I missed Dustin Hoffman‘s directorial debut Quartet at the Toronto Film Festival and didn’t hear anyone else talking about it either. Looking at a few of the reviews — HitFix, Guardian and Hollywood Reporter — they appear to be right down the middle, nothing too great, nothing too terrible. That’s fine, but if The Weinstein Co. was expecting an Oscar splash from this one, it appears they better just try to appeal to what I expect would be an older, target demographic.
Set to hit limited theaters on December 28, Quartet is based on Ronald Harwood‘s play and follows Cecily (Pauline Collins), Reggie (Tom Courtenay) and Wilfred (Billy Connolly) who are in a home for retired opera singers. Every year, on October 10, there is a concert to celebrate Verdi’s birthday and they take part. Jean (Maggie Smith), who used to be married to Reggie, arrives at the home and disrupts their equilibrium. She still acts like a diva, but she refuses to sing. Still, the show must go on… and it does.
The first official trailer for the film has arrived and can be viewed directly below. Give it a look and see what you think.
