Wednesday Movie Night: Quartet (2012)

Dustin Hoffman directs his first film, Quartet. It includes a lot of the humor I would associate with Hoffman in the movie, but what doesn't work is that the story line has absolutely nothing going for it to interest you. The characters are for the most part likable, especially Wilf. There are also some actors in the movie though who seem to just land in the same old part you've seen them in every other movie they seem to pick of recent like Maggie Smith. Didn't she see some sort of correlation between her character in the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Quartet that seemed to similar to play?

Summary: A home for retired musicians throws an annual concert each year to celebrate Verdi's birthday. One of the performances will be a quartet. Reginald, Wilf, and Cissy hope to convince Jean to reunite with Reginald and themselves so they can perform.  Jean is reluctant to though since the relationship between her and Reginald ended badly. Jean's annoyance with the pressure to perform is getting to her though, and dividing their friendships.


Acting: First I think it would be appropriate to give props to Billy Connolly for being the best in the movie as Wilf. He has great humor and since I've only saw him in Boondock Saints, I liked how just comparing him in those two showed a breadth of difference. Maggie Smith is Jean Horton, and while Smith is a good actress it seems the characters she's portraying for the past couple of movies falls into the same mold. I want to see her mix it up with some of the personality she had in Harry Potter. Tom Courtenay is Reginald, and while the guy can act it seems in this movie that he is just a very bland personality. There is never much emotion about the whole situation shown. Pauline Collins is one of the more sweet characters as Cissy, and I was compelled whenever she was on screen. She had this sweet nature, but the situation of her current health and past regrets made her interesting and more complex.

Filming: The setting does stand out, and Hoffman brings a lot of brightness to a movie about senior citizens. I think that is why I loved The Best Exotic Marigold as much as I did. Many movies dealing with getting older lack the brightness needed to also somehow make the inevitable circumstance the characters are dealing with something lighter for us. There are lots of just nice nature paths through woods, flowers, and very bright venues within the retirement home. If you wanted to retire at a place then it just might be something like this. There isn't anything too stand out though, but I think for a first movie that Hoffman does well.

Plot: The plot is nice, it's clean, and it does have a sweet story. The biggest issue for me to try to get past though was that I didn't really feel anything for the characters. There wasn't a point that tied me to them in attachment where I felt concerned about their well-being except for maybe well Cissy or Wilf. The movie seems to be about friendship and love and seems to keep true to that content. I think the personal tie in of what seems to be Hoffman's humor works too.

Quartet is movie that could use a little more intrigue in the plot. Never at a point does a twist come that you don't see coming and the writing is just a bit predictable and maybe even too feel good. The side characters are more interesting than the two the plot seems to drive itself from. The movie though has some witty lines though that do make you laugh as well though.

Rating 6 of 10.