dane-70 It's very amusing to see "musicians" complain about the "playing" of the actors (even going so far as to deride the Nina character, who, as was pointed out by one reviewer, is in fact a member of the Brentano Quartet and the only musician in the cast). I have sad news for you: the actors who play gangsters on TV are not real gangsters. Those who play doctors are often not doctors. And not all those who play soldiers or policemen are real either (and sometimes, SHOCK! they don't even appear on screen in regulation hair style). I've even heard (although I don't know for sure) that actors who play lovers on screen are not lovers in real life, and that the things they say to each other are not what you and I say to our lovers. As Tony Soprano says to his son about The Godfather: "A.J. It's a MOVIE."

851222 Greetings from Lithuania."A Late Quartet" (2012) is a very honest, good picture. I know, the premise of a drama about quartet doesn't sound really exciting , but trust me, this movie is really good for even those (like me) who don't know anything about serious music. The acting is superb, very solid, especially by the great Christopher Walken. This movie is so touching is it's on way you just can't let it go. Overall, a very solid 9/10 for "A Late Quartet", and sadly, the title represents the very sad and sudden departure of one of our greatest actors Philip Seymour Hoffman - do your self a favor and watch this picture, it's a truly great picture about theme you won't find in a movies - it's like bottle of good wine.

Lee Eisenberg "A Late Quartet" looks at music as a metaphor for people's lives. The subject is a group of musicians: two violinists (Mark Ivanir and Philip Seymour Hoffman), a viola player (Catherine Keener) and a cellist (Christopher Walken). When the cellist finds that he is developing Parkinson's and probably won't be able to play for much longer, a series of things begin to happen which have a profound effect on the foursome.While the movie make substantive use of classical music - Beethoven, Hayden, Bach, etc. - there's also a sense of how the music effects the characters' egos. The first violinist really comes across as a jerk in some scenes. Not that the other characters are much better. Some scenes grow REALLY intense.It turns out to be a very interesting little movie. The collection of classical string quartets and suites to set the stage for what eventually must come to pass represents an insightful look at the role that music plays in our lives. Good support comes from cookbook author Madhur Jaffrey and "My Dinner with Andre" co-star Wallace Shawn (also of "The Princess Bride" and "Toy Story").We can only speculate on the direction that Hoffman's career would've taken had he not died.

deacon_blues-3 This is a wonderfully conceived film on so many levels. But it's main thrust is as a metaphor for the human condition, focusing on Beethoven's Op. 131 quartet throughout. Members of the Fugue Quartet have been playing together to worldwide acclaim for 25 years when their Cellist discovers that he is in the early stages of Parkinson's. This serves as the catalyst for a chain of relational disasters among the other members of the ensemble. The Beethoven Op. 131, being comprised of 7 increasingly demanding movements that are to be played without the usual necessary pauses between them, serves as the metaphor for human life and its ongoing impetus in the face of crises and disasters that slowly undermine our efforts to maintain human dignity and integrity as we are required to carry on, regardless. The principle actors are all utterly amazing in their depths of expression and relevance. Many of the characters behave reprehensibly, but always with a highly sympathetic humanity that allows all of us to identify with their pettiness and weakness as they strive to carry on despite serious threats to their existence as a living, creative community of artists.if you love classical music, and especially the Beethoven Op. 131, you'll enjoy the insights and parallels presented between musicianship and human existence, integrity, and dignity as the players seek to overcome their baser selfish desires and encounters with tragedy to maintain stability, love, and respect for one another.Walken as Peter Mitchell is especially impressive in his monologues on music as life metaphor. He is the foundational sage of the ensemble, and he displays convincingly why he is such an essential force in allowing the quartet to endure through hardships.Highly recommended!