Those That Sing, Sing-Meryl Streep’ “Florence Foster Jenkins” (2016)-A Film Review   

DVD Review

By Sandy Salmon

Florence Foster Jenkins, starring Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant, 2016

F. Scott Fitzgerald once suggested that the rich, and by that he meant the super-rich of his day, the heirs of the robber barons, although we won’t dwell on that point here, are very different from you and me. And in a lot of ways that observation has the ring of truth. But after viewing this film under review, Meryl Streep’s Florence Foster Jenkins, there are apparently some things that all of us seek. In this case some fame for having something other than money. The desire to sing. But as our main character, the lady of the title, played as always to perfection by Meryl Streep, painfully found out in the end not even gads of money can buy a voice that is worthy of performing outside the upstairs attic of your house, if you have an attic. Therein lies the tale to be told here. That and the last few words of the film when Ms. Jenkins’ finds out the inescapable truth the hard way-maybe she couldn’t sing, but she did.   

Here’s the scoop. The scion of some old time robber baron turned respectable, Florence Foster Jenkins, the role played by Meryl Streep, had been a rabid supporter of the New York City culture scene in the first part of the 20^th century up to her death during World War II going as far as to start up clubs to promote, well, to promote her singing. Harmless enough although perhaps a little self-indulgent given the deeper social concerns of the 1930s and the build up to war. The catch though is that dear Florence was tone deaf, couldn’t carry a note to the next room let alone before a serious concert audience. Except for many years she denied her incapacity on the basis that she loved singing so that must be enough to pull her out of her drawing room. And was aided, aided big time by her husband Saint Clair, played by Hugh Grant, (her second husband, the first the Jenkins of her three name monte gave her syphilis which she suffered from for fifty years a remarkable feat of endurance in itself whatever her lack of singing prowess). Every time Florence reared her head and wanted to show her stuff in public Saint Clair had to round up the captive audience and spread plenty of money around. A tough job but in the end he really did do it for love.

Still there was the standing problem of her inability to sing. During the film she got into one of her periodic urges and hired an up and coming composer/pianist who was to accompany her in this latest endeavor. Of course the guy was “from hunger” and was glad to grab the dough until he actually heard her. There was plenty of back and forth between him and Saint Clair along the way but in the end he bought into the delusion. Bought into the idea that he would be playing Carnegie Hall after all. Well you can’t keep something as serious as tone deafness and inability to reach the high note quiet forever when people, people who were not part of the entourage, paid or friends, show up at the concert. Especially any self-respecting newspaper music critic. And that is what did Florence and maybe shortened her life by a severe reaction to the knowledge that people had always been laughing at her. I don’t think old Saint Clair or the myriad of hangers-on did her any favors by their actions. But there you have it. The rich can buy some time while the rest of us are sheltered in our antics. Excellent story line and excellent performances by Streep and Grant because it must be hard to sing so poorly and to coddle such efforts as acting chores.