Well, the reviews are a mixed bag. Some people seem to have thought they were going to see either an account of the life and works of Beethoven or a documentary about professional musicians. It seems a bit unfair to mark down a film because you thought it was going to be something else, especially as even a cursory bit of research would have avoided making that mistake.
I loved it. It's a beautiful meditation on ageing, love, friendship, loss and the importance of art as part of the human experience. The cast are all excellent (with one exception) and Walken steals the show with a reminder of why he's one of the finest living actors, even though he has appeared in some dross over the years. His performance in A Late Quartet is Oscar-winning by any standards. The only duff note (did you see what I did there?) is sounded by the performance of Imogen Poots; it's all very well casting these pretty boys and girls in TV dramas but their lack of talent and experience really show up when they're in with troupers of this calibre. There is zero chemistry between her and Daniel Lerner and a scene where Poots' character confronts her mother (Catherine Keener) is completely unconvincing.
Yaron Zilberman directs extremely well for what appears to be his first feature film and the whole thing is beautifully photographed. Locations are particularly well used with the warm, dark, welcoming of interiors contrasted sharply with the wintry exterior shots of New York.