Hugh Grant is quite good as her husband and I hope I don’t have to wait this long to see him in another film. Grant has always carried a certain charm about him but here he’s also aged and his performances have matured over the years. He also has a difficulty to deal with as a lesser actor could be seen as something of a lech but Grant gives it a certain weight that makes it more than that. Simon Helberg was a real surprise to me (mostly because I HATE The Big Bang Theory) because I enjoyed his quirky and odd performance as the concert pianist who accompanies Florence. He goes from terrified to slowly getting on-board with the idea all the while maintaining some authenticity in his performance.
Sometimes you find a film that you’re expecting to be pleasant… and that’s exactly what this was: pleasant. What we have here is a film that does exactly what you think it will do and the story is fairly predictable but that doesn’t stop it from being a good film. The strongest aspect of the film is in its performances but the writing is pretty decent too. What stops it from being great instead of good are some small lapses in story. For instance, there is a subplot that involves Grant dating a young woman (played by Rebecca Ferguson) at the same time as his marriage to Florence. We understand why the situation exists and we see it play out a little bit but honestly, I would’ve liked to have seen a few more developments surrounding the story. We see Florence refer to it using euphenisms because we believe that she is okay with it but still uncomfortable. It’s just something that we could’ve used a little more time to explore and learn about the whole situation.
I enjoyed the film though. It’s a good little true-life story that will surprise you (just in terms of the real story that is almost wackier than any fictional tale) and entertain you alongside some solid performances from its leads.
*** ½
Rating System:
* (Brutal; the worst rating)
** (Some elements keep it from being awful but still not very good)
*** (Completely watchable; a rental as old-timers might say)
**** (Great film with a few things here and there keeping it from being perfect)
***** (Flawless; a true achievement)
