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Florence Foster Jenkins (film)

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Florence Foster Jenkins
Theatrical release poster
Directed byStephen Frears
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyDanny Cohen
Edited byValerio Bonelli
Music byAlexandre Desplat
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 23 April 2016 (2016-04-23) (Belfast Film Festival)
  • 6 May 2016 (2016-05-06) (United Kingdom)
  • 13 July 2016 (2016-07-13) (France)
Running time
110 minutes[3]
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • France
LanguageEnglish
Budget$29 million[1]
Box office$56 million[1]

Florence Foster Jenkins is a 2016 biographical film directed by Stephen Frears and written by Nicholas Martin and Julia Kogan.[4] It stars Meryl Streep as Florence Foster Jenkins, a New York heiress known for her generosity and poor singing. Hugh Grant plays her manager and long-time companion, St. Clair Bayfield. Other cast members include Simon Helberg, Rebecca Ferguson, and Nina Arianda.

Filming began in May 2015, and the premiere was held in London on 12 April 2016.[5][6] The film was released on 6 May 2016 in the United Kingdom,[7] 13 July in France and 12 August in the United States. At the 89th Academy Awards, it was nominated for Best Actress for Streep, which marked her 20th Oscar nomination, and Best Costume Design. The film also received four nominations at the 74th Golden Globe Awards, including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.

Plot

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In 1944, Florence Foster Jenkins is a New York City socialite heiress who founded the Verdi Club to celebrate her love of music. St. Clair Bayfield, a British Shakespearean actor, is her manager and long-time companion. Florence lives in a grand hotel suite, while Bayfield lives in an apartment with his mistress, Kathleen Weatherley. Florence suffers from long-term syphilis, contracted from her first husband.

Florence decides to resume singing lessons after she sees Lily Pons in concert with Bayfield. She hires pianist Cosmé McMoon, who is shocked by her terrible singing, but Bayfield and vocal coach Carlo Edwards, the assistant conductor at the Metropolitan Opera, pretend she is wonderful. Bayfield warns McMoon of dire consequences if he criticizes her.

Bayfield arranges a small recital, handpicking the attendees. Loyal Verdi Club members watch respectfully, but others barely contain their laughter. Encouraged by her good reviews, she arranges to make a recording at Melotone as a Christmas gift for members of the Verdi Club. Florence gives McMoon a copy and recalls that Bayfield was an unsuccessful actor and that she hid negative reviews from him. She also informs McMoon of her history as a piano player and teacher, having once played for the President as a child. McMoon realizes that Florence is not as musically inept as he had thought.

Florence and McMoon write and perform original songs together. One song is broadcast on the radio, to the horror of Bayfield and Kathleen, though many listeners find it comedic and enjoy it. Florence informs Bayfield that she has booked Carnegie Hall for a performance and will give away a thousand tickets to soldiers. Bayfield fails to dissuade her. He gets into a fight with a group of men laughing at Florence and McMoon's song at a bar. Kathleen, resenting the lack of attention, leaves him.

McMoon confides to Bayfield that he fears that the recital will humiliate him and ruin his career. Bayfield replies that he gave up his acting career to support his wife and pressures McMoon do the same for his friend. McMoon reluctantly agrees to accompany Florence, though fully expecting to flop spectacularly at Carnegie Hall.

The concert is packed and attended by celebrities such as Cole Porter and Tallulah Bankhead. McMoon arrives late which unnerves Florence, but Bayfield and McMoon encourage her to go on – Florence then writes McMoon into her will backstage before the two go out onto the stage. When Florence begins singing, the soldiers laugh and shout. Her supporters and friends, however, scold them and cheer for her to keep singing. She continues her performance. However, New York Post columnist Earl Wilson tells Bayfield he will write a damning review and refuses his bribes.

Bayfield, with McMoon's help, buys every copy of the New York Post in the neighborhood and throws them away. Despite their best efforts Florence hears about the review, retrieves a copy of the review from a trash can, and is so upset she collapses and becomes severely ill. As she is dying in bed, Florence imagines herself singing beautiful opera,[8] and takes a bow with McMoon and Bayfield to a standing ovation. She tells Bayfield that though people may say she could not sing, no one can say she did not sing.

