Quartet

Quartet is a slightly odd choice for Dustin Hoffman's solo debut in the director's chair, being as it is such a very English movie. Aiming squarely for the same audience as last year's Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, the film is set in a retirement home for retired musicians and centres around 4 retired opera singers, two of whom used to be married before it ended disastrously. Together they must perform the quartet from Rigoletto in order to raise the money to keep the home open.

As a director, Hoffman is a steady hand and makes good use of his stately setting, displaying a good eye for framing a shot. He also, unsurprisingly, pulls some good performances from his cast. Maggie Smith is essentially playing the same part as in Marigold down to the same accent and same need for a hip replacement, but is as watchable and moving as ever, but the real class here is added by a brilliant turn from Tom Courtenay as her ex-husband. It is there relationship that provides the film with its heart.

The Quartet is rounded off by the more comic notes of a flirtatious Billy Connolly, who has moments but becomes a bit wearisome, and Pauline Collins, whose character comes to close to taking cheap laughs from the onset of dementia for my tastes. Hoffman wisely decides against actually having his stars sing, but fills out the rest of the cast with real musicians and singers and Michael Gambon is on good form as the irascible producer in charge of matters.

Rather like its ageing stars, the film is pleasant company, but somewhat slow and lacking drama. It fails to reach either the laughs or the emotion of the Marigold Hotel.

Overall - 6/10 More a gently pleasant chorus than a stirring aria. Likeable and entertaining, but somewhat lacking in other areas.