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This is the sort of film I normally strenuously go out of my way to avoid: the feel-good movie, especially the feel-good movie (Billy Elliot comes to mind) in which characters find "redemption" and "meaning" through Art. As a rule, the Brits do this kind of film much better (Brassed Off, the Full Monty) than Hollywood (no examples I would care to cite, I haven't had my breakfast yet); this is a hybrid, being a British written and produced movie, with an American director (Dustin Hoffman) making his directorial debut at the tender age of 74.

So, why did I go to see this? "The Big Yin", Billy Connolly, of course. I dote on the man: all it takes is an imitation (and I believe that every single British comedian, of either gender, has one) to make me smile. So, aye, I knew at some point I was going to have to see this, and I am happy enough to have seen it on the big screen (there, I just did one). The acting from the entire cast is, of course, first rate; how not, when the cast is headed by Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Pauline Collins, and the great Tom Courtenay? With all respect to my main man, Billy Connolly, Courtenay's performance is what drives the picture; I'm old, and this man has been appearing on screen since before I was even born. We are talking some serious actor's chops here.

As for the story, it's just one of those: "will they get the Gala on stage and save this wonderful home, where they can be themselves and inspire future generations?" What do you think? I can't say that I noticed the direction, one way or the other: I suppose you would have to categorize Dustin Hoffman as an "actors' director", which is what's called for in a film like this. For me, the best part of the film was the end credits, where the actors' names were accompanied by head shots from when they appeared in opera companies and symphony orchestras way back in the day.

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 divorcées 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 addresses 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.

After years of acting and two Oscars under his belt, Dustin Hoffman finally takes a turn behind the camera in his directorial debut for Quartet.

Based on Ronald Harwood's play of the same name, the film takes place at Beecham House, a home where retired opera singers Cissy (Pauline Collins), Reginald (Tom Courtenay) and Wilf (Billy Connolly) live. Formally part of a quartet, every year the three take part in a concert to celebrate composer Giuseppe Verdi's birthday. But when Jean (Maggie Smith), the fourth member of their group arrives at the seniors' home, things get complicated. As she is the ex-wife of fellow member Reginald, old rivalries, theatrical temperaments and drama evidently ensues and it becomes unclear whether or not the show will go on.

While the film never gets any more drastic than this, it is delightfully charming to see veteran actors Smith, Courtenay, Connolly and Collins strut their stuff. With Smith perfectly playing the slightly narcissistic queen bee of the group, even Michael Gambon makes an appearance as the eccentric lead coordinator of the concert. But as we see Courtenay's Reggie harbour old feelings for his ex-wife and Collins play the lovable confidante Cissy, it's Connolly who steals the show as the hilariously lustful Wilf.

Although there isn't much material to let the actors stretch their acting capabilities, Quartet is a pleasure to watch. Although it pokes fun at old age and shows the fears of becoming a has-been, it's the performances by the film's legendary actors that make Hoffman's endearing tale what it is.

"Quartet" is the filmization of Ronald Harwood's 1999 play with the screenplay by the author. The story is set in a retirement home for musicians named for Sir Thomas Beecham. Plans are underway for the annual concert fundraiser to coincide with Verdi's birthday. Heading the gala committee is Cedric played by Michael Gambon. Kudos to Mr. Gambon for rocking the caftan like no one since George Zucco in "Tarzan and the Mermaids". One of Cedric's committee members is soprano Cissy played by the delightful Pauline Collins. Cissy is a "getting worse" in that her memory is failing. Her old stage partner Wilfred is the resident naughty man of the home played by Billy Connolly in his familiar raucous way. Wilfred delights in flirting outrageously with all the women and needling Cedric. The more sedate Reg played by Tom Courtenay came to the home to check on Wilf who had been admitted after a slight stroke. Here Reg found his niche in caring for his friends and holding classes for young people.

