--- title: "Florence Foster Jenkins: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/florence-foster-jenkins/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/florence-foster-jenkins" critics_score: 66 critics_reviews: 22 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Florence Foster Jenkins (2016): what the critics said Critics' score 66 from 22 reviews: 13 positive, 6 mixed, 3 negative. Most critics like Florence Foster Jenkins, and nearly all of them like it for the same reason: the acting. Meryl Streep is praised again and again for making Florence’s dreadful singing both funny and touching. Hugh Grant draws warm notices for an understated turn as the devoted husband, and Simon Helberg is repeatedly called a scene-stealer. The film is generally found amusing, big-hearted and easy to watch. The disagreement is over whether it should be. A sizeable minority think Stephen Frears smooths over the awkward questions about deception and delusion, keeping things light where the story is sad. Others call it conventional and smaller than its subject, with a padded second half. The spread is wide: the Los Angeles Times finds the film’s message muddled, inviting the audience to laugh at Florence and then scolding them for it, and Den of Geek finds the comedy uncomfortably mean-spirited. ## Radio Times — Emma Simmonds Rating 4/5. The review is positive, finding Streep’s portrayal both deep and entertaining. It especially praises how she makes Florence’s painfully off-key musical performances entertaining. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-2aw4wh/florence-foster-jenkins/) ## The Guardian — Mark Kermode Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 8 May 2016. Kermode finds the film very likable, frequently hilarious, and ultimately poignant. He praises Streep’s portrayal of Jenkins and Grant’s performance as her devoted manager. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/may/08/florence-foster-jenkins-review-enjoyable-biopic-meryl-streep) ## Time Out — Cath Clarke Rating 4/5. 2 May 2016. The review calls the biopic amusing and ridiculously watchable. It praises Meryl Streep’s comic portrayal of the famously awful singer. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/florence-foster-jenkins) ## Vulture — David Edelstein Fi1m's normalised score 78/100 (inferred from the text). 12 August 2016. Edelstein finds the film wobbly and uneven but ultimately wonderful, and ends with a heartfelt endorsement. He especially praises Hugh Grant’s understated, emotionally rich performance, while noting that Meryl Streep cannot quite sing as badly as the real Florence Foster Jenkins. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2016/08/movie-review-florence-foster-jenkins.html) ## Empire — Anna Smith Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 6 May 2016. Smith finds the film an entertaining, lighthearted period dramedy, though it takes few risks. She particularly praises Simon Helberg’s nuanced comic performance and the strong performances from Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/florence-foster-jenkins-review/) ## Evening Standard — David Sexton Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 25 May 2016. Sexton finds the film an entertaining, big-hearted comedy, though its fun-first approach smooths over the story’s troubling ambiguities. He singles out Hugh Grant’s casting and Meryl Streep’s charismatic performance, which makes the film more pleasurable but less true to the case. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/florence-foster-jenkins-film-review-frearss-determination-to-entertain-is-apparent-a3241636.html) ## IndieWire — Kate Erbland Rating B-. 9 August 2016. Erbland finds the film sweet and good-hearted, though it lacks dramatic depth and urgency. She praises its refusal to treat Florence as a joke, while criticizing its pacing and limited character development. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/florence-foster-jenkins-review-meryl-streep-stephen-frears-1201714358/) ## The AV Club — Katie Rife Rating B-. 11 August 2016. Rife finds the film a well-made, feel-good love story that misses the chance to explore Florence’s inner life. She praises Streep’s performance and singing, while also singling out Simon Helberg as a scene-stealer. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/meryl-streep-hits-the-right-notes-as-terrible-opera-sin-1798188580) ## Variety — Guy Lodge Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 13 April 2016. Lodge finds the biopic bright and good-humored, though its padded second half leaves the characters underdeveloped. He praises Meryl Streep’s empathetic, entertaining performance as Jenkins. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/florence-foster-jenkins-review-meryl-streep-1201750112/) ## Screen Daily — Fionnuala Halligan Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 13 April 2016. Screen Daily identifies this as a review of Stephen Frears’s 2016 film. The review text is behind a paywall, so its verdict and any particular praise or complaint are not visible. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/florence-foster-jenkins-review/5102441.article) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). The URL identifies a New York Times review of the 2016 film. The page returned only an access error, so its verdict and points of praise cannot be verified. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/12/movies/review-meryl-streep-as-florence-foster-jenkins.html) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Stephen Dalton Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 13 April 2016. Dalton finds the film a modestly enjoyable crowd-pleaser that ultimately feels too conventional and small for its subject. He praises Simon Helberg’s comic performance while criticizing the clunky script and perfunctory direction. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/meryl-streep-florence-foster-jenkins-883425/) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 11 August 2016. Lane finds the film charming but mildly disappointing for its overly tolerant treatment of Florence’s story. He praises Meryl Streep’s sympathetic performance and Hugh Grant’s moving portrayal of her husband. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/08/22/florence-foster-jenkins-and-morris-from-america-reviews) ## Slant Magazine — Elise Nakhnikian Rating 2/4. 12 August 2016. The review criticizes the film for avoiding difficult questions about deception and enabling delusion, despite its comedy and tragedy elements. It praises Meryl Streep’s convincing performance, which makes the audience feel guilty for laughing at Jenkins. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/florence-foster-jenkins/) ## Little White Lies — David Jenkins Rating 3/2/2. 4 May 2016. Jenkins finds the film feather-light and simplistic, turning a sad story into a buoyant comedy that invites viewers to laugh at its subject. He praises Hugh Grant’s nuanced performance, which brings self-interest, self-loathing and empathy together. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/florence-foster-jenkins) ## Los Angeles Times — Katie Walsh Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 10 August 2016. Walsh argues that the film’s moral message is muddled and ultimately unconvincing. She faults it for inviting viewers to laugh at Florence’s singing, then chastising them for doing so. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-florence-review-20160807-snap-story.html) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 8 August 2016. Hammond finds the film funny, heartfelt, and entertaining. He especially praises Meryl Streep’s performance, which makes Jenkins’s off-key singing both hilarious and touching. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2016/08/florence-foster-jenkins-review-meryl-streep-hugh-grant-1201799429/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 13 April 2016. The critic calls it a fine, funny and moving tribute, praising its affectionate performances and emotional balance. Streep’s skillful, deliberately awful singing is singled out as a particular marvel. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/florence-foster-jenkins-review-meryl-streep/) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating B. 11 August 2016. Goldberg finds the film warmhearted and enjoyable, though its treatment of Cosme feels underdeveloped. He especially praises Streep’s sincere, funny, and heartbreaking performance as Florence. [Read the review](https://collider.com/florence-foster-jenkins-review/) ## Consequence — Allison Shoemaker Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 11 August 2016. Shoemaker finds the film warm and moving, though somewhat conventional and smaller in scope than its story deserves. She especially praises the performances, singling out Simon Helberg’s comic timing and emotional tenderness alongside Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2016/08/film-review-florence-foster-jenkins/) ## Den of Geek — Simon Brew Rating 2 out of 5. 4 May 2016. Brew finds the comedy awkward and the film’s treatment of Jenkins uncomfortably mean-spirited. He praises the exquisitely staged sequences and period feel, as well as Streep and Helberg’s performances. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/florence-foster-jenkins-review/) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 1 May 2016. The review is uneasy about the film’s high embarrassment level and its portrayal of Florence as self-deluded, leaving its purpose uncertain. It praises Meryl Streep’s performance as flawless and singles out Simon Helberg for stealing the show. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/florence-foster-jenkins-2016-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/florence-foster-jenkins.md