Quartet

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Quartet

PG-13

2013

1h 39m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

80%

Tomatometer

143 Reviews

66%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Once-popular opera diva Jean Horton (Maggie Smith) creates a stir with her arrival at Beecham House, a home for retired performers. No one feels the uproar more than Reginald (Tom Courtenay), Jean's ex-husband, who still stings from her long-ago infidelity. Most of the other Beecham residents are delighted, and try to convince Jean to join them in a performance of "Rigoletto." Jean, however, knows that she is long past her prime and is reluctant to sully the memory of her once-lovely voice.

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Critics Consensus

It's sweet, gentle, and predictable to a fault, but Dustin Hoffman's affectionate direction and the talented cast's amiable charm make Quartet too difficult to resist.

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Francesca Steele

Independent (UK)

Aug 11, 2017

Dustin Hoffman's directorial debut is the latest example of a recent Hollywood effort to cater more to an older audience.

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Jonathan Robbins

Film Comment Magazine

Dec 22, 2013

If this film is any indication of {Hoffman] creative capacity as a director, one can only hope that he will pursue his third act with as much vigor as his first.

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Anthony Quinn

Independent (UK)

Dec 22, 2013

1/5

As portraits of old age go, Quartet is better than that other recent retirement comedy The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, but only in the way a touch of lumbago is better than shingles.

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Kip Mooney

College Movie Review

Sep 18, 2021

76/100

Movies don't get much lighter or enjoyable than Dustin Hoffman's directorial debut.

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

Sep 20, 2020

3.0/4.0

Hoffman's disciplined directorial approach gives room for these actors to breathe and bring these characters and this story to life.

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Joanne Laurier

World Socialist Web Site

Aug 13, 2020

The film is not really confronting, in other words, what it half-wants and half-knows it ought to be confronting...

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Deborah Fain

Aug 27, 2024

ROTTEN!!!! Hated it. Hated every character. No idea why MI wanted to film that awful story. But now have seen it and my great love Alan Bates.

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Paul T

@Barcher Sep 28, 2026

Absolutely brilliant and heartwarming. Pauline Collins and Maggie Smith were superb.

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Imelda P

@RT33030516 Oct 24, 2024

Brimming with some of the finest actors in British film on top form. Funny at times, poignant at others, always engaging and entertaining. Yes it’s about facing growing old, so it might be a hard sell to a younger audience seeking a car-chase or two, but Dustin Hoffman has shown, with some style, how love and friendship really do conquer all, even when you’re old and knackered. Maggie Smith is a triumph of course, Tom Courtney and Billy Connelly quality as always. Special mention to Pauline Collins’ sensitive and convincing portrayal of onset dementia. The setting is sumptuous and the soundtrack glorious. It will certainly give you some tunes to sing in the shower.

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Harry H

@RT12626987 May 21, 2023

I call movies like these "small gems". A great cast and warm visuals, it's a story about aging musicians and opera singers living in an adult home. Not only does the movie deal with music, it deals with the frustrations of the aging along with love, compassion and a wry humor.

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colin m

@RT35044827 Jan 23, 2023

Movie set in a old people's home for musical types. Needed something more. ["Most movies, even the good ones, are based upon the extraordinary incident and the exceptional character." ~ Paddy Chayefsky.]

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Dave C

@RT09838700 Apr 15, 2022

Of its ilk it is very good, and boy does it pack a punch with the casting choices! Warm-hearted as well as sombre, it's a warm, comedic film

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Dustin Hoffman

Director

Maggie Smith

Jean Horton

Tom Courtenay

Reggie Paget

Billy Connolly

Wilf Bond

Pauline Collins

Cissy Robson

Michael Gambon

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Synopsis

Once-popular opera diva Jean Horton (Maggie Smith) creates a stir with her arrival at Beecham House, a home for retired performers. No one feels the uproar more than Reginald (Tom Courtenay), Jean's ex-husband, who still stings from her long-ago infidelity. Most of the other Beecham residents are delighted, and try to convince Jean to join them in a performance of "Rigoletto." Jean, however, knows that she is long past her prime and is reluctant to sully the memory of her once-lovely voice.

Director: Dustin Hoffman
Producer: Finola Dwyer, Stewart Mackinnon
Screenwriter: Ronald Harwood
Distributor: Weinstein Co.
Production Co: Headline Pictures, Finola Dwyer Prods.
Rating: PG-13 (Suggestive Humor|Brief Strong Language)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 11, 2013, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 1, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $18.4M
Runtime: 1h 39m

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