Cast

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  • Alex Elson as Walker/Photographer

Production

[edit]

Development

[edit]

Prior to reading the Nicholas Martin and Julia Kogan script, Frears did not have much knowledge about Jenkins beyond the portrayal of her in the West End play Glorious! by Peter Quilter. On the strength of the script, Frears became interested and did research by watching various YouTube videos of her.[13] Upon watching the videos Frears noted that "You’re laughing and she touches you. It’s inherently ridiculous and courageous at the same time."[14] He and Streep were determined that despite the subject matter the audience should side with Florence.[15] Frears did not envisage Streep in the role but after her name was brought up Frears agreed, noting that he thought it would be something fresh for her.[13] Streep worked with a singing coach to help her prepare for the role of Jenkins.[14] Frears praised her performance, stating "You can only sing badly if you are a good singer."[14]

Casting

[edit]

On 27 March 2015, Simon Helberg was set to play Cosmé McMoon, a pianist and the accompanist to Jenkins.[10] Rebecca Ferguson was added to the cast on 1 April 2015.[11] On 13 April 2015, Nina Arianda joined the film to play Agnes Stark, a showgirl struggling to move up into high society with the help of her husband.[12]

Filming

[edit]

Principal photography on the film began in May 2015 in London.[16] Pathé released a first-look photo on 22 May, featuring Streep and Grant as Jenkins and Bayfield, respectively.[17] Filming was done in Hoylake and Liverpool city centre.[18]

Filming took place in Liverpool and the city was transformed into 1940s New York City, with Liverpool's Drury Lane being turned into Central Park West, where Streep and Grant were spotted filming in June 2015.[19] Production concluded on 20 July 2015.[20]

Release

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In September 2015, Paramount Pictures acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film.[21] The film had its world premiere at the Belfast Film Festival on 23 April 2016.[22] The film was theatrically released in the United Kingdom on 6 May 2016[23][24] and in the United States on 12 August 2016.[25][26]

Florence Foster Jenkins was released on Digital HD on 29 November 2016[27] and on Blu-ray and DVD on 13 December 2016.[27]

Reception

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Box office

[edit]
Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant's performances received praise from critics, with the former being nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

As of 2 October 2016, Florence Foster Jenkins had grossed $27.4 million in North America and $28.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $56 million.[1] In the United States and Canada, Florence Foster Jenkins was released on 12 August 2016, against Pete's Dragon and Sausage Party, and was projected to gross $5–7 million from 1,500 theaters in its opening weekend.[28] It went on to open to $6.6 million, finishing 8th at the box office.[29]

Critical response

[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 88% of 237 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's consensus reads: "Florence Foster Jenkins makes poignant, crowd-pleasing dramedy out of its stranger-than-fiction tale — and does its subject justice with a reliably terrific turn from star Meryl Streep."[30] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 71 out of 100, based on 41 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[31] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.[32] Wai Chee Dimock, writing in the Los Angeles Review of Books, linked the film to Hamlet and The Magic Flute, saying that the film "is neither tragedy nor farce, but a passable admixture of the two, defining both negatively."[33]

