X
- 2012
- PG-13
- The Weinstein Company
- 1 h 38 m
- 2012
- PG-13
- The Weinstein Company
- 1 h 38 m
Summary Cecily, Reggie and Wilfred are in a home for retired opera singers. Every year, on October 10, there is a concert to celebrate Verdi's birthday and they take part. Jean, who used to be married to Reggie, arrives at the home and disrupts their equilibrium. She still acts like a diva, but she refuses to sing. Still, the show must go on... ...
Directed By: Dustin Hoffman
Written By: Ronald Harwood
- 2012
- PG-13
- The Weinstein Company
- 1 h 38 m
- 2012
- PG-13
- The Weinstein Company
- 1 h 38 m
Quartet
64
6.1
Where to Watch
Summary Cecily, Reggie and Wilfred are in a home for retired opera singers. Every year, on October 10, there is a concert to celebrate Verdi's birthday and they take part. Jean, who used to be married to Reggie, arrives at the home and disrupts their equilibrium. She still acts like a diva, but she refuses to sing. Still, the show must go on... ...
Directed By: Dustin Hoffman
Written By: Ronald Harwood
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally favorable
Based on 36 Critic Reviews
64
69% Positive
25 Reviews
25 Reviews
28% Mixed
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
3% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Generally favorable
Based on 36 Critic Reviews
64
69% Positive
25 Reviews
25 Reviews
28% Mixed
10 Reviews
10 Reviews
3% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
They have the perfect supporting cast, made up of a group of exceptional real-life musicians: retired members of orchestras and opera companies, and a pianist bristling with the suppressed impatience of the longtime accompanist. (To see who they are, stick around for the credits.)
User Score
Generally favorable
Based on 45 User Ratings
6.1
56% Positive
25 Ratings
25 Ratings
31% Mixed
14 Ratings
14 Ratings
13% Negative
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
User Score
Generally favorable
Based on 45 User Ratings
6.1
56% Positive
25 Ratings
25 Ratings
31% Mixed
14 Ratings
14 Ratings
13% Negative
6 Ratings
6 Ratings
Quartet has its heart-wrenching moments along with its humour, however there is a lack of realism. How is it that we never see any of the main characters sing?
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What gives the movie its poignancy – what turns it into something more than a polite entertainment – is Smith's role. Or, to be more exact, her performance, in tandem with Courtenay's.
Personally, I'd show up for Maggie Smith's top-drawer basilisk stare if she were guesting on "Sesame Street."
This movie will no doubt be pitched to the same audiences that loved "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel." It even brings Maggie Smith along. But it lacks that film's life, intelligence and spirit. It has a good heart. I'll give it that. Maybe what it needs is more exotic marigolds.
A sincere but sloppy piece of work. Mr. Hoffman dotes on his cast of first-rate British actors of a certain age - and invites us to savor their energy and professionalism. This is not difficult, though the efforts of these fine actors might have yielded greater delight if they had been given more to do.
For a movie that aims to make four artists' last spotlit hurrah a revel-worthy moment, Quartet shouldn't urge the viewer to welcome the closing of the curtain.
There seems to be a rapid influx of films about elderly characters learning to find something worth living for, from The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel to Song for Marion (Unfinished Song for those in the US). Add Quartet to this bunch but put it at the top because this film is a treat from start to finish. Quartet tells the story of the men and women who live in a retirement home for old musicians and are preparing for an annual concert to celebrate Verdi's birthday. These plans are disrupted by the arrival of Jean (Maggie Smith), a famous classical singer who has a history with Reg (Tom Courtenay), one that affects not just Jean, Reg, Wilf (Billy Connelly doing some of his best work to date) and Cissy (Pauline Collins) but the concert as well. Quartet is an oddity because it is a relatively safe film for first time director Dustin Hoffman but he shows a knack for character and how to frame a scene that impresses. Each character is smartly written and performed wonderfully by the Quartet of actors. Every character in the film feels like a person and not a pre written stereotype designed to progress the story, Quartet isn't really about the story its about the interaction and how to see life in a different way. The film isn't about the retirement home but the people in it and the relationships the form while there, something Hoffman emphasises through his direction. Hoffman's skill as a director brings out the best in his performers and the highlight has to be Billy Connelly's Wilf who is the resident joker at the home but is also a devoted friend who isn't afraid to deliver some much needed brutal honesty to a few characters in dire need of a boot up the arse. Maggie Smith is reliable as always but she doesn't shine the same way Connelly and Courtenay shine. Courtenay is terrific as the heart on his sleeve Reg who doesn't so much regret getting old, he regrets his past and just wants to hide away from it and enjoy the time he has left, something that proves hard following the arrival of Jean. It's a film that injects humour and heart into a story that feels like it has been told before, just not in as much detail. The idea that life goes on is not a new concept but by framing the film around a concert that could be considered a last hurrah the film thrives in its message of optimism and living life to the full.
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A cinema-going of this feel-good crowder-pleaser from Dustin Hoffman
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Dustin Hoffman is making his directorial debut at the age of 75 with
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If I could find a word of 150 characters (the minimum required of a review) that meant "Appalling" I'd use it. Oh god, and i still need 50 odd more ****!
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Production Company
Headline Pictures,
BBC Films,
DCM Productions,
Finola Dwyer Productions,
Wildgaze Films
Release Date Dec 28, 2012
Duration 1 h 38 m
Rating PG-13
Tagline Four friends looking for a little harmony
Awards
Golden Globes, USA
• 1 Nomination
AARP Movies for Grownups Awards
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Hollywood Film Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
