Featured Audience Ratings

• Film C

  
  Great cast, Fantastic acting but not a fantastic movie. It's disappointing i wanted more comedy and i wanted to know more about each character. If it wasnt for Billy Connolly bringing the comedy then i probably would have liked this movie even less.

• William D

  
  A trifling mediocrity. "Quartet," Dustin Hoffman's directorial debut, has all the depth and complexity of a Hallmark greeting card. Sickeningly sentimental but charming at times. It's completely baffling why Hoffman would lower himself to the level of ordinary… More
  A trifling mediocrity. "Quartet," Dustin Hoffman's directorial debut, has all the depth and complexity of a Hallmark greeting card. Sickeningly sentimental but charming at times. It's completely baffling why Hoffman would lower himself to the level of ordinary schmaltz.

• Greg S

  
  When a prima donna past her due date arrives at a home for retired musicians, three of her old colleagues try to put the past behind them and recruit her to reform the old quartet for a benefit performance. It's manna for the lace doily set, and likable performers make it… More
  When a prima donna past her due date arrives at a home for retired musicians, three of her old colleagues try to put the past behind them and recruit her to reform the old quartet for a benefit performance. It's manna for the lace doily set, and likable performers make it pleasant enough, if lightly dusty, for the rest of us. It's hard to hate these sweet old folks, but I commend your hard-heartedness if you can manage it.

• Mike S

  
  Dustin Hoffman, the old chap. There's a life-affirming irony in how he, 75 years of age, has chosen to make his directorial debut about a group of retired musicians, instead of retreating himself after over 50 years in the spotlight. If he wasn't a paragon of "it's… More
  Dustin Hoffman, the old chap. There's a life-affirming irony in how he, 75 years of age, has chosen to make his directorial debut about a group of retired musicians, instead of retreating himself after over 50 years in the spotlight. If he wasn't a paragon of "it's never too late" before, he has certainly become one now. Additionally, he has congregated some of the senior elite from the veteran British actors' guild. And truly, how can you not enjoy yourself with old pleasant acquaintances like Maggie Smith and Michael Gambon; perhaps best known to younger generations as Professor Minerva and Dumbledore in the "Harry Potter" films. Billy Connelly as a frisky old pervert plants another good foundation for merriment. Epicenter of all events is the idyllic retirement home known as Beecham House. There we meet Cissy, Reggie and Wilfred, three high-spirited geriatrics (with some exception for Reggie, whose old heart-grief eats away at him every so often) who annually arrange a concert in celebration of Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi's birthday. The tranquility is soon disturbed, however, when former opera diva Jean Horton (the ever lovely Maggie Smith), who also happens to be Reggie's ex-wife, arrives to the retirement home, which turns out to be at the edge of financial ruin. To preserve their serene subsistence the trio must become a quartet and put together a particularly crowd-drawing benefit gala with Jean as the main attraction. For those that have seen Michael Haneke's "Amour" this is a bit of an antithesis where all the characters have been allowed to age with their dignity intact. Somewhat out of tune in likelihood, but cozy and charming, in a manner that almost makes you welcome the cane and grey hairs. If you're an opera lover you'll probably get much more out of it. Personally, I can't quite count myself into that crowd, even though it on occasion slips in a little Pavarotti and Bocelli in my own customized playlists. Homey it is regardless, to in the company of such an esteemed ensemble receive a more inspirative image of the autumn of life. Predictable, absolutely, but some days a little feel-good-fiddling is exactly what you need. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mikes-Movie-Reviews/281824101875153?ref=hl

