Inveterate fans of a certain country-house television series should make a note forthwith to visit the cinema. To be cruel, you could call this Dustin Hoffman-directed movie Downton Abbey in a Care Home, but for the fact that it is better than the TV drama in almost every respect.
More than efficiently directed (as a debut) by the Hollywood star, it has a clever screenplay by the reliable Ronald Harwood, based on his own play, and a cast to die for, even in the tiny cameo roles. Admittedly, the plot is thinnish and the storyline can’t escape charges of a kind of Christmassy sentimentality. But let us praise simple things, especially when they are done as well as this.
Lifelong friends Wilf (Billy Connolly) and Reggie (Tom Courtenay) together with Cissy (Pauline Collins) are long-term residents of Beecham House, a home for retired opera singers and musicians.
The home is not far from bankruptcy, which is why, on Verdi’s birthday, everyone decides to unite for a fundraising concert. Acting as producer is Michael Gambon’s testy and slightly demented Cedric, kaftan-covered and rouged to the hilt.
It’s the introduction of Maggie Smith’s famous diva, Jean, still proud but fallen on hard times, and once married to Reggie, that sets the cat among the elderly pigeons. She won’t sing the Brindisi at the gala, even when Reggie is finally persuaded to sing with her. Will the concert go on without her? Or will she finally relent?
All this depends upon making us laugh at the often absurd goings-on but, more importantly, the film has to allow us sympathy for these veterans, most of whom were once famous but are now somewhat desperately clinging to the past. In particular, Courtenay and Smith have to draw us into their marital misdemeanours, and the bitterness of their feelings towards each other, without upending the comedy.
Suffice to say that Courtenay manages this, being the superb actor he can be, and Smith matches him in the all-important final scenes. These two are worth the price of admission alone. But then you can’t criticise any of the cast, who also include Dame Gwyneth Jones as Jean’s old adversary, Sheridan Smith as Dr Lucy, Andrew Sachs and Trevor Peacock.
These are British actors at their best, having fun but knowing exactly what they are doing every step of the way. Hoffman clearly knows what he is looking at, too, and watches it intently. His may be a conventionally structured film, and possibly mocked as old-fashioned. But look at Downton Abbey and you may well see the difference. Quartet is a class beyond and has much better music wrapped around it.
Cert 12A, 98 mins
