serenacroteau I laughed until the end! The storyline was very well put together and it was an unexpected ending. I loved the controversy between certain characters who's flaws clashed, making the story move along.

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.

SnoopyStyle It's 1944 New York. Heiress Florence Foster Jenkins (Meryl Streep) and her husband St Clair Bayfield (Hugh Grant) have generously supported the arts. They hire pianist Cosmé McMoon (Simon Helberg) to accompany Florence in her singing. He is shocked to find that it's bad. It's really bad. It's tone-deaf horrendous. St Clair shows real love for his wife but also has mistress Kathleen (Rebecca Ferguson). He engineers success for Florence's small concerts. Then she presses her own record and decides to play in Carnegie Hall.There are real emotions coming from Streep's performance. Her story is touching. Hugh Grant delivers a loving performance even as he hides his mistress. Florence's bad singing is funny and cute at first but it does wear thin. Eventually, it becomes an awkward watch. Helberg's performance does present a problem. He needs to be the straight man (not his sexual orientation). He should be the lens through which the audience sees Florence. It should be a more straight forward performance with less of the effeminate flourishes. Overall, this movie has some fun and surprisingly lots of heart.

bkoganbing I don't think that there is anyone even among this film's biggest fans out there who think this is an accurate portrayal of the life of the eccentric Florence Foster Jenkins, patron of the arts who decided she belonged in them rather than fund them. Still this outrageous character is interpreted broadly and loudly by Meryl Streep and there's a lot of laughs between the pathos.Growing up I remember there was a kid who loved baseball and was determined to be a ballplayer. The fact that he was more unathletic than I never fazed him a bit. Fortunately he was not rich either or he would have bought a team and put himself in the lineup. Reality did overtake him in his teens and he opted for another career.There is also a classic Criminal Intent episode where rich dowager Claire Bloom who was briefly a child actress decides to finance a performance the way Ms. Jenkins does at Carnegie Hall. She killed to help get that career something Ms. Jenkins never did. Unless it was the work of several composers.One thing that was true in the film was that Jenkins did have syphilis acquired from a husband whom she kicked out. We're not sure that Hugh Grant's character ever was actually married to Jenkins. Still also accurate was that he was devoted to her and the lifestyle she provided for him.Finally this biographical film is proof positive that a few bucks in the bank are truly the only difference between the eccentric and the crazy. I assure you I would have permanent residence at Happydale Acres if I took it upon myself to have a singing career. Edward Everett Horton would have a suite ready for me.Broad, bold, and outrageous was Florence Foster Jenkins and that's how Meryl Streep plays her. It's the kind of role you can really let go and have a ball. Hugh Grant whom as he gets older is starting to resemble Cary Grant is perfect as her male companion/husband. Also pay note to Simon Helberg as her pianist accompanist who sort of joins the loony tunes express after a bit of persuasion. Meryl Streep got the latest in Oscar nominations for Best Actress and the film also was nominated for Costume Design. An outrageous movie about an outrageous character.