FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS Trailer

They did it with asteroids, and they did it with Snow White. Now, we’re inexplicably getting two takes on the story of Florence Foster Jenkins, a wealthy New York socialite with a terrible singing voice. The French version, Marguerite, plays more loosely with the facts, while this U.K. version is a more straightforward biopic. Just look at its simple title, Florence Foster Jenkins, its sturdy director Stephen Frears (The Queen, Philomena), and star Meryl Streep, and you should be able to figure out what this film will be like.

The endlessly renowned Streep has been giving big performances for quite some time now, and whether you prefer these latter-day flourishes or her more subtle work in films like Kramer vs. Kramer, big is pretty much all we’re getting from her anymore. And boy is she going big in this one, gesticulating with and chewing on every line so that it’s hard to look away from her. She’s not out on a limb, though, as Hugh Grant is flouncing it up with her and Frears seems to be bringing an arch perspective with the camerawork.

This looks like more of a straight comedy than Marguerite, and with that approach they’ll need to be careful about weaving in the inevitable pathos so that it doesn’t feel tacked on. Still, this group of people has pulled off difficult things before, so I’d recommend settling in for a double dose of terrible opera singing.

Florence Foster Jenkins is directed by Stephen Frears and stars Meryl Streep, Hugh Grant, and Simon Helberg. It will be released in the U.K. on May 6th, 2016 and in the U.S. on August 31st, 2016. For international release dates, click here.

Will you take on both versions of this story, pick only one, or let them both slip by? Let us know in the comments!