Once the cameras roll, Meryl Streep can do anything. Meryl Streep can play anyone believably—and brilliantly.
Take for example her role as the title individual in Florence Foster Jenkins, her latest film: a fact-based biopic about a woman, now long-forgotten, who actually believed she could sing as beautifully and genuinely entertain audiences as anyone alive.
Yet one cannot come up with the appropriate adjectives to describe her screechy voice and all-encompassing lack of talent.
Fortunately for her, however, she was a woman of means. She existed in a world of money and privilege, and this allowed her entrée into the upper echelons of the New York music world. And in 1944, the year in which she died and the year in which the film is set, she even got to perform at Carnegie Hall.
Granted, Florence Foster Jenkins may be viewed and perhaps even written off as a one-joke film. But what a joke it is! Howls of laughter will ensue when Jenkins begins rehearsing her singing, and one would expect the sky and stars to come crashing down on her.
Yet for whatever reason, her husband—nicely played by Hugh Grant, in one of his best recent roles—nods approvingly, and her voice coach acts as if she is the second coming of Enrico Caruso.
These and similar scenes alone make Florence Foster Jenkins well-worth a look.
But there is a serious side to the film. As her history and personality are revealed, Jenkins becomes much more than a self-deluded fool, a talentless comical caricature who is full of herself and her illusions.
It is for good reason that, at one point, she observes that “Music is my life” and, later on, she declares that “Death is my constant companion.” This is what gives the film a certain bite.
Also, beyond its entertainment quotient, the film offers up a real-world reminder that, if one has money, one can do anything and get anything.
One need not be brilliant. One need not be talented. Instead, one can throw one’s money around and buy whatever it is that he or she wants.
This precisely is the case with Florence Foster Jenkins. And while watching the film, I could not stop thinking about our current Republican Party presidential nominee. Now really, beyond the specifics of their lives and desires, how does Florence Foster Jenkins really differ from Donald Trump?
As for Meryl Streep, well, what makes her such a wonder to watch is that, in film after film, she thoroughly immerses herself in her characters.
She loses her presence as “Meryl Streep, Famous Movie Star” and becomes the person she is playing. She melts into her character.
And finally, is Florence Foster Jenkins top-drawer Meryl Streep? Well, I would have to say no. One easily could name a dozen Streep films covering a range of genres that clearly are superior.
But the film is introspective and likable and, in its best moments, genuinely laugh-out-loud funny.