Quartet

I had high hopes of this film. An impeccable cast and as a 60+ myself, an uplifting ensemble piece. Sadly, this was not to be. I have rarely seen a film so "non-directed" with everyone except Maggie Smith floundering around. Sadly, we see in Hoffman a decent actor who tries to direct but should just use his money to hire a decent director. Billy Connelly had me squirming in my seat as he was unable as usual to play any part other than himself. His corny lines and stupid sexual references made the older members of the audience giggle with embarrassment probably because they sympathised with him as he too hoped this turgid film would come to an end. The cast gave off the appearance of doing it for some more retirement money and as such were going through the motions. Cinematography was adequate craft level. We have in the UK some astonishingly good young directors so why on earth use a washed-up American - other than to get their hands on his money? To sum up, glad when it ended. A thoroughly depressing mediocre film. So, sadly, most people will love it

This is a very polarizing film. Not altogether in a negative sense but if you're not heavily into classical music or opera, it might be hard to relate to these characters, a group of elderly people in a retirement home for retired musicians. Throughout a very crowded house of crooning and/or instrument playing old timers, the first fifteen minutes consists of Billy Connelly's sexually motivated Wilf Bond flirting with every female, spouting the best dialog because everyone else has little to nothing to say. That includes Tom Courtenay's Reginald Paget, who only comes to life after his ex wife Jean Horton, a former opera star played by Maggie Smith, becomes a resident. The second half of film's description is very misleading: "...The annual concert to celebrate Verdi's birthday is disrupted by the arrival of Jean, an eternal diva." For one thing, Jean is hardly a diva. That would have been humorously edgy and interesting. She's actually quite mellow and introverted. Her only fault is stalking Paget on the grounds, but only because he wants nothing to do with her but they eventually connect and talk about the past. It's difficult to relate to who they were since we never get to know them in the present. And eventually the plot's underway: one of the residents wants the quartet, including the three characters mentioned and Pauline Collins as the ever-optimistic Cissy, to reunite. Horton (Smith) angrily balks until it's decided to proceed, after which the show goes on with somewhat predictable results. First time director Dustin Hoffman does effectively wield creative shots in the gorgeous English exterior, but on the inside there's little story to make the characters as worthwhile as they music they dedicated their lives to.

It's rare these days, in my opinion, to get a combination on superb acting, impeccable writing, and sensitive direction, all adding up to a superlative movie. However, that's what I found here. Dustin Hoffman, the great actor, makes ostensibly his directorial debut here and is hugely successful. The veteran writer, Ronald Harwood, adds the wonderful screenplay, based on his own play. The lead actors namely, Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay, Billy Connolly, and Pauline Collins are all at the top of their game here. They're all retired famous opera singers, forced by circumstances, to now make the Beecham House, or Home for Retired Musicians, their new home. They once sang together, as a Quartet, namely in Giuseppe Verdi's masterpiece "Rigoletto", many years before. The retirement home is now facing severe financial woes and if their upcoming annual gala is not a success, they could be forced to close. Can the Quartet overcome their interpersonal resentments of the past and their problems with aging to help the gala be a lifesaver? I might mention that Michaqel Gambon, in a supporting role, as the Director of the upcoming gala adds very well to the mix, as does Sheridan Smith as the residence doctor and manager. I, not being an opera or classical music buff, had no idea that many of the residents of the home, who performed at the gala, were actually famous singers and musicians of the past. I thought the singing and classical music that interwove with the movie was exceptional. In summary, I found the film to be quite exceptional and memorable.

I'm sure this is a good film for the right audience -- by that I mean people who liked the set-piece bitchiness of Gosford Park, the long-playing social relationships of Downton Abbey, the humour of old folk forgetting things, or the nostalgia of opera. For such folk, my comments below can be safely ignored. But if you don't like any of the above, you may find (as I did) that the senility was over-acted for supposedly comic effect; the emphasis on characters over plot made the film drag; and some of the plot ideas were telegraphed so far in advance, they could have used pigeon post and it would still have arrived in time. I can't even tell you if it had a happy ending as I didn't make it to the end of the film, though it looked like most of the tensions were going to be reconciled while one key character suffered an emotion-jerking exit. If you want a film where old people are not either incredibly wise or suffering from comic levels of senility, I recommend The Bucket List.

This is the sort of film I normally strenuously go out of my way to avoid: the feel-good movie, especially the feel-good movie (Billy Elliot comes to mind) in which characters find "redemption" and "meaning" through Art. As a rule, the Brits do this kind of film much better (Brassed Off, the Full Monty) than Hollywood (no examples I would care to cite, I haven't had my breakfast yet); this is a hybrid, being a British written and produced movie, with an American director (Dustin Hoffman) making his directorial debut at the tender age of 74. So, why did I go to see this? "The Big Yin", Billy Connolly, of course. I dote on the man: all it takes is an imitation (and I believe that every single British comedian, of either gender, has one) to make me smile. So, aye, I knew at some point I was going to have to see this, and I am happy enough to have seen it on the big screen (there, I just did one). The acting from the entire cast is, of course, first rate; how not, when the cast is headed by Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Pauline Collins, and the great Tom Courtenay? With all respect to my main man, Billy Connolly, Courtenay's performance is what drives the picture; I'm old, and this man has been appearing on screen since before I was even born. We are talking some serious actor's chops here. As for the story, it's just one of those: "will they get the Gala on stage and save this wonderful home, where they can be themselves and inspire future generations?" What do you think? I can't say that I noticed the direction, one way or the other: I suppose you would have to categorize Dustin Hoffman as an "actors' director", which is what's called for in a film like this. For me, the best part of the film was the end credits, where the actors' names were accompanied by head shots from when they appeared in opera companies and symphony orchestras way back in the day.