• Markus R

  
  This is the live action, very British, retirement home version of "The Muppets", with a "we have to get the band back together in order to save the community center" premise. Directed by Rain Man himself, Dustin Hoffman, in his curiously bland first attempt at a… More
  This is the live action, very British, retirement home version of "The Muppets", with a "we have to get the band back together in order to save the community center" premise. Directed by Rain Man himself, Dustin Hoffman, in his curiously bland first attempt at a feature film, "Quartet" isn't an insightful tale about getting old or as witty of a British comedy as it wants to be, or thinks that it is. The Plot: So while it's not about saving a community center per se, the plot of "Quartet" centers around a retirement home (mansion really) filled with a slew of curmudgeon opera singers, that is about to be shut down. Now all the old timers must leave their differences in the past to come together for one last performance in order to raise enough money to save the old folks home. If that sounds routine and predictable, that is only because it is. But that's not the biggest problem with this film. The ensemble cast here is pretty notable, with the likes of Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay, Billy Connolly and Pauline Collins. But that doesn't mean that they are any good here. Yes, most of the acting is all standard, with each actor taking on a very generic role (the dirty old man, the straight man, the uptight blue-hair and the ditsy comic relief) but as far as performances go, the only standout of the lot comes from Smith, who pretty much takes a defibrillator to "Quartet" with her overly distinguished, overly disgusted comic sense of humor. But still, the acting isn't the biggest problem with this film. While I haven't yet seen "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" (on purpose) I have heard the accusations of how similar these two films are...aside from both containing Maggie Smith performances. In saying that, the only reason I went to see this movie was because of its director; obviously. So, when just talking about the direction of this movie, I have to say that there are moments that are tonal misfires (mostly orchestral pieces, which will come across as simply old people playing instruments and singing, rather than emotional sequences meant to resonate with audiences) and it doesn't help that the only real laugh out loud moment in this buddy comedy of sorts, seems to be unintentional. But that is not to say that most of "Quartet" isn't directed well enough. It is just too bad that the content chosen by Hoffman is essentially what will make this film almost instantaneously forgettable. This leads me to the biggest problem with this film. Now, I won't even address the cop-out ending, which I didn't have as much of a problem with (considering the lead actors probably can't actually sing) as others did, when the biggest problem with this film is that as routine as it is, there is no bad guy. The plot goes that their retirement home is going to be shut down, yet there is no evil bank president rubbing his hands together menacingly. This is to say that there is hardly any conflict in "Quartet". All I'm saying is that if you are going to give audiences a story that they've already seen before, why remove the most compelling aspect of this genre type? The person the audience roots against. Final Thought: Sure, "Quartet" may be a minor hit with the AARP crowd, but overall this film, while harmless, will be as dull and dry as one would think from watching the trailers. Simply stated, if this and "Hope Springs" are what passes as entertaining vehicles for award winning aging actors and actresses, then it may be true that there really aren't any good roles for actors over 60. Written by Markus Robinson, Edited by Nicole I. Ashland Follow me on Twitter @moviesmarkus

• Mark H

  
  While I was watching Quartet I was charmed by the trifling observations and banter of our four main stars. I chuckled occasionally at the "I can't believe an old person just said that" one-liners, mostly from Billy Connolly's character. I'll also single out… More
  While I was watching Quartet I was charmed by the trifling observations and banter of our four main stars. I chuckled occasionally at the "I can't believe an old person just said that" one-liners, mostly from Billy Connolly's character. I'll also single out Michael Gambon as the as kaftan-wearing Cedric who rules their impending musical production with an iron hand. He's rather amusing. But days later as I reflect upon what I saw, I can barely remember any of it. Perhaps you have to be of the septuagenarian set or older to truly appreciate this. It certainly is gentle. Even Cissy's encroaching senility is treated as a sweet personality quirk. If you're looking for entertainment that doesn't rock the boat and is content to simply be cute, then you should enjoy Quartet quite a bit. The company unquestionably elevates this material into something that's worth your time. It's an effervescent little piffle. Nothing wrong with that. Given the talent involved, I guess was hoping for something more. fastfilmreviews.wordpress.com

• Debbie E

  
  Yes, it's sweet. Yes the performances are wonderful. And yes, I feel like I've seen this before...

• Byron B

  
  Like The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, this all-star cast of older working actors playing retirees provides a charming study of life following middle age. As the closing credits disclose, most of the cast members are veterans of the theater or concert halls. Sheridan Smith plays the… More
  Like The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, this all-star cast of older working actors playing retirees provides a charming study of life following middle age. As the closing credits disclose, most of the cast members are veterans of the theater or concert halls. Sheridan Smith plays the lovely doctor of the retirement home. There are some naughty jokes mainly from Connolly's character. The quartet of "opera stars" consisting of Smith, Courtenay, Connelly, and Collins never actually singing together felt like an anti-climax though.

