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The Concert
Metascore
60 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 20 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 20
  3. Negative: 1 out of 20
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  1. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    91
    The crowd-pleasing comic Euro-drama The Concert is, at its musical center, as full of ripe emotion as Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D Major. It's also as darkly funny as a Slavic farce, a composition of sweet cacophony.
  2. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Tasha Robinson
    91
    It acknowledges grief, horror, and loss, but never lets it get in the way of a big, bright laugh.
  3. St. Louis Post-Dispatch
    Reviewed by: Joe Williams
    Apr 22, 2011
    88
    Builds beautifully from a farcical premise that requires a suspension of disbelief to a musical climax that washes away our cynicism in a wave of honest tears.
  4. Arizona Republic
    Reviewed by: Bill Goodykoontz
    Mar 24, 2011
    80
    Manipulative, overly sentimental, sometimes ludicrous and almost completely irresistible.
  5. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kevin Thomas
    80
    Moves from rowdy, broad comedy to shameless heart-tugging, but Romanian writer-director Radu Mihaileanu keeps this French production flowing buoyantly, skittering past all manner of improbabilities.
  6. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Mick LaSalle
    75
    Though The Concert swerves and skids, it never goes off the road, and when the moment counts, when things really make a difference, the film comes through beautifully.
  7. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Marc Mohan
    75
    For at least three-fourths of its running time, The Concert is predictable, soft-edged and unremarkable. Then the titular performance, of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, begins, and the music elicits the emotional response the rest of the film has been striving for the whole time. It's enough to almost make the whole thing worthwhile.
  8. Boxoffice Magazine
    Reviewed by: Wade Major
    70
    Fans of "Train of Life" will undoubtedly embrace the picture's similarly ragtag collection of clever, lovable misfits.
  9. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Andrea Gronvall
    70
    Cross the cold war nostalgia of "Good Bye, Lenin!" with the larcenous high jinks of "The Producers" and you've got the gist of this zany Russian screwball comedy.
  10. Movieline
    Reviewed by: Michelle Orange
    65
    A pleasant dramatic caper that wears out its welcome, The Concert is the houseguest who sings a little too loudly and too long for his supper, tone deaf to the line between charm and imposition.
  11. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Carrie Rickey
    63
    All in all, not good, but not bad.
  12. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Wesley Morris
    63
    A passable, sometimes skillful farce.
  13. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Elizabeth Weitzman
    60
    How much control are you willing to cede when you see a movie? Because director Radu Mihaileanu is fiercely determined to manipulate your every emotion.
  14. Empire
    Reviewed by: Ian Freer
    60
    More sentimental, less spiky than Mihaileanu's stock-in-trade, Le Concert is an enjoyable take on the underdogs genre. And Laurent and the music are sublime.
  15. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Liam Lacey
    50
    A discordant mix of melodrama and chaotic farce.
  16. Variety
    Reviewed by: Jay Weissberg
    50
    The story regurgitates the usual trappings of underdog tales, milking stereotypes as well as tear ducts.
  17. Time Out New York
    Reviewed by: David Fear
    40
    So it's the story of a down-and-out bigwig vindicating himself by revising his crowning cultural moment. Feel free to draw your own conclusions.
  18. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Melissa Anderson
    40
    Beyond fans of Mélanie Laurent--who furiously fingers a fiddle and wears flashback wigs--The Concert may appeal to those who delight in stereotypes.
  19. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Stephen Holden
    40
    The harder this desperately obsequious circus of a movie tries to entertain, the more it falls short.
  20. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Kyle Smith
    38
    The Concert is an art-house trap, the cinematic equivalent of one of those salads that turns out to have more calories than a Big Mac. And for the same reason: gobs of thick, sweet dressing.
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User Reviews

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User Score
7.0 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 9 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. NedRyerson1
    6
    The Concert seems to be nothing more than a movie about classical music, but it hides a political ideology, the failure and reinvention of communism; and a cultural discrimination, the anti-Semitism. The story is about a director from an orchestra, who was interrupted in the middle of an important presentation by a government man, because his musicians were Jewish. After some years an opportunity for return to a stage appears, so Filipov and his friends would do the possible and impossible to catch it. In order to complete this, the protagonist must get the help of Anne Marie Jacquet, a well-known violin soloist. The mysterious connection that has the two protagonists is based in what they are looking for, which is the complete harmony, they both want to find who they really are, but he in the path of fulfilling a broken dream, and she by getting the approval of her death parents. Parallel to this it can be notice the crisis of the communism and its party, that is defend by a few men, one of this is a friend of Filipov, and the thing that he needs to learn, it is that the communism occurs when a group of people work together for reaching an ideal. The problems of the movie are the weak performances and a script that is not up to this new idea. The things that save this picture are the concepts, the montage and the flashbacks that reveal the story in pieces.… Full Review »
  2. Halfwelshman
    9
    Like most truly great films, The Concert gets just the right balance between light and shade, optimism and bleakness, humour and drama. The story is engaging and well-told, with some great acting performances (particularly Guskov) but also musical ones (Laurent). The film, understandably, is about people, and about music, and vigorously promotes the idea that the latter can be an even more meaningful method of communication with others than speech (and by the film's highly emotional finale, you can truly believe this). The Concert is a gem of a film, and is guaranteed to bring joy to your very soul.… Full Review »
  3. hoops2448
    10
    The Concert is worth the price of the DVD just for the final 14 minutes. The whole film builds to them, The Concert is the goal for all the characters and the viewer as well. The Concert is the story of Andrey Filipov (Alexei Guskov), a previously renowned composer who was fired during the communist era in Russia for hiring Jewish musicians. He now works as a cleaner at the concert hall he used to compose in. However he manages to intercept a letter inviting the current orchestra to play in Paris and sets about assembling his own band of misfit musicians to play the event. The Concert delights in the fact that its not trying to be arthouse cinema, it just wants to tell a story and entertain and in that regard it succeeds because not only is it entertaining but it packs an emotional punch. The mix of comedy and drama can be uneven at places and downright ludicrous but its all part of its charm with the eclectic orchestra all bringing something else to the table. The comedy is genuine with some real laugh out loud moments and the drama is emotional and to the point. It is all kept together by some smart direction and a tight script while also giving the actors ability to move. For instance Melanie Laurent's character on paper seems entitled and at times extremely unlike able but Laurent brings the characters charms to light with her sheer love of music being something that gleams through her performance. The Scene between Guskov and Laurent in the restaurant is enthralling and well directed with the story being both heart wrenching and cleverly put together and the pain shown by Guskov is just something else. The Concert brings the joys of music, drama and comedy into one film while not sacrificing any of the good stuff. Its pure entertainment with a finale that will knock your socks off… Full Review »
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