Accolades

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List of awards and nominations
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
AARP Annual Movies for Grownups Awards 6 February 2017 Best Comedy Florence Foster Jenkins Nominated [34]
Best Actress Meryl Streep Nominated
Best Grownup Love Story Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant Nominated
Academy Awards 26 February 2017 Best Actress Meryl Streep Nominated [35][36]
Best Costume Design Consolata Boyle Nominated
British Academy Film Awards 12 February 2017 Best Actress in a Leading Role Meryl Streep Nominated [37]
Best Actor in a Supporting Role Hugh Grant Nominated
Best Costume Design Consolata Boyle Nominated
Best Makeup and Hair J. Roy Helland and Daniel Phillips Won
Costume Designers Guild Awards 21 February 2017 Excellence in Period Film Consolata Boyle Nominated [38]
Critics' Choice Awards 11 December 2016 Best Actor in a Comedy Hugh Grant Nominated [39]
Best Actress in a Comedy Meryl Streep Won
Best Costume Design Consolata Boyle Nominated
European Film Awards 10 December 2016 Best Actor Hugh Grant Nominated [40]
Evening Standard British Film Awards 8 December 2016 Best Actor Hugh Grant Won [41]
Technical Achievement Consolata Boyle Nominated
Golden Globe Awards 8 January 2017 Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Florence Foster Jenkins Nominated [42]
Best Actor – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical Hugh Grant Nominated
Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical Meryl Streep Nominated
Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Simon Helberg Nominated
Golden Tomato Awards 12 January 2017 Best British Movie 2016 Florence Foster Jenkins 4th Place [43]
Best Musical/Music Movie 2016 Florence Foster Jenkins 3rd Place
Hollywood Film Awards 6 November 2016 Hollywood Supporting Actor Award Hugh Grant Won [44]
Jupiter Awards 29 March 2017 Best International Actress Meryl Streep Nominated [45]
London Film Critics' Circle 22 January 2017 British/Irish Actor of the Year Hugh Grant Nominated [46]
Santa Barbara International Film Festival 3 February 2017 Virtuosos Award Simon Helberg Won [47]
Satellite Awards 19 February 2017 Best Actress Meryl Streep Nominated [48]
Best Supporting Actor Hugh Grant Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards 29 January 2017 Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Meryl Streep Nominated [49]
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Hugh Grant Nominated
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association 18 December 2016 Best Comedy Florence Foster Jenkins Nominated [50]

See also

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  • Marguerite, a 2015 French film inspired by the life of Jenkins
  • Ironweed, a 1987 film in which Meryl Streep plays a character who also imagines herself a much more gifted singer than she is shown to truly be
  • Glorious!, the Olivier Award-nominated 2005 West End stage comedy about Jenkins by Peter Quilter
  • Souvenir, two-character play with music about Jenkins and McMoon starring Judy Kaye, written by Stephen Temperley

