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Florence Foster Jenkins

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Florence Foster Jenkins

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• Comedy
• Documentary

• 2016
• Stephen Frears
• 105 mins
• PG

Summary

Comedy drama based on a true story, starring Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant and The Big Bang's Simon Helberg. New York heiress and socialite Florence Foster Jenkins has always loved music and dreams of one day becoming a great opera singer and performing at Carnegie Hall. Unfortunately, Florence cannot sing a note. Not that it stops husband St Clair Bayfield from using bribes and all sorts of elaborate ruses to protect his wife from the humiliating truth.

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IMDB

Review

A star rating of 4 out of 5.

Emma Simmonds

This 1940s-set biopic from director Stephen Frears (The Queen) focuses on a truly idiosyncratic individual: a wealthy New York champion of the arts who puts her own singing centre stage despite being devoid of talent. Meryl Streep plays Florence Foster Jenkins as daffy yet endearing, someone whose ego is indulged but whose chronic health problems expose her vulnerability. Although she brings great depth to what is in essence a comic turn, the genius of Streep's performance is how entertaining she makes the musical sequences, taking us on a journey of epic awfulness, as Florence massacres a variety of operatic numbers. Hugh Grant excels, too, as her adoring but adulterous husband St Clair Bayfield, with Big Bang regular Simon Helberg delivering some priceless reactions as her pianist Cosmé. Though it delights in the eccentric details, the movie remains robustly compassionate, balancing our concern for Jenkins's feelings with the hilarious spectacle of her tone-deaf singing. It's a film that celebrates one of life's enthusiasts and doing something for the pure joy of it.

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6.8/10

How to watch

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Streaming

• BBC iPlayer
• Sky Store

Credits

Cast

rolenameFlorence Foster JenkinsMeryl StreepSt Clair BayfieldHugh GrantCosmé McMoonSimon HelbergKathleenRebecca FergusonAgnes StarkNina AriandaJohn TottenAllan CordunerEarl WilsonChristian McKayCarlo EdwardsDavid HaigDr HermannJohn SessionsArturo ToscaniniJohn KavanaghMrs EE PatersonLiza Ross

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Crew

rolenameDirectorStephen Frears

Details

Theatrical distributor

Pathe

Released on

2016-05-06

Languages

English | German | Russian | Italian

Guidance

Some swearing.

Available on

DVD and Blu-ray

Formats

Colour

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