Cliché #1 - old people dancing in their samba class is 'funny' = check Cliché #2 - old people saying 'f_ck' is hilarious = check Cliché #3 - dirty old man is a womaniser but in cute and harmless way = check I felt the movie was insulting my intelligence. There's something so utterly patronising and mawkish about this kind of 'feel good' movie I just want to reach for the bucket. I don't demand realism from movies, I'm not that type of guy. But you know there's something wrong when you want to rip out your hair and shout 'c'mon!!!' with open arms at the screen in a crowded movie theatre. The characters are simply not believable. Anyone who has set foot in a retirement home will feel an immediate sense that none of these residents are anywhere old or invalid enough to be in a home. They move about with too much energy and are having far too much fun, when they're not pretending to have dizzy spells. But they gave Billy Connolly a cane, so, whatever, I guess that conclusively proves he's an old man. The residents are overseen by Dr Cogan, the in-house doctor. Putting aside the fact you never see her perform a medical act (unless you count giving a disapproving frown to residents who want to stay up past midnight - naughty naughty!), she would be more believable as saucy chamber maid than a doctor. A role Sheridan Smith lends absolutely no sense of authority or seriousness to, but then I suppose she only did what she was told. I will never, never see this movie again and you should all save yourselves and avoid watching it in the first place if it's not too late.

As a 16 year old, it's safe to say that this obviously is not a film which is aimed at me at all, being based in a retirement home for old musicians where cracking jokes about opera is, you know, hilarious. In fact, the screening I was in was filled with those with white hair. It's not often that I feel out of place at a cinema, but I on this occasion I did. Quartet, as you probably know, features a stellar cast of older actors; Maggie Smith and Tom Courtenay playing the reunited divorcées with a history; Billy Connolly as a pottering and senile old tenor, cracking double-entendres at every opportunity; and Pauline Collins, who in my opinion steals the show, as the ditzy ex-opera singer. What follows is an unashamedly predictable, but nevertheless solidly crafted and amusing drama that wouldn't look out of place on a Sunday afternoon TV slot. Minus the f-words, of course. Yes ,you can see its development from a mile off, and it rarely addresses the more serious and harrowing aspects of old-age as Haneke's 'Amour' did, but it's good natured, well scripted and amusing fun. It's all through the typical rose-tinted, Downton-esque portrayal of Britain that we're all accustomed to, but with a cast like that and a gentle, sweet story, it's hard not to be eventually won over by its charm. I had a good time.

source: Quartet

This is the sort of film I normally strenuously go out of my way to avoid: the feel-good movie, especially the feel-good movie (Billy Elliot comes to mind) in which characters find "redemption" and "meaning" through Art. As a rule, the Brits do this kind of film much better (Brassed Off, the Full Monty) than Hollywood (no examples I would care to cite, I haven't had my breakfast yet); this is a hybrid, being a British written and produced movie, with an American director (Dustin Hoffman) making his directorial debut at the tender age of 74. So, why did I go to see this? "The Big Yin", Billy Connolly, of course. I dote on the man: all it takes is an imitation (and I believe that every single British comedian, of either gender, has one) to make me smile. So, aye, I knew at some point I was going to have to see this, and I am happy enough to have seen it on the big screen (there, I just did one). The acting from the entire cast is, of course, first rate; how not, when the cast is headed by Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Pauline Collins, and the great Tom Courtenay? With all respect to my main man, Billy Connolly, Courtenay's performance is what drives the picture; I'm old, and this man has been appearing on screen since before I was even born. We are talking some serious actor's chops here. As for the story, it's just one of those: "will they get the Gala on stage and save this wonderful home, where they can be themselves and inspire future generations?" What do you think? I can't say that I noticed the direction, one way or the other: I suppose you would have to categorize Dustin Hoffman as an "actors' director", which is what's called for in a film like this. For me, the best part of the film was the end credits, where the actors' names were accompanied by head shots from when they appeared in opera companies and symphony orchestras way back in the day.

"Quartet" is a beautiful film directed by Dustin Hoffman, about a retirement home for musicians as the residents prepare for a benefit concert to keep the place going. The film stars Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay, Michael Gambon, Billy Connelly, and Pauline Collins, as well as opera performers, including Gwenyth Jones, Nuala Willis, John Rawnsley, Melodie Waddingham, Cynthia Morey, Justin Lavender, Vivienne Ross, and Patricia Varley. The arrival of diva Jean Horton (Maggie Smith), once married to Reginald (Courtenay) is a reason for Reginald to completely panic. Not that Jean is in great shape either. As she's traveling to the home, she's rehearsing what she'll say to him: "We were different people then." Problems worsen when the well-meaning Cissy (Pauline Collins) who has moments of dementia, suggests that she, Cissy, Reginald, and Wif (Billy Connolly) perform the Quartet from Rigoletto at the benefit, something they performed many times. The mere suggestion causes Jean to become violent. This is a great film about aging, about lost love, losing one's gifts, reconciliation, and coming to terms with life as it is now. The "quartet" of actors, along with Michael Gambon, are fantastic, as is the glorious soundtrack. Opera lovers and those who appreciate great acting will love this film. Director Hoffman keeps the story from being mawkish or sentimental, mining the humor and the real emotion of the film. Beautifully done.