A Late Quartet (2012)
Average Rating: 6.5/10
Reviews Counted: 108
Fresh: 84 | Rotten: 24
An outstanding ensemble cast lends weight and depth to A Late Quartet's melodramatic script, and the result is insightful and emotionally satisfying.
Average Rating: 6.8/10
Critic Reviews: 37
Fresh: 31 | Rotten: 6
An outstanding ensemble cast lends weight and depth to A Late Quartet's melodramatic script, and the result is insightful and emotionally satisfying.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.6/5
User Ratings: 8,050
Movie Info
When the beloved cellist of a world-renowned string quartet receives a life changing diagnosis, the group's future suddenly hangs in the balance: suppressed emotions, competing egos, and uncontrollable passions threaten to derail years of friendship and collaboration. As they are about to play their 25th anniversary concert, quite possibly their last, only their intimate bond and the power of music can preserve their legacy. Inspired by and structured around Beethoven's Opus 131 String Quartet
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Cast
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Philip Seymour Hoffm...
Robert, Robert Gelba... -
Christopher Walken
Peter, Peter Mitchel... -
Catherine Keener
Juliette, Juliette G... -
Mark Ivanir
Daniel, Daniel Lerne... -
Imogen Poots
Alexandra, Alexandra... -
Madhur Jaffrey
Dr. Nadir -
Liraz Charchi
Pilar -
Wallace Shawn
Gideon Rosen -
Anne Sofie Von Otter
Miriam Mitchell -
Pamela Quinn
Parkinson's Class In... -
Brooklyn Parkinson G...
Parkinson's Class Pa... -
Cristian Puig
Flamenco Guitarist -
Rebecca Tomas
Flamenco Dancer -
Megan McQuillan
Sotheby's Executive -
David Redden
Auctioneer -
Ted Hartley
Winning Bidder -
Stephen Payne
Jack -
Alyssa Lewis
Little Girl in Subwa... -
Attacca String Quart...
Julliard Student Qua... -
Keiko Tokunaga
Violinist -
Luke Fleming
Violist -
Andrew Yee
Steve the Cellist -
Amy Schroeder
Julliard Classroom S... -
Nina Lee
Herself
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A Late Quartet Trailer & Photos
All Critics (112) | Top Critics (37) | Fresh (84) | Rotten (24)
We can note immediately that Zilberman has the requisite gifts.
Top CriticThe result is a perfectly serviceable, well acted melodrama - but why so serious?
The screenplay by Seth Grossman and Israeli-American director Yaron Zilberman is old-fashioned and melodramatic but stirring in its portrait of people struggling with individual egos to produce something nobler than themselves.
[It] may not sound like a scintillatingly good time at the movies, but actually it is.
The outstanding ensemble cast keeps the story - and its accompanying emotional heft - from becoming overly baroque.
Yes, A Late Quartet is disappointing. But it's also pretty bad.
Not without its touching moments, A Late Quartet nevertheless can't truly escape the eye-rolling determinism of its script, with only a pragmatic, wry Christopher Walken truly convincing as a man who has lived inextricably bound with his music.
If nothing else, A Late Quartet captures the reality of dealing with professional classical musicians.
A classical-music ensemble rosins up the bull in a tone-deaf melodrama that loves its musical metaphors almost has much as it adores afternoon soaps.
Constantly engaging.
One might expect a film set in the high culture world of classical music to come up with a more sophisticated metaphor for the insecurities of a violinist than having him worry about always playing second fiddle in life.
A Late Quartet is visually and musically rich. But above all there are the performances, individually and as an ensemble, and they're pitch perfect.
Impressive, superior drama.
While this film has some bracingly strong observations on the nature of long-term professional and personal relationships, it also feels somewhat theatrical in the way its story develops.
It is not flawless but it makes you watch, and listen, closely throughout.
It isn't great art, but it is patterned after great art, and there are worse ways to make a film than that.
The film offers first-rate, mostly middle-aged actors in an intelligent screenplay that's decently crafted, covers interesting but unfamiliar ground and has a worthwhile central idea.
[L]ays on [its] metaphor a little too thickly, [but] all is preforgiven... by the sheer joy of getting to watch Christopher Walken, Catherine Keener, and Philip Seymour Hoffman rattle around one another...
Wants to be Bergman, ends up more like a burgundy-hued Sunset Beach.
The picture's really about the trials and joys of performing for a living so it's no surprise that it has attracted such a fine cast, nor that its principal virtue lies in the acting.
A movie with clarity and grownup complexity.
Insightful and incandescent, this is a film for both music lovers and movie lovers.
This skilfully constructed, beautifully performed drama will satisfy audiences looking for smart, intelligent filmmaking.
Engaging drama, enlivened by a trio of terrific performances from Hoffman, Keener and Walken, though the script occasionally feels a little contrived.
Audience Reviews for A Late Quartet
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Foreign Titles
- Saiten des Lebens (DE)
- A Late Quartet (UK)
Essentially an acting master class, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, and Christopher Walken all turn in remarkable performances that should be the model for any young actor. Walken, especially, in his later years continues to show a sensitive, emotional side.
However, the film is poorly paced. Particularly, after a comic scene in which the stoic, severe Daniel is forced to gather his clothes and slip out the fire escape, we get another tear-ridden scene filled with pop psychology and emotional effusions. What is more, the character look like they've been crying or are about to cry is almost every scene.
Overall, though I like the work by the actors, I think a skilled director could have turned this into a truly fine film.