Florence Foster Jenkins

Florence Foster Jenkins, a wealthy New York socialite and patron of the arts, harbours a lifelong ambition to perform as an opera singer. There is one obstacle: she cannot sing. Those around her hear something ridiculous, while she herself is convinced her voice is beautiful. Her partner and manager, the English actor St. Clair Bayfield, has long shielded her from the truth, arranging small private recitals for invited guests. The arrangement is tested when she sets her sights on a public concert at Carnegie Hall, leaving Bayfield to confront how far he can keep the deception going.

Stephen Frears directs this British-American comedy drama, the twenty-first of twenty-three films he has directed, following The Program and preceding Victoria & Abdul, from a screenplay by Nicholas Martin. It is based on the real Florence Foster Jenkins, whose 1944 Carnegie Hall appearance is the film's central event. Meryl Streep plays Florence, with Hugh Grant as Bayfield, Simon Helberg as her accompanist Cosmé McMoon, and Rebecca Ferguson, Nina Arianda and Stanley Townsend in supporting roles. The production involved 58 credited cast and 55 credited crew members, with BBC Film, Pathé and Qwerty Films behind it.

Made for about 29 million US dollars, the film took roughly 49 million worldwide. On IMDb it holds 6.8 out of 10 from around 62,000 votes, on TMDB 6.7 from about 1,554, while a critics' rating stands at 7.1 from 235 reviews, placing professional assessment slightly above the general audience response.