DE-LOVELY glided into 2004 as the second screen biopic of Cole Porter, 58 years after the first, Night And Day, a highly fictionalized vehicle starring Porter’s friend Cary Grant. That MGM’r made a lot of money, but aside from the music was pure Hollyhokum, enough that Cole, 55 at the time, commented after the premier “If I could survive that, I can survive anything.” The ’04 affair wasn’t as successful at the box office, but it doesn’t fib with the composer’s private life, there are 17 of his songs to parse and Kevin Kline does an exemplary job in the lead. Jamie Foxx got the year’s Best Actor Oscar for playing another music man in the showier Ray, but Kline, 56, who wasn’t nominated, is good enough to have been on the list with him.

Directed by Irwin Winkler, written by Jay Cocks, the screenplay goes the fanciful route by having Porter, as he’s about to die (in 1964, age 73) having a dialogue with the archangel Gabriel (Jonathan Pryce) about his life, done in flashbacks, vignettes of highs (acclaim as a composer) and lows (a crippling accident), famous friends and discreet lovers, with special attention given to Linda Lee Thomas (Ashley Judd), his wife for 34 years until her death in 1954. Classic Porter numbers are interpreted by, among others, Alanis Morrisette, Sheryl Crow, Elvis Costello, Natalie Cole and Diana Krall. Enjoyment of the songs may depend on individual appreciation of the various performers. The costuming is handsome, the pace pedestrian, with the staginess calling attention to itself more than the subject, and period flavor is muted. Judd has little to do other than appear poised and sophisticated. Kline’s work is strong enough to hold interest which otherwise tends to flag too often; he’s particularly effective (with excellent age makeup) in the second half.

Made for $15,000,000, it placed 128th in North America and the total global gross came to $18,396,000.

With Kevin McNally, Allan Corduner (as Monty Wooley), Kevin McKidd (a slimy blackmailer), Richard Dillane, Peter Polycarpou (awful as Louis B. Mayer—if you’re going to insult someone, do it right) and Caroline O’Connor (as Ethel Merman, belting out “Anything Goes”). 125 minutes.