• Mark A

  
  A marvelous cast headlines this film, but it is the supporting cast that makes this the gem that it is! Beecham House is a retirement home for professional musicians and Reggie (Tom Courtnay) is nursing old wounds, while Wilfred (Billy Connolly) is an incorrigible womanizing rascal,… More
  A marvelous cast headlines this film, but it is the supporting cast that makes this the gem that it is! Beecham House is a retirement home for professional musicians and Reggie (Tom Courtnay) is nursing old wounds, while Wilfred (Billy Connolly) is an incorrigible womanizing rascal, and Cecily (Pauline Collins) is slowly becoming more and more forgetful. But the three of them, who once sang The Rigoletto together with the fourth main character, Jean (Maggie Smith) who moves into the Home and shakes things up, are a delight to watch together. It was wonderful to watch these characters deal with the ravages of old age without giving it any quarter, but, as I said at the top, the hidden gold was the marvelous retired professional musicians who made up most of the remaining cast of residents. These were real musicians who often were seen actually playing and singing the various bits of music seen throughout the film. A terrific story of loss and missed opportunities and of eventual forgiveness and healing. And, ah, the divine music!

• The Movie W

  
  Three members of a once renowned operatic vocal quartet (Connolly, Courtenay and Collins) now reside in a retirement home for musicians. When the fourth member (Smith) joins them, the others try to convince her to take part in the institution's annual music gala but she is very… More
  Three members of a once renowned operatic vocal quartet (Connolly, Courtenay and Collins) now reside in a retirement home for musicians. When the fourth member (Smith) joins them, the others try to convince her to take part in the institution's annual music gala but she is very much opposed to the idea. There's also the small matter of Smith and Courtenay having once been married to one another, albeit for one mere day. Hoffman does an adequate job on his belated directorial debut but his screenwriter, Ronald Harwood, lets him down. In adapting his stage play, Harwood fails to give the material a satisfying screen revision. There are too many loose strands which lead to unsatisfying resolutions, most notably the culture snob played by Gambon. Harwood sets him up as a villain, someone who thinks opera should be elitist. Courtenay believes the opposite, insisting that opera should be available to people of all backgrounds. "Rich people took the soul out of opera" he tells a room of students. We're primed for a showdown between the two but it never materializes, Gambon disappearing from the film in the third act. Despite the shoddy storytelling, the movie is engaging, thanks to it's four leads. Smith and Courtenay are outstanding as one-time lovers, too proud now to inform each other of their true feelings. It's in the film's dialogue free moments that Smith really shows what a great screen actress she is, conveying more with her eyes than any screenwriter could ever hope to. Connolly has always irked me in his acting roles as it usually just feels like you're watching Connolly rather than the character he's supposed to be playing. Here though he's fantastic, almost unrecognizable with a short back and sides. 'Quartet' is enjoyable enough though all too often it opts for cheap laughs of the "old people swearing" variety and the leads, despite being terrific, never really convince you of the need for them to belong in a retirement home.

• John C

  
  Hollywood throws a bone to the "older crowd" a few times a year which is a shame since these films are usually extraordinary with "Quartet" no exception. Dustin Hoffman has assembled a wonderful cast and has entrusted them to tell a very good story about a… More
  Hollywood throws a bone to the "older crowd" a few times a year which is a shame since these films are usually extraordinary with "Quartet" no exception. Dustin Hoffman has assembled a wonderful cast and has entrusted them to tell a very good story about a retirement place for musicians and the like. Billy Connolly steals the show as the frisky senior while Tom Courtenay and Maggie Smith (playing a 2013 version of the Dowager Countess)rediscover love. Brava! (1-22-13)

• Daniel P

  
  A genuine surprise. Made with great skill and care with superb performances and a delicate touch.

• David S

  
  A great cast certainly help Hoffman with his directorial debut but although it is a nice little film you can't help feeling that you've been here before with both British films and some of this cast (I'm looking at you, Maggie Smith!). It's nice seeing Courtney… More
  A great cast certainly help Hoffman with his directorial debut but although it is a nice little film you can't help feeling that you've been here before with both British films and some of this cast (I'm looking at you, Maggie Smith!). It's nice seeing Courtney back on the big screen in a substantial role and Connolly brings some humour but also nice dramatic depth to his role. The real treat is seeing all the real musicians and singers of yesteryear amongst the smaller roles and they all look like they're thoroughly enjoying themselves. I guess the film is a celebration of their talents (make sure you watch the credits to get a full idea of how much these people have done) and to that extent it works well enough.

• ernest e

  
  Funny, light and straight. Something different. It is a reminder that life does not stop by getting old as long as creativity is not repressed by you.

Read all 14 featured audience ratings