Depending where you live, it’s probably been a hot minute since you went to the theatre. I’m talking a full night out, getting a little glammed up, obligatory applause at the end kind of theatre. I myself have Hamilton tickets that I hope will still be valid two years after the local production fled for their lives in 2020. But until society gets itself going again, there’s always the movies. Falling for Figaro is one such movie that markets as a romcom but is actually a virtual ticket to the opera. If you love to sit back and listen to what the human voice can do, then let the music fill the room and try not to give Falling for Figaro’s plot too much thought.
The story is just a conduit to beautiful music, but I suppose the plate in every restaurant serves a purpose, so here’s what’s on the menu in Falling for Figaro. Millie (Danielle Macdonald) attends one opera with her boyfriend, Charlie (Shazad Latif), and decides that her wildly successful gig as a fund manager isn’t
her dream job after all. Following some shady advice, Millie sets herself a goal to win a career-defining opera contest within the year. In preparation, she drives from London to Scotland to study under the expertise of a batshit old lady on a farm. Her reclusive maestro, a bonafide Disney villain if ever one retired from animation, is washed-up soloist, Meghan Geoffrey-Bishop (Joanna Lumley). Millie uses the one trick up her sleeve (oodles of cash from her days in finance) to convince Meghan to train her, the pub to house her, and the local Jack-of-all-trades, Max (Hugh Skinner), to feed her. Except, in this hamlet of one business, two cows, six civilians, and two women assumedly named “Gretta” and “Hilda”, Millie has competition. Max is also Meghan’s student and is training for the same singing prize that brought Millie to town. What ensues is a local rivalry between the town’s best boy and Millie, their only outside source of income.
The story has its moments, sure. The Scottish village is adorable. Meghan’s training techniques are hilariously unorthodox. The cows have great comedic timing. But you can see where it’s all going as soon as it begins. Millie and Max start off on the wrong foot, naturally, only to resolve their differences over a shared passion for diaphragms. The rest is romcom template. Millie is a breezy, effortless performer while Max always looks like the last person to receive terrible news. Her grace and his technique balance each other out and eventually turn into something more. But it’s hard to build a romance when their only bonding time is over sheet music. Falling for Figaro pays so much attention to the vocal training that it leaves little room for random sweet moments that could push these two rivals together naturally. One minute Max hates Millie, the next he’s helping her win the competition, with little segue in between. The romance happens because it has to, because it’s part of the
formula, not because they fall unwilling into each other’s arms, or can’t resist holding hands, or whatever it is young lovers are doing in these COVID times.
So, if we’re not here for the relationships, and if we’ve seen our fill of Scotland in Outlander (said no one ever), then we must be here for the music. This, at least, does not disappoint. Millie starts out a little rough, as well she should, given her weekday transition from fund manager to aspiring prima donna. But with enough repetition, verbal abuse, and strangulation from her coach, her progress steadily grows. Backing her up, of course, is Max, a shaky but practiced singer who bounces through pages of famous solos to our jaw-dropping amazement. If you’re thinking, “Really? The twit ex-boyfriend from Fleabag has opera training?” Haha, no. Not really. Calm down. Millie and Max may look like they’re belting out the high notes but their vocals are actually the very capable recordings of Australian opera singers, Stacey Alleaume and Nathan Lay. I honestly couldn’t believe this until I went hunting for the answer – which was much 
harder to find than it should have been. Credit to Alleaume and Lay for having angelic voices, but also credit to Danielle Macdonald and Hugh Skinner who bring their lip-sync A-game. No credit to the film which doesn’t credit the opera stars at all.
Falling for Figaro really is about the music. Everything else is like food at a sporting event: important and enjoyable, but not why you bought the ticket. Thankfully for Netflix, you can have your music, snacks, and formulaic romance too. Falling for Figaro is a standard girl-meets-only-eligible-boy-in-town-and-falls-for-him movie, but the usual Christmas, or royal, or royal-Christmas backdrop is swapped for a competition brimming with talent. For classical music-lovers or those in the mood for a flimsy romance on a boring afternoon, Falling for Figaro will get stuck in your head in all the best ways. It’s a cute but uncreative 4/10.
Plenty of Popcorn 