Into this garden spot comes a new resident, a noted opera star played by Maggie Smith. Jean is known to all and her appearance is less than appreciated by her former husband Reg. Her arrival shakes up his whole existence. There is also another "star" in residence brilliantly cast with Dame Gweneth Jones. The dagger-like looks that flash between the two divas, when the term meant more than demanding behavior, is worth the price of admission.

Jean's adjustment to the retirement home and a crisis with the annual gala are the concerns of the present. Reg's torment over the presence of his lost love makes old wounds fresh. Life is definitely not retiring in this home because, as Cissy is fond of quoting Bette Davis' remark, "old age is not for sissies".

Director Hoffman gives us many quiet moments to observe the entire ensemble as life swirls around the preparations for the all-important concert. We get to know the patient piano teacher/accompanist, the old song and dance men, the lifelong choristers, the pit musicians and the staff of the home, along with our "quartet". I laughed, I cried, I laughed again, and I cared. Highly recommended.

Well, speak of the devil - just the other year I asked my lady-friend "whatever became of Dustin Hoffman?" - and here he is with his first work as director. And it's a really nice film, too! A nursing home for retired musicians, situated in the lush landscape of rural England, forms the refined stage for this adapted play. The financial future of said home depends on the success of the yearly gala concert to honor Verdi's birthday, and if you think you can guess the script from this description you're probably right since the story unfolds in a pretty formulaic way, no, thank you, no risk with my tea today. A love-gone-wrong, a little jealousy, health problems are thrown at our wrinkled protagonists but nothing can avert the happy outcome! Though formulaic, I'll recommend this film: The acting is very fine, the comedy is well-timed, and the music is very good. Plus, it manages to stay on the healthy side of sentimental, it's absolutely no tear-jerker. And stay for the end credits!

A note on the actors: Michael Gambon and Billy Connolly carry the comedic parts and do so with obvious joy.

Maggie Smith and Tom Courtenay are Jean and Reggie, a couple with a past, on whom the plot centers. Maggie Smith's performance is flawless; Tom Courtenay looks a bit wooden opposite her (or is it the role?).

Since the couple's love story is a bit dry and shallow, the key role in "Quartet", though, falls to Pauline Collins as Cissy - the emotional heart of the film. It's not a fine line, but rather a very wide area between "sane" and "demented", and Pauline Collins boldly explores the expanse of this terrifying region and hits every single note, be it unwitting comedy or devastating fear and disorientation or childlike trust. Often actors impersonating disabled persons limit themselves to a few ticks (Mr. Hoffman himself has some experience here I believe); with Collins' versatile performance you're never sure how "here" or "there" she is at the moment as is true with real-life demented persons.

Set in a British retirement home for ageing musicians, Dustin Hoffman's directorial debut is a well-crafted drama, which deters away from negativity to focus on the bright side of elder life. Partly a homage to opera and music in general, it always serves as a swansong for those artists, who fade away forgotten by the passing time. Featuring a multitude of real-life famed English musicians, "Quartet" breathers life and significance with its delicate and graceful touch.

This exclusive and vast Beecham Home for retired musicians is forced to survive through the help of sponsors, who once a year show their gratitude to the retired artists, in exchange for a performance by the residents of this facility overflowing of outdated talent. Within its confines live three of a foursome - Cissy, Wilf and Regie - which gained international acclaim for their performance of "Rigoletto". Randy old wolf Wilf Bond (Billy Connolly) and the Alzheimer challenged Cissy Robson (Pauline Collins) were competent voices, but the quartets strengths lay in their star duo of ex-lovers Reginald Paget (Tom Courtenay) and Jean Horton (Maggie Smith). Reginald himself, unlike most of his comrades, has found a curious solace in old age, gracefully living out the days at the residence, while occasionally holding lectures on opera destined for the youth.

This idyll is seemingly corrupted when Jean Horton becomes the new inhabitant of the retirement home, thus reigniting old passions and unhealed wounds. However only a performance by the quartet of singers seems to have the power to save the home from closure...

