The Concert

Name: The Concert
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Music
Released: July 30, 2010
Duration: 119 min
Rating: 60
Cast: Aleksei Guskov, Dmitri Nazarov, Mélanie Laurent

2010

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 20 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Ratings

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7.3

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7.3	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Ratings

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The Concert

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Movie Details & Credits

Weinstein Company, The | Release Date: July 30, 2010 | PG-13

Starring: Aleksei Guskov, Dmitri Nazarov, Mélanie Laurent

Summary: Thirty years ago, Andrei Simoniovich Filipov, the renowned conductor of the Bolshoi orchestra, was fired for hiring Jewish musicians. Now a mere cleaning man at the Bolshoi, he learns by accident that the Châtelet Theater in Paris invites the Bolshoi orchestra to play there. He decides to gather together his former musicians and to performThirty years ago, Andrei Simoniovich Filipov, the renowned conductor of the Bolshoi orchestra, was fired for hiring Jewish musicians. Now a mere cleaning man at the Bolshoi, he learns by accident that the Châtelet Theater in Paris invites the Bolshoi orchestra to play there. He decides to gather together his former musicians and to perform in Paris in the place of the current Bolshoi orchestra. As a solo violin player to accompany his old Jewish or Gypsy musicians he wants Anne-Marie Jacquet, a young virtuoso. If they all overcome the hardships ahead this very special concert will be a triumph.… Expand

Director: Radu Mihaileanu

Genre(s): Drama, Comedy, Music

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 119 min

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Critic Reviews

Lisa Schwarzbaum

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. Read full review

Joe Williams

Apr 22, 2011

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. Read full review

Kevin Thomas

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. Read full review

Wesley Morris

A passable, sometimes skillful farce. Read full review

Empire Ian Freer

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. Read full review

Jay Weissberg

The story regurgitates the usual trappings of underdog tales, milking stereotypes as well as tear ducts. Read full review

Kyle Smith

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. Read full review

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User Reviews

hoops2448

Oct 24, 2011

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 theThe 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… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Halfwelshman

Oct 25, 2011

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, isLike 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.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

BHBarry

Sep 6, 2010

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

NedRyerson1

Feb 21, 2012

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 anThe 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.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

meh

Aug 11, 2010

I found the overall quality of this movie to be neither good nor bad. A general feeling of 'meh' is my take on whether or not the movie is worth watching.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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