Quartet (The Weinstein Co. 2013)-DVD

Everyone knows that a retirement home will be replete with stories, and Beecham House for Retired Musicians is awash with them. The cast in Dustin Hoffman's 2013 directing debut, Quartet, is filled with recognizable performers and others who, though retired, still are excellent musicians. Maggie Smith, Tom Courtney, Pauline Collins, and Bill Connolly, are the four main characters who have performed together in the past and now find themselves in the same retirement home with the past, present, and future unfolding among them. Set in the picturesque English countryside, it is a warm-hearted, funny, and spirited film, generously filled with operatic and classical music. A winner. Available in DVD format at the Library.

Reviewed by Carol Lyke