Dir - Dustin Hoffman
12A, 98 mins
As a 16 year old, it's safe to say that this obviously is not a film which is aimed at me at all, being based in a retirement home for old musicians where cracking jokes about opera is, you know, hilarious. In fact, the screening I was in was filled with those with white hair. It's not often that I feel out of place at a cinema, but I on this occasion I did.
Quartet, as you probably know, features a stellar cast of older actors; Maggie Smith and Tom Courtenay playing the reunited divorcees with a history; Billy Connolly as a pottering and senile old tenor, cracking double entendres at every opportunity; and Pauline Collins, who in my opinion steals the show, as the ditzy ex-opera singer. What follows is an unashamedly predictable, but nevertheless solidly crafted and amusing drama that wouldn't look out of place on a Sunday afternoon TV slot. Minus the f-words, of course. Yes ,you can see its development from a mile off, and it rarely adresses the more serious and harrowing aspects of old-age as Haneke's 'Amour' did, but it's good natured, well scripted and amusing fun.
It's all through the typical rose-tinted, Downton-esque portrayal of Britain that we're all accustomed to, but with a cast like that and a gentle, sweet story, it's hard not to be eventually won over by its charm. I had a good time.
I read this review on IMDB. I was struck both by how well you write and how astutely you evaluate films. I read your review of The Impossible as well and was equally impressed. And from IMDB, I jumped to this blog. I'm sorry to see that you have not written anything since February! But perhaps you have not had enough time, or perhaps you are putting your energy elsewhere. If you write any more reviews, I will gladly read them.
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