Falling for Figaro: big on the opera, light on the romance

Falling for Figaro is a light romantic comedy featuring some heavy duty opera singing. If opera makes your ears bleed, this one isn’t for you. Otherwise its a fun story about big dreams and hard work.

In Falling For Figaro, Millie (Danielle Macdonald) lives in London with her boyfriend Charlie (Shazad Latif). They make plenty of money as fund managers. But Millie has secret dreams of singing opera. The day she receives a big promotion, she quits her job.

Millie learns about an opera coach named Meghan Geoffrey-Bishop (Joanna Lumley) who lives in a tiny village in Scotland. She’s terrible tempered and a cruel coach, supposedly retired. But the jingle of money Millie offers her makes her agree to take Millie on.

There’s a complication in the form of Max (Hugh Skinner). Max is also studying under Meghan and he’s almost great. He nearly won a big contest last year and he plans to enter the contest again this year. So does Millie.

Max is also the all around handyman of the village and the chef at the only inn/pub in town, The Filthy Pig. Ramsay (Gary Lewis) runs the pub. Millie rents a room there.

Millie spends a year working with Meghan and feels ready to enter the contest. The opera critics down at the pub are rooting for Max but have to admit Millie is sounding really good.

Millie stays in touch with Charlie, but Millie and Max are also developing feelings for each other, especially when Meghan makes them practice duets of love songs.

The lip syncing in this film is good, but it’s also obvious that it isn’t really Hugh Skinner and Danielle Macdonald singing. It’s actually a couple of well known opera stars from New Zealand and Australia. The singing is excellent – an opera lovers delight.

I won’t reveal how the contest goes and how the story turns out, but I think you’ll find the ending satisfying.

You can see Falling for Figaro on Netflix or Hulu. It’s far-fetched in the reality department, but a fun and easy watch.