Quartet - B

Rated PG-13, 95 minutes

Cast best part of Hoffman's familiar, warm "Quartet"

If you like classical music, a sensitive, warm story and a likable cast, then the effusive, charming indie British film "Quartet," directed by Oscar-winner Dustin Hoffman, is for you. The story, about aging opera stars in a retirement home, is a familiar one with appeal mainly for the older set, but there are plenty of enjoyable moments. Cissy (Pauline Collins), Wilf (Billy Connolly), and Reg (Tom Courtenay) are all retired members of an operatic quartet, living in Beecham House, a retirement home for gifted musicians, who put on an annual opera concert. However, the arrival of the fourth member of the quartet, and Reg's ex-wife, Jean (Maggie Smith), results in old rivalries and theatrical temperaments and it becomes unclear if the show will go on or not. The winning "Quartet" is a lovely, slow-moving film that sometimes borders on the cutesy, but the cast will easily win you over. Based on a play of the same name by Oscar-nominated writer Ronald Harwood ("The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"), with Maggie Smith in the cast in a Golden Globe-nominated performance, it seems like another variation of Smith's own recent "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel." The veteran Smith, in another strong turn as the aging opera star with hesitations of growing older, continues to make any part look effortless; Connolly is the charming womanizer, Courtenay as Smith's earnest ex-husband, Collins as a flaky but lovable part of the quartet, as well as a blustery Michael Gambon as their self-proclaimed director, not to mention a supporting cast of former real opera singers and musicians, (note: stay over for the credits). Handsomely filmed, effectively scored and a slight but satisfying story of a talented quartet with one final coda in them, Hoffman is a serviceable director with clear affection for his actors (though you never actually see the quarter singing). "Quartet" is a warm, well-acted, if not familiar story with a crowd-pleasing cast.

Wes's Grade: B