Featuring a delightfully funny performance by Billy Connolly, reinforced by some welcome lightness from most other residence dwellers, "Quartet" does however falter at times with building the dramaturgy, often falling into light fluff filler with not enough punch. That said the sunny outlook on life on offer, which punctuates the bright sides of elder life, bypassing, albeit not ignoring, doom and gloom, may just fit better in such a slight picture, where room for change and happiness is but a smile away, irregardless of age-old vitriol. As mentioned Connolly steals the show, with his crowd-pleasing effort as one of the most vibrant inhabitants of the Beecham House, refusing to give in to his elderly inhibitions tirelessly making lewd proposals to the caretakers or to the local doctor Lucy Cogan (Sheridan Smith). Similarly well-worked is Pauline Collins as the mentally incapacitated Cissy, who struggles with her mind-lapses to live a dignified life. Here her friends come to her aide countless times with what is the most emotionally impactive element of the story, as this lovable, ever-smiling dame is victimised by her senile disability.

Dustin Hoffman's stylish debut seems confident in its concept, offering a carefree look at seniors, not offering much surprise, but catches on with its surefire optimism. Not often do you get to chance to see a movie featuring the elderly, which does not offer a philosophical outlook on death and spending eons of energy on presenting the inevitable. This occurs despite the lack of family, as most inhabitants of the institution focused their life on their art, instead of their family. Here however the protagonists manage to overlook the past, whether it be regrets, built-up animosities or the facades of former glory. Even the physical disabilities of age can't keep them down and out, when each of them must deal with bigger or smaller demons to be able to contemplate happiness.

I saw this in Savannah (Film Festival), with a crowd that was averaging 50 and above. Everybody was laughing through out the whole picture, when I came out of the theater everybody only said nice things about it, I have never seen so many old people come out of a theater so happy!!!

Please see this film, NO MATTER WHAT AGE YOU ARE. People don't make movies for such a demographic, or at least rarely, this movie quite frankly made me weep, laugh, and have a range of feeling that I have not experience from any picture released this year!

Some moments hit you hard man, real hard, you might be laughing one scene and then the next scene you just realized that the 'thumb up' from one old man to the next gives chills on how life can end at any moment and at any time.

Dustin Hoffman, my man, you have made many people, many seniors of this country really happy, you have done what most always want but never will.

Thank You, to the cast and to the crew!!!!!

"Quartet" is a good British comedy with a cast of some of the great British actors of the last half of the 20th century. The film is based on a play and was the first credited directing job for Dustin Hoffman. The story has wonderful potential, but somehow the movie seems to miss the second gear that would give it some oomph.

Among the cast are some wonderful British actors that movie buffs have enjoyed for decades. They've played in comedy, drama, mysteries and romantic histories and biographies. Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay, Billy Connolly, Michael Gambon and Andrew Sachs head the cast.

The plot isn't original - a retirement home for actors, artists and musicians. The ensemble comes together to stage a production when one of the last reigning stars from a big hit joins the community. Smith's Jean Horton comments, when she sees how the people get along, "It's not a retirement home. It's a mad house."

It's an enjoyable film, mostly for those who appreciate some of the performers and films of the past. The language is a little crass and off color at times. Modern audiences may find it slow and not very funny.

What remarkable good fortune that Dustin Hoffman chose this Ronald Harwood play (and screenplay) for his directorial debut at age 75. This is a movie for actors, and there are many terrific performances in this wonderful ensemble piece about the residents of a home for aging musicians, which we saw at our movie preview club.

But the warmth of the story - the vibrancy of the seniors playing string quartets and practicing their cellos and clarinets, their friendships, annoyances, disappointments, and even loves - marks this film as something very special.

Hoffman has taken a beautiful English estate and turned it into a world of music filled with well-drawn and compelling characters: the woman with advancing dementia who relishes the CD of her performing Rigoletto 40 years ago; the flirtatious Wilf, whose "advances" towards the women on staff are never offensive and always charming; the aging diva - the always wonderful Maggie Smith - who is horrified by the thought that by moving in her life is over.

