-Allison McCulloch

 104 mins. | Australia/UK/USA | 2020

Director: Ben Lewin
Writers: Ben Lewin, Allen Palmer
Producers: Judi Levine, Arabella Page Croft

Falling for Figaro follows the story of Millie (Danielle Macdonald), a woman who is enamored with opera and dreams of becoming an opera singer. After initial success in the business world, she realizes that she wants to pursue this impossible dream. Being recommended to Meghan Geoffrey-Bishop (Joanna Lumley), the opera coach from hell, Millie continues despite the odds.

Lumley’s character is akin to J.K. Simmons in Whiplash, putting everyone down every chance she gets. Her performance is astounding. While Lumley’s character is menacing, her approach is more comedic. McDonald reacts well and shows the growth of the character.

This light, romantic comedy works exceedingly well. It avoids clichés of the genre, but still gives us a love triangle. The opera selection is very general, but welcome. Overall, it was very enjoyable and the film was music to my ears.

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