Quartet (2013)

Directed by Dustin Hoffman. Starring Billy Connolly, Tom Courtenay, Maggie Smith, Gwyneth Jones, Pauline Collins, Michael Gambon, Andrew Sachs, Sheridan Smith. [PG-13]

Aged opera singers at a retirement home catering exclusively to ex-musicians finally get the missing soprano their would-be quartet needs with the arrival of the diva (Smith) with whom they had a falling out many years earlier. You know where this is going—messy reunions and venting of personal griefs, some mild laughs and milder tragedies, a few redemption arcs neatly resolved, leading up to a big recital finale—but it’s genteel to a fault, and cheats the audience out of the climactic moment. The cast is what makes it worthwhile anyway, with scene-stealer Billy Connolly’s sharp one-liners kicking fustiness to the curb when it’s needed the most, and Tom Courtenay (as Smith’s character’s ex-husband) crafting the most fully-realized and nuanced member of the old gang. Too sweet and agreeable to paint a realistic picture of infirmed elders, so as long as you come in wanting a superficial feel-good fantasy, you probably won’t complain or shift in your seat too much. After stepping down from his directorial duties a few days into the shoot of 1978’s Straight Time, this marks actor Dustin Hoffman’s first (completed) feature directing effort at the tender age of 74. Premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2012.

59/100