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e "Florence Foster Jenkins (2016) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  2. ^ "Florence Foster Jenkins".
  3. ^ "Florence Foster Jenkins (PG)". British Board of Film Classification. 11 March 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  4. ^ Kirk, Tristan (11 January 2021). "Singer wins bid to get credit for Hugh Grant and Meryl Streep film". www.standard.co.uk. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  5. ^ "Florence Foster Jenkins London premiere April 12". simplystreep.com. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  6. ^ "London premiere of Florence Foster Jenkins". starwatchbyline.com. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  7. ^ "Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant at The European Premiere of Florence Foster Jenkins". Ikon London Magazine. 13 April 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  8. ^ "Florence Foster Jenkins' True Story vs the Meryl Streep Movie". HistoryvsHollywood.com. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
  9. ^ a b McNary, Dave (21 October 2014). "Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant Teaming on 'Florence' Opera Story". variety.com. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  10. ^ a b Fleming, Mike Jr. (27 March 2015). "'Big Bang's Simon Helberg Is Meryl Streep's Pianist In Stephen Frears-Directed 'Florence Foster Jenkins'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  11. ^ a b Jaafar, Ali (1 April 2015). "Rebecca Ferguson Joins Cast Of Stephen Frears' 'Florence Foster Jenkins'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  12. ^ a b Gerard, Jeremy (13 April 2015). "Nina Arianda Cast In Stephen Frears' 'Florence Foster Jenkins' With Meryl Streep". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  13. ^ a b Aftab, Kathleen (28 April 2016). "Stephen Frears interview: 'I don't know why Hugh Grant makes the films that he makes, not that I've seen them'". Independent. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  14. ^ a b c Thompson, Anne (12 August 2016). "How Meryl Streep Embraced Being Awful in 'Florence Foster Jenkins' – Video". Indiewire. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  15. ^ Smart, Jack (11 August 2016). "How Meryl Streep Gave 'Florence Foster Jenkins' Life". Backstage. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  16. ^ Ritman, Alex (12 November 2014). "AFM: Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant Drama Sells Wide". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  17. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (22 May 2015). "Meryl Streep & Hugh Grant In 'Florence Foster Jenkins' – First-Look Photo". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  18. ^ POCKLINGTON, REBECCA (15 June 2015). "Hugh Grant transforms as he joins Meryl Streep and Rebecca Ferguson to film Florence Foster Jenkins". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  19. ^ MILES, TINA (17 June 2015). "Exclusive: Hugh Grant and Meryl Streep film together in Liverpool". liverpoolecho.co.uk. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  20. ^ "On the Set for 7/20/15: Daniel Radcliffe Starts Shooting 'Swiss Army Men', Meryl Streep Finishes 'Florence Foster Jenkins'". SSN Insider. 20 July 2015. Archived from the original on 23 July 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  21. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (12 September 2015). "BIG Deal: Paramount Nabs 'Florence Foster Jenkins' With Streep, Grant – Toronto". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  22. ^ "Florence Foster Jenkins". Belfast Film Festival. Archived from the original on 26 October 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  23. ^ Evans, Greg (12 March 2016). "'Florence Foster Jenkins' Trailer: Meryl Streep Movie Hits Funnier Notes Than 'Marguerite'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  24. ^ West, Amy (26 April 2016). "Florence Foster Jenkins: Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant star in new vintage-style character posters". International Business Times. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  25. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (11 April 2016). "Paramount Dates 'Florence Foster Jenkins', 'Ben-Hur' Moves, Brad Pitt WWII Spy Film Titled 'Allied' – CinemaCon". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  26. ^ Evry, Max (27 April 2016). "Meryl Streep in New Florence Foster Jenkins Trailer and Poster". Comingsoon.net. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  27. ^ a b "Florence Foster Jenkins (2016)". DVD Release Dates. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  28. ^ "'Suicide Squad' Secures Record Monday Haul For August, Eyes $51M-$54M In 2nd Weekend – B.O. Preview". Deadline Hollywood. 9 August 2016.
  29. ^ "'Sausage Party' Raises Its Heat To $33.6M In 2nd, Burning 'Sui". Deadline Hollywood. 16 August 2016.
  30. ^ "Florence Foster Jenkins". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived from the original on 10 March 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023. Edit this at Wikidata
  31. ^ "Florence Foster Jenkins". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Archived from the original on 10 March 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  32. ^ Anthony D'Alessandro (15 August 2016). "'Sausage Party' Raises Its Heat To $33.6M in 2nd, Burning 'Suicide Squad'". Deadline Hollywood. CinemaScore audiences adored her with an A-.
  33. ^ "The Queen of the Night sings Hamlet". 14 September 2016.
  34. ^ Rahman, Abid (15 December 2016). "Denzel Washington's 'Fences' Leads Nominations for AARP's Movies for Grownups Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
  35. ^ Nordyke, Kimberly (24 January 2017). "Oscars: 'La La Land' Ties Record With 14 Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  36. ^ "Oscar Nominations: Complete List". Variety. 24 January 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  37. ^ Ritman, Alex (9 January 2017). "BAFTA Awards: 'La La Land' Leads Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  38. ^ Tschorn, Adam (12 January 2017). "'La La Land,' 'Hidden Figures,' 'Nocturnal Animals,' 'The Crown' among nominees for Costume Designers Guild Awards". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  39. ^ "La La Land Leads with 12 Nominations for the 22nd Annual Critics' Choice Awards". Critics' Choice. 1 December 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  40. ^ "European Film Awards Winners". Variety. 10 December 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  41. ^ Moore, William (9 December 2016). "Evening Standard British Film Awards Winners". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  42. ^ "Golden Globes 2017: The Complete List of Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. 12 December 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  43. ^ "Golden Tomato Awards - Best of 2016". Rotten Tomatoes. 12 January 2017.
  44. ^ "Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant, Naomie Harris and Lily Collins to be Honored". Hollywood Film Awards. 21 October 2016. Archived from the original on 3 August 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  45. ^ "The Jupiter Awards 2017". Jupiter Awards. Archived from the original on 20 January 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
  46. ^ "'Moonlight' and 'Love and Friendship' Lead London Film Critics' Circle Nominations". London Film Critics. 20 December 2016. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  47. ^ "Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2017 Virtuosos Award". Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 29 November 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  48. ^ Kilday, Gregg (29 November 2016). "Satellite Awards Nominees Revealed". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  49. ^ "SAG Awards 2017: The Complete List of Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. 14 December 2016. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  50. ^ "2016 StLFCA Annual Award Nominations". St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association. 12 December 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
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