Quartet

[baumer]

Discuss

[IndustriousAngel]

Well, speak of the devil - just the other year I asked my ladyfriend "whatever became of Dustin Hoffman?" - and here he is with his first work as director. And it's a really nice film, too!

A nursing home for retired musicians, situated in the lush landscape of rural England, forms the refined stage for this adapted play. The financial future of said home depends on the success of the yearly gala concert to honour Verdi's birthday, and if you think you can guess the script from this description you're probably right since the story unfolds in a pretty formulaic way, no, thank you, no risk with my tea today. A love-gone-wrong, a little jealousy, health problems are thrown at our wrinkled protagonists but nothing can avert the happy outcome!

Though formulaic, I'll recommend this film: The acting is very fine, the comedy is well-timed, and the music is very good. Plus, it manages to stay on the healthy side of sentimental, it's absolutely no tear-jerker. And stay for the end credits!

 

edit:

A note on the actors:

Michael Gambon and Billy Connolly carry the comedic parts and do so with obvious joy.

Maggie Smith and Tom Courtenay are Jean and Reggie, a couple with a past, on whom the plot centers. Maggie Smith's performance is flawless; Tom Courtenay looks a bit wooden opposite her (or is it the role?).

Since the couple's love story is a bit dry and shallow, the key role in "Quartet", though, falls to Pauline Collins as Cissy - the emotional heart of the film. It's not a fine line, but rather a very wide area between "sane" and "demented", and Pauline Collins boldly explores the expanse of this terrifying region and hits every single note, be it unwitting comedy or devastating fear and disorientation or childlike trust. Often actors impersonating disabled persons limit themselves to a few ticks (Mr. Hoffman himself has some experience here I believe); with Collins' versatile performance you're never sure how "here" or "there" she is at the moment as is true with real-life demented persons.

Edited January 29, 2013 by IndustriousAngel

[baumer]

BUMP

[acsc1312]

Nice little film, nothing more.B/B+

[Jack Nevada]

A pleasant movie. Very pleasant. Its perfectly enjoyable and unambitious little movie that you have a good time watching but probably wont remember by the end of the week. Terrific acting all across the board, especially from Maggie Smith and Michael Gambon 

 

3/5

Edited April 6, 2013 by Jack Nevada

[baumer]

I agree with Industrious Angel's review.  Very well written.  I enjoyed most of the film with the exception of Gambon's character.  He was too one dimensional and crusty too much of the time.  And they really didn't explain why Jean was so opposed to singing again.  But other than those two small issues, I enjoyed it quite a bit.  Connelly is very funny and when he is on screen, the film is better.  Also, Sheridan Smith, who plays Dr. Cogan, is quite the stunner.  Very natural beauty and a very good performance too.

 

7/10

[Jack Nevada]

I agree with Industrious Angel's review.  Very well written.  I enjoyed most of the film with the exception of Gambon's character.  He was too one dimensional and crusty too much of the time.  And they really didn't explain why Jean was so opposed to singing again.  But other than those two small issues, I enjoyed it quite a bit.  Connelly is very funny and when he is on screen, the film is better.  Also, Sheridan Smith, who plays Dr. Cogan, is quite the stunner.  Very natural beauty and a very good performance too.

 

7/10

Oh yeah, she was really hot.

[mattmav45]

In the end the biggest sin of the film lies in the fact that it leaves no lasting impression.

 

It gets off to a pretty brutal start.  If you like watching old hags belt out tunes or dirty old men with the sex drive of 15-year old boys on Molly, the first 15 minutes is for you.  While the proceedings here never really excel, at the very least it does find some grounding.

 

For me, the film worked best when it focused on the characters.  There were moments in which I was truly invested.  Unfortunately it never really capitalized on those moments of clarity and instead was more comfortable treading the familiar and safe storylines that seem to frequent these type of films.  The film just ended and I'm already have trouble remembering how they allocated over 90 minutes of material into it.  .  Perhaps that is its magic as it catapults you into the mind of an 80-year old who can't remember a damn thing.

 

Perhaps I'm just ageist as fuck, but I generally didn't give a rat's ass about the plight of these old geezers.