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David
Pure Phase
Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2005 7:33 am
Posts: 34865
Location: Maryland
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 Florence Foster Jenkins  Quote: Florence Foster Jenkins is a 2016 British-French biographical comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Frears and written by Nicholas Martin. The film stars Meryl Streep as Florence Foster Jenkins, a New York heiress who became an opera singer known for her painful lack of singing skill. Other cast members include Hugh Grant, Simon Helberg, Nina Arianda and Rebecca Ferguson. _________________   1. The Lost City of Z - 2. A Cure for Wellness - 3. Phantom Thread - 4. T2 Trainspotting - 5. Detroit - 6. Good Time - 7. The Beguiled - 8. The Florida Project - 9. Logan and 10. Molly's Game
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| Thu Aug 11, 2016 1:17 am |
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tree and a half
Cream of the Crop
Joined: Mon Jan 11, 2016 11:38 am
Posts: 2084
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Re: Florence Foster Jenkins Hugh Grant and Meryl Streep are fine as the leads in Florence Foster Jenkins (though Simon Helberg is atrocious as McMoon the pianist, and I'm a fan of his work on Big Bang Theory). The setting design and costumes are impeccable. And the true story it's based on is an intriguing tale. So then, why didn't I like it? The tone of movie is off. I wanted to feel happy for Florence, but I only felt sorry for her. *C* ======================== The LATimes reviewer does a fine job of explaining the issue I had with the movie's tone: Quote: It’s a film that dares you to give it a bad review, simply so it can turn around and call you a bully who picks on the people who try. It invites you to giggle at Florence’s horrible singing and then promptly scolds you for laughing, creating a contradiction that goes unreconciled — to laugh or not to laugh at Florence’s tortured caterwauling?
...Frears is taking direct aim at critics, and at those who enjoy art ironically. He and writer Nicholas Martin make the argument that consuming art sarcastically is morally wrong, that bad reviews can be fatal, and that everyone who puts themselves out there deserves a participation trophy and a standing ovation. This medicine would be easier to swallow if the film didn’t ask us to laugh at her in the first place.
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| Fri Aug 12, 2016 5:18 pm |
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Libs
Sbil
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 3:38 pm
Posts: 48677
Location: Arlington, VA
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Re: Florence Foster Jenkins This was rather disappointing for me. Meryl Streep is terrific as usual, and the scenes of Florence singing are certainly amusing. But Streep can't carry this movie on her shoulders alone. The rest of the movie feels off: odd characterization, an uneasy mix of tone, and what feels like a lack of depth/meat to the story itself. Hugh Grant is fine, though I found Simon Helberg's performance honestly rather awful and strange. C
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| Sun Aug 28, 2016 11:38 am |
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Jmart
Superman: The Movie
Joined: Fri Oct 22, 2004 8:47 am
Posts: 21230
Location: Massachusetts
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Re: Florence Foster Jenkins Exactly what it looked it, exactly what you'd expect, exactly met my expectations. Streep is great, Grant is charming, and Helberg holds his own.
I enjoyed it. It's lightweight and leaves no lasting impact, but I enjoyed watching it.
B
_________________My DVD Collection
Marty McGee (1989-2005)
If I’m not here, I’m on Letterboxd.
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| Mon Aug 29, 2016 10:53 pm |
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thompsoncory
Rachel McAdams Fan
Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2004 11:13 am
Posts: 14605
Location: LA / NYC
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Re: Florence Foster Jenkins Meryl Streep is fantastic as always, and Hugh Grant is also great, but this feels very slight and actually becomes rather bothersome by the end. Simon Helberg was atrocious and I found his character creepy. It's worth a rental or watching on TV but it's not one of Meryl's best efforts. By contrast I thought last year's Ricki and the Flash was delightful and underrated. C+
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| Mon Sep 05, 2016 5:49 pm |
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Jmart
Superman: The Movie
Joined: Fri Oct 22, 2004 8:47 am
Posts: 21230
Location: Massachusetts
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Re: Florence Foster Jenkins How was his character creepy other than talking quietly and kind of squeakily?
I read him as wound-up, introverted, and shy more than anything else.
_________________My DVD Collection
Marty McGee (1989-2005)
If I’m not here, I’m on Letterboxd.
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| Mon Sep 05, 2016 11:46 pm |
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Libs
Sbil
Joined: Tue Oct 12, 2004 3:38 pm
Posts: 48677
Location: Arlington, VA
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Re: Florence Foster Jenkins I too found Helberg's performance strange. It was way too over the top.
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| Tue Sep 06, 2016 11:08 am |
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tree and a half
Cream of the Crop
Joined: Mon Jan 11, 2016 11:38 am
Posts: 2084
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Re: Florence Foster Jenkins Ditto.
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| Tue Sep 06, 2016 11:45 am |
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zwackerm
Hold the door!
Joined: Sun Jun 01, 2014 10:26 pm
Posts: 21472
Location: West Chester, Pennsylvania
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Re: Florence Foster Jenkins Fine movie. Streep should be above this type of film by this point, but it's not boring or bad in any way. It's all relatively light weight and harmless, but it's really not any better than the less awards hyped Ricki and the Flash.
B
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| Wed Jan 18, 2017 12:59 pm |
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_axiom
The Wall
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2005 10:50 am
Posts: 16163
Location: Croatia
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Re: Florence Foster Jenkins ***1/2 / ***** (B-)
Meryl Streep definitely lifted this movie from being just OK with her whimsical portrayal of Florence and made it a fun watch.
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| Tue Feb 28, 2017 1:53 pm |
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