Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Quartet (2012)


Quartet is one of those rare movies that is funny, inspirational and charming without being anything else whatsoever. It is a movie about a British nursing home for retired musicians called Beechum House. The story is partially based on fact and, aside from the four main characters, the cast is comprised of actual retired musicians playing themselves. The setting should be somber and there are winks and hints that the plot will inevitably take a dismal turn. It never does, though, and not a single elderly individual dies or becomes seriously ill. This just isn’t that kind of movie.

The story is simple. It focuses initially on three of the retirees. Billy Connelly plays a man who, after suffering a stroke, is no longer able to censor the things that come out of his mouth. That’s his excuse, anyway. Pauline Collins is a woman who has a bit of a memory problem. Tom Courtenay is a man who doesn’t really seem to have anything much wrong with him, except, apparently, for a broken heart. This was caused by one Jean Horton, played here with an elegant ease by the great Maggie Smith, who becomes a new resident at Beechum House towards the beginning of the film. In addition to these two having to face their past indiscretions, the four have also been asked to sing the famous quartet from Rigoletto, for which they were famous during their career, at a gala the house is putting on for needed funds. Jean is afraid of singing again, because she isn’t as good as she used to be and doesn’t want to harm the memory of her great career.

I’ll give you twelve guesses as to how it all turns out and the first eleven don’t count. Quartet is not a movie you watch because it is intricate and complex. You watch it to laugh and be happy, and it will not fail you. The jokes mostly come from the idea that being old doesn’t have to be a painful experience. These characters, though they may suffer from time to time, can smile through anything. It is for this reason that I loved the movie, because a cinema experience that is truly joyful without also forcing the issue or being excessively vulgar is a special gift. Yes, I admit there are notable flaws. The movie abruptly ends before we are able to actually witness the performance towards which the entire picture builds, and I just can’t believe that anyone with “severe hip problems” would spend all day every day walking and walking and walking. In the end, none of that really matters because first-time director Dustin Hoffman has created something so enjoyable that it simply doesn’t require realism. If this all sounds too light for your tastes, Maggie Smith may have something very rude to say about it.

8/10

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