Quartet
Billy Connolly, Dame Maggie Smith and Michael Gambon star in this comedy about a retired group of opera singers who put on a fund-raising concert to keep their home running. This is the directorial debut of screen legend Dustin Hoffman, an adaptation of the stageplay by Ronald Harwood.
Lifelong friends Wilf (Connolly), Reggie (Tom Courtenay) and Cissy (Pauline Collins) are residents of Beecham House, a home for retired opera singers. Every year on Giuseppe Verdi’s birthday, the residents unite to give a concert and raise funds. But things derail when Jean (Smith) - a former grande dame of opera fallen on hard times, also Reggie’s ex-wife and the fourth and most celebrated member of their former quartet - moves in. As old grudges threaten to undermine past glories and theatrical temperaments play havoc with the rehearsal schedule, it becomes apparent that having four of the finest singers in English operatic history under one roof offers no guarantee that the show will go on.
- Director:
- Dustin Hoffman (feature debut)
- Writer:
- Ronald Harwood
- Cast:
- Billy ConnollyMaggie SmithMichael GambonSheridan SmithPauline CollinsTom CourtenayJumayn HunterLuke Newberry
Reviews & comments
Pretty boring if you're under 50
I went to this with my parents (who are in their 70s). They loved in, but as a 40-year-old, I was pretty bored. I generally enjoy Maggie Smith's movies, and enjoy opera music. So I was sympathetic to this film and wanted to enjoy it - especially as it has such a fine cast. . However, I just can't praise this film. The so-called storyline is very weak....
"Dignified Senility" at its best!
7 of us scored this movie. It is a charming and delightful comedy set in a home for retired musicians, who live in "dignified senility" and are trying to raise money by way of a concert so that the home can continue to operate. While the movie was actually directed by Dustin Hoffman, who is also Executive Producer, it is the sort of film that only the...
Variety
pressCelebrates the vitality of those whose time in the spotlight has passed, casting a handful of legends who are still going strong in their eighth decades.
The Guardian
pressHoffman has delivered a love letter to the elderly thesps of his adoptive country. We can forgive him its falsehoods.
Los Angeles Times
pressVery much a performance piece, which plays to Hoffman's strength - as an actor he knows when to allow this excellent ensemble breathing room and when to tighten the belt.
Variety
pressCelebrates the vitality of those whose time in the spotlight has passed, casting a handful of legends who are still going strong in their eighth decades.
The Guardian
pressHoffman has delivered a love letter to the elderly thesps of his adoptive country. We can forgive him its falsehoods.
Los Angeles Times
pressVery much a performance piece, which plays to Hoffman's strength - as an actor he knows when to allow this excellent ensemble breathing room and when to tighten the belt.
Pretty boring if you're under 50
I went to this with my parents (who are in their 70s). They loved in, but as a 40-year-old, I was pretty bored. I generally enjoy Maggie Smith's movies, and enjoy opera music. So I was sympathetic to this film and wanted to enjoy it - especially as it has such a fine cast. . However, I just can't praise this film. The so-called storyline is very...
"Dignified Senility" at its best!
7 of us scored this movie. It is a charming and delightful comedy set in a home for retired musicians, who live in "dignified senility" and are trying to raise money by way of a concert so that the home can continue to operate. While the movie was actually directed by Dustin Hoffman, who is also Executive Producer, it is the sort of film that only the...
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