The best drawn (and in my mind, played) character is Wilf's best friend Reggie, who doesn't get Wilf's preferential treatment but has a quiet dignity and love of his life and his art that quietly shines through. His scene teaching students by comparing opera and rap may be this film's best.

Reggie is played by one of the most underrated and powerful British actors of his time, the estimable Tom Courtenay. It's hard to believe it's been 50 years since he starred as a 25-year-old in The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner. In a performance of grace, nuance, and elegance, Courtenay outshines even Maggie Smith. Perhaps he's inspired by working again from a Harwood screenplay; it was Harwood who wrote The Dresser, an excellent 1983 vehicle for Courtenay and Albert Finney.

One more note: Finney was apparently supposed to play the Wilf role, but unfortunately was not up to it health-wise. But comedian Billy Connolly's performance is just splendid.

See this movie!

I found this pleasantly surprising. It was a lot better than I thought it was going to be. I found the first 5 minutes a bit boring and I thought I had made a grave mistake. But luckily it got better and better. I found Billy Connolly very funny in this film. His character is brilliant and I laughed so much at him.

Overall the film is defiantly one to watch, a very charming film and a brilliant cast. Set in rural Britain and based on retired opera singers. Now I am not a fan of Opera but this was done really well done and was a very interesting film and a brilliant concept. I think the whole family would enjoy this one!

It isn't often one can say "I loved every moment", but for this film it's true! Never for an instant does Dustin Hoffman stray into overwrought drama, mawkishness or bathos: his direction is restrained and subtle, there is humour a-plenty, yet the film packs a powerful emotional punch. And with a cast like that, how could he lose? And that's not just the stars, although they create wonderfully satisfying characters: the "minor" characters are also perfectly realised. Plus, the settings!!!! I felt like rushing off to make a booking at Beecham's for my old age! With such a great ensemble cast we are well-served, though for me, Pauline Collins was a stand-out - funny and so touching. I think I'd like to see it again.

A British comedy; A story about retirement home for retired classic musicians and the arrival of a grande dame who throws preparations for a concert into chaos as egos clash and old resentments surface. This film may not be entirely convincing in its casting of Billy Connolly and others as opera stars of the past, but it more than makes up for it by their performances, their individual appeal and good humour. Including real life stars as fictional residents was a nice touch too. The tasteful hallways and immaculate grounds resound with the musical pieces. Essentially, it has a theme about the difficulty of leaving past glories behind and enjoying what keeps one young - the shared love of an art form and a faith in the future. Like many musical films of the past the putting-on-a-show premise is the main story. This tends to drown out the impetus for more in depth character analysis but there is enough to satisfy.

I'm sure this is a good film for the right audience -- by that I mean people who liked the set-piece bitchiness of Gosford Park, the long-playing social relationships of Downton Abbey, the humour of old folk forgetting things, or the nostalgia of opera. For such folk, my comments below can be safely ignored. But if you don't like any of the above, you may find (as I did) that the senility was over-acted for supposedly comic effect; the emphasis on characters over plot made the film drag; and some of the plot ideas were telegraphed so far in advance, they could have used pigeon post and it would still have arrived in time. I can't even tell you if it had a happy ending as I didn't make it to the end of the film, though it looked like most of the tensions were going to be reconciled while one key character suffered an emotion-jerking exit.

If you want a film where old people are not either incredibly wise or suffering from comic levels of senility, I recommend The Bucket List.

Dustin Hoffman's directorial duties was uncredited for 1978s Straight Time. Therefore Quartet is his proper directing debut.

Given his reputation as the enfant terrible of the method acting school in the 1970s and 80s, Quartet is an unlikely story for Hoffman to direct.

Hoffman has gathered Maggie Smith, Tom Courtney, Michael Gambon, Billy Connolly and Pauline Collins as patients in a retirement home putting on a show in this case an operatic and musical one to raise funds for the home for retired performers.

It is a genteel, slight film and a kind of thing you feel you have seen it all before. The acting is fine not only from the main stars but also many of the supporting and smaller roles all veteran performers of stage and screen.

