Florence Foster Jenkins (U.S. rated PG-13)
Cast: Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant, Simon Helberg
Genre: Comedy-drama, biography
Dwight's Rating: 3 Stars

Contrary to the views of some ridiculous individuals, Meryl Streep is probably the greatest actor alive today.
She is, without a doubt, one of the greatest actors in history, and definitely one of the most honored, with more Oscar nominations than anyone ever, and more Golden Globe nominations and wins than anyone.
Just this past weekend at the Golden Globe (GG) Awards, Streep was the recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille award, recognizing her "outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment" -- this in the same year she received her 30th GG competitive acting nomination.
That nomination was for Best Actress (Motion Picture Musical or Comedy) for "Florence Foster Jenkins", the comedy-drama that first opened in the United States on August 12, 2016. The film never played at multiplexes here in The Bahamas ("Sausage Party" did make it here on that date, however), but it did play at the Island House Cinema in September.
"Florence Foster Jenkins" was actually nominated in four GG categories, including Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy), and acting nods for Hugh Grant (Best Actor) and Simon Helberg (from TV's "The Big Bang Theory").
So, ahead of the Globes, and in the absence of anything new worth seeing in local theaters, I decided to sample "Florence Foster Jenkins", which is available now on-demand and on DVD and Blu-Ray.
Don't be mistaken; there were indeed new releases over the weekend. But inexplicably, the much-anticipated new film, "Hidden Figures" (which, after a limited release last month, went into wide-release in the U.S. last week Friday), did not open here.
Instead we were treated to trash like "Underworld: Blood Wars" -- the fifth installment in the ridiculous movie franchise that, like its featured vampires, appears unwilling to die. Hopefully its fourth place U.S. box office finish behind movies that all debuted on or before Christmas Day will jam the final stake through the heart of this series. Thankfully, "Hidden Figures" -- number one in the U.S. this past weekend -- is finally opening here today.
But back to "Florence Foster Jenkins" -- the film tells the inspirational true story of a New York heiress, Florence, who obsessively pursues her dream of becoming a great singer. The voice she hears in her head is divine, but to the rest of the world it is hilariously awful. At private recitals, her devoted husband and manager, St. Clair Bayfield (Grant), manages to protect Florence from the truth. But when Florence decides to give her first public concert at New York's Carnegie Hall, St. Clair realized he has perhaps bitten off more than he can chew.
The movie is humorous and entertaining, and it's fascinating learning about this real-life individual who created a sensation during the 1920s and '30s, and has been widely regarded as "the world's worst opera singer". Its strengths, however, lie in the performances. Helberg is a scene-stealer, and Grant has never been better --undoubtedly a redefining moment for his uneven career.
But, as is usually the case with any film featuring Streep, she is an incomparable force. With her stellar body of work, it would be hard to say this is her greatest performance ever. But it is definitely another fine example of how she -- more than almost any actor alive today -- is able to transform herself completely, and totally become her characters, seemingly never playing the same one twice.
Streep has been called on to sing in quite a number of her films before, and she has a pleasant voice. It's hard enough to sing well and act well in movie. But as Florence, she's asked to act well and not sing so well.
The brilliance of this performance is how she manages to balance the character's singing inability. It would have been far too easy to sing horribly. Instead, Streep "almost" hits the right notes -- taking her voice just there, then going slightly off course, getting back on track, and then - yikes - where'd that note come from? This amazing control displays pure genius. This master-class performance makes "Florence Foster Jenkins" a must-see. Is there nothing Meryl Streep can't do?
To those who feel this amazing gift to mankind is "overrated" we all pray that someone, somewhere, someday will think enough of you to use that term to describe you!

o Dwight Strachan is the host/producer of " Morning Blend" on Guardian Radio. He is a television producer and writer, and an avid TV history and film buff. Email dwight@nasguard.com and follow him on twitter @morningblend969.

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