Its surprising that opera isnt more at the center of romantic comedies. Gary Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times wrote "It's hard to fall for Falling for Figaro". Max is a live-in handyman on Meghans property, so she often treats him like a lowly servant too. }); [13] The film also was screened in the Official Selection at the 2021 British Film Festival. In the case of Millie Cantwell (Danielle Macdonald), an affluent London fund manager who turns down a major promotion to become an opera singer, shes able to I can sing, in my opinion, badly. [7], Falling for Figaro was screened for industry professionals in the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival's Industry Selects section, but was not made available for viewing by the general public. An American import, Millie leaves the boardrooms of London and her boyfriend Charlie (Star Trek: Discoverys Shazad Latif) behind to convince Absolutely Fabulous grandee Joanna Lumley, as imperiously cranky opera coach Meghan, to teach her a thing or two. 2023 Oscar Predictions Who Are the Oscar Voters? And the movie skimps on a backstory for Millie. The Filthy Pigs bartender Ramsay Macfadyen (played by Gary Lewis), whos about the same age as Meghan, is the type of friendly person who knows regular customers by their names. Review: 'Falling for Figaro,' starring Danielle Macdonald, Hugh Absolutely Fabulous co-star Joanne Lumley, who has been typecast as portraying cranky battle-axes with an acerbic wit, does more of the same type of performance in Falling for Figaro. However, Lumleys fans should enjoy how she embodies the role with such comedic commitment that viewers will wonder what foul and mean-spirited things will come out next from this characters mouth. type: "text/javascript", But while series star Danielle Macdonald couldn't be more excited for audiences to watch the comedy thriller, the Australian actress is particularly happy about the scenes she shares with her co-star Jamie Dornan. }); His name is Charlie (played by Shazad Latif), and hes proud of Millies success as a fund manager and wants to promote her to a higher position. Danielle Macdonald Gives Falling for Figaro Something to Sing You are sort of the local economy right now, he tells Meghan, who seems to be his only guest. WebMacdonald's charm and talent, and natural ability to sing, plus MIllie's two simmering romances and Joanna Lumley as her witheringly honest coach make Falling for Figaro an captainformThemeStyle['772605'] = ''; As Luciano Pavarotti demonstrated in Yes, Giorgio, his woeful attempt at screen stardom, opera and romantic comedy dont necessarily mix well onscreen. But somehow, Millie and Charlie have worked it out and are open about their personal relationship while keeping things professional at work. And in a case of opposites attract, it turns out that Ramsay and Meghan have a little bit of a romance going on, but theyre trying to keep it low-key. Short on time? Danielle Macdonald In Falling for Figaro, Macdonald portrays Millie Cantwell, an American living in an unnamed big city in England. [2], Guy Lodge of Variety called Falling for Figaro "A corny, cute-enough carpe diem comedy",[21] while Roxana Hadadi of RogerEbert.com said "The performances are what make Falling for Figaro an entertaining distraction, even as the film plays out exactly as you would expect". The endlessly acerbic Meghan, for instance, is the sort of character that Lumley can by now play in her sleep. Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter. WebDanielle MacDonald: It Was Horrifying Singing In Front Of Dolly Parton For 'Dumplin' | PeopleTV People 1.06M subscribers Subscribe 37K views 4 years ago Netflix's ("elementType"in e))return!1;var n=null;if(n=e.following?e.following.parentElement:e.inside?e.inside:e.replacing?e.replacing.parentElement:"script"==e.elementType?document.head:document.body,null==n)return!1;var l=document.createElement(e.elementType);delete e.elementType,l=jQuery.extend(l,e),e.replacing?n.replaceChild(l,e.replacing):n.appendChild(l)}; She gives herself a year to put herself first and see where it takes her. Casting for Falling for Figaro began on 29 October 2019 with Joanna Lumley and Danielle Macdonald in the lead roles. ", "Jamie's such an easy guy to work with, which is always so, so nice when you meet a co-star and you instantly get along," she told PopCulture. Meghan is also like a mother figure to Max, whose background isnt really explained except for a mention that his parents are no longer alive and he has no other family members. Millie says defiantly in response to this skepticism, Patricia, Im not that old, and it is not too late. if('' == 'floating') { It's really kind of special when you can come in and just connect instantly. Danielle Macdonald (pictured) as seen in Stan's mystery thriller series The Tourist 'I'm not a confident singer in any way, shape or form, but I did have to sing on set for this,' she said. Millie and Max, whose facial expression never deviates from glum, become instant rivals. In an exclusive with PopCulture.com ahead of the premiere this week, thePatti Cake$star who plays the quirky yet kind Constable Helen Chambers reveals filming for five months in the Australian outback with Dornan was "so fun. In Lumleys hilarious claws, Meghan is Maria Callas meets Miranda Priestley. In the wrong hands, the character of Millie could be obnoxious but Macdonald imbues Millie with heart and awareness of her own talents to never let her get ahead of herself. var captainformThemeStyle = {}; if(typeof cfJsHost != 'undefined'){ Even though Millie is on the fast track to a big promotion at her job, shes actually bored and frustrated with her career choice. if(typeof cfJsHost != 'undefined'){ Every chance I got, I just kept turning around, she says. Review: Emma Mackey Soars To Dizzying Heights in Emily, Sundance Catch-Up: Slow Tingles With Possibility and Longing. Danielle Macdonald's Young Hollywood I will never forget that ever.. The story begins when Millie and Charlie have already been living together for an unspecified period of time. And I think we were literally cross-shooting a scene and it was an emotional scene, and we had a take each," she said. Interview: Australian Actor Danielle Macdonald on Becoming an I practised every single day in LA and while shooting another movie in Canada before I came to Scotland, and then every single day when I got there, she says. Hugh Skinner and Danielle Macdonald film Falling for Millie is enthralled and has a fantasy that shes the one whos up on stage as the star of the show. "We just instantly locked in. }, 10); function resize7726066403a392e54a0(wrapper){ WebQuitting her lucrative job and moving away from her boyfriend, she travels to the Scottish Highlands where she eventually becomes an opera singer following intense vocal jQuery(wrapper).find('a').removeAttr('href'); It doesnt take long for Millie to confess to Charlie that shes going to take a big risk in her life to pursue a longtime dream of hers: She wants to become a professional opera singer. I can tell you that after 22 years of covering the Oscars that they are mostly meaningless. Max tries to make Millie feel inferior by telling her that hes been training with Meghan for so long, he can help Millie with some vocal techniques. window.addEventListener('resize', function(){ Falling for Figaro is now available to rent. Beat the winter blues with SBS On Demands Endless Summer movie collection. } Danielle Macdonald as an opera singer in Falling for Figaro. She heads to the Scottish Highlands, where she hopes to be accepted as a student by former diva Meghan Geoffrey-Bishop (Joanna Lumley, Absolutely Fabulous) and eventually compete in the all-important Singer of Renown contest. In the venerable tradition of irascible cinematic teachers, Meghan turns out to be less than diplomatic: This is one of the most delightful arias ever written and youre turning it into noise pollution is her idea of constructive criticism. Copyright 2023 PopCulture.com. Her singing voice was replaced by that of a real soprano when she played an opera singer opposite Joanna Lumleys retired diva in Falling for Figaro, but I was Falling for Figaro hits all the predictable beats of a romantic comedy/drama about a woman who goes outside her comfort zone and ends up finding true love. Theres a gaggle of Filthy Pig regulars who are entirely forgettable. textContent: 'var frmRef=""; try { frmRef=window.top.location.href; } catch(err) {}; var captainform_servicedomain="app.captainform.com";var cfJsHost = "https://";', I absolutely adored filming The Tourist, Macdonald raves. Charlie thinks that Millie is making a mistake to pursue a career as an opera singer. [15], Falling for Figaro was released by various distributors almost all over the world. else if ('' == 'right') That was really amazing, but also very intimidating, and very cool to be in the vibe of it and really feel it around you., Lewin was thoroughly lovely to work with, Macdonald says. When she tells Charlie this surprising news that she wants to be an opera singer, his incredulous response is, Like, in the shower?, Once the shock wears off, Charlie sees that Millie is entirely serious and determined to achieve this goal. var append_element = append_element || function(e){if(void 0==e)return!1;if(! Birthplace: Australia. Meghan constant puts her down but she doesnt let that deter her. Meghan is at an age when most people are retired, but she refuses to think of herself as too old to work. ("elementType"in e))return!1;var n=null;if(n=e.following?e.following.parentElement:e.inside?e.inside:e.replacing?e.replacing.parentElement:"script"==e.elementType?document.head:document.body,null==n)return!1;var l=document.createElement(e.elementType);delete e.elementType,l=jQuery.extend(l,e),e.replacing?n.replaceChild(l,e.replacing):n.appendChild(l)}; For Australian thesp Macdonald, who has been cast to variable effect since breaking out in the 2017 Sundance favorite Patti Cake$, this very different musical formId: '772605' var popupParams = { Danielle Macdonald We were, we know we have to get this for everyone and we just did it, and it felt really special afterward. Casting: Simone Pereira Hind, Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day. } Source: Paramount Pictures Australia. Macdonalds current weight is 74 kg (163 pounds). Millie is undeterred. Is The Last of Us The Walking Dead For Smart People? }); Catch these 90-minute (or less) wonders at SBS On Demand. And that's what I love about it. One of the waiters at the Filthy Pig is named Max (played by Hugh Skinner), an occasionally sullen introvert in his mid-30s. Danielle Macdonald often plays formidable characters. In her new, light-as-an-aria rom-com, "Falling for Figaro," Macdonald plays Millie, a fund manager living in England with her boyfriend Charlie (Shazad Latif of " Profile "). When she is offered a big promotion at work, she turns it down, claiming it is not who she wants to be. She isnt nave but confident and realistica quality that goes against the very nature of the melodrama of operas. The romantic comedy seems like an artifact but this aria of a film is a lovely escape and something worth celebrating. Shes so funny and so sharp, Macdonald says. captainform_create_form_popup(popupParams); Advanced warning: I've never read Emily Bront's now-classic gothic novel Wuthering Heights. ), another long-suffering student of Meghans who has competed numerous times in the contest without success. No, I dont sing Do you know how high Dolly Parton sings? The Touristpremieres on HBO Max on Thursday, March 3. Drumbuie is the type of small town where the local pub/restaurant (The Filthy Pig) is the center of the townspeoples social lives. Moving to America, halfway Composer: Cezary Skubiszewski Millies audition for Meghan is an outright disaster.