Smith plays a retired star who is adjusting to life in the home, she is a new arrival and she has history with Courtney's character as they were once married. The trouble is we saw Smith play a new arrival in the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel as well. Although she was less posh in and more embittered in that one.

Connolly plays his part with relish as the randy retiree, Collins character is suffering from dementia as she has frequent lapses. It's enjoyable but very unrealistic.

They all seem to be too energetic to live in a retirement home as well as the home being very opulent. I have stayed at 5 star hotels that is less luxurious than this retirement home.

"Quartet" is a beautiful film directed by Dustin Hoffman, about a retirement home for musicians as the residents prepare for a benefit concert to keep the place going.

The film stars Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay, Michael Gambon, Billy Connelly, and Pauline Collins, as well as opera performers, including Gwenyth Jones, Nuala Willis, John Rawnsley, Melodie Waddingham, Cynthia Morey, Justin Lavender, Vivienne Ross, and Patricia Varley.

The arrival of diva Jean Horton (Maggie Smith), once married to Reginald (Courtenay) is a reason for Reginald to completely panic. Not that Jean is in great shape either. As she's traveling to the home, she's rehearsing what she'll say to him: "We were different people then." Problems worsen when the well-meaning Cissy (Pauline Collins) who has moments of dementia, suggests that she, Cissy, Reginald, and Wif (Billy Connolly) perform the Quartet from Rigoletto at the benefit, something they performed many times. The mere suggestion causes Jean to become violent.

This is a great film about aging, about lost love, losing one's gifts, reconciliation, and coming to terms with life as it is now. The "quartet" of actors, along with Michael Gambon, are fantastic, as is the glorious soundtrack.

Opera lovers and those who appreciate great acting will love this film. Director Hoffman keeps the story from being mawkish or sentimental, mining the humor and the real emotion of the film. Beautifully done.

Quartet is a bittersweet, tender reminder that our bodies may fade, but our spirits, the essence of ourselves, remain. Time teaches us that hat endures is purpose, friendship, and love.

Yesterday afternoon was pure joy because Diane and I watched Hoffman's directorial début of a delightful movie that showcases some of the best in British acting. Superficially the subject matter would seem to be less than enthralling: an old folk's home putting on an end of year concert to raise money to keep the home working. Ha, the devil is in the details and these details set the entire story on a different plane of reality; this home is exclusively for retired concert musicians both orchestral and operatic. The level of professional attainment means that the audience for this "end of year finale" can attract people that will pay Covent Garden prices to attend such a stellar concert. The movie's casting is remarkable because the person that carries the show is Billy Connelly who enlivens the interaction with staff and residents to a degree that only his repartee can produce. Suffice it to say that his banter means that, for an old guy like me, there is never a dull spot in the movie. The drama is interjected by Maggie Smith who does it with the aplomb for which she is known. I also think that Dustin Hoffman did a remarkable job in this, his first, outing as a director. Diane and I both believe that this is a hugely enjoyable movie and should be seen by any person interested in the art of film making.

Such a beautiful jage to life, opera and love that Dustin Hoffman gave us with those wonderful English actors and all the retired musicians who took part (look at the movie until the end). Watching this movie is like receiving a lesson of modesty and hope that leaves you very nostalgic, whatever your age can be. Admirable!

It's sad that Dustin Hoffman, who certainly knows a thing or two about movies, started his directorial debut with this dud. He had a great cast with which to work: Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay, Billy Connolly, Michael Gambon, and Dame Gwyneth Jones.

They're all wasted in this movie that starts with a cliché and goes downhill from there. There are no real characters--only stereotypes. People have compared the movie with The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, but that comparison only works at a superficial level. You could believe in the characters in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. In Quartet, the screenwriter was just going through the motions.

The movie has a IMDb rating of 6.7, which in the low range. We often enjoy films with low ratings, because they are quirky or unusual in some wonderful way. Not this one.

If you want to see the wonderful Maggie Smith acting in the right vehicle, watch Downton Abbey.

If you want to see a great film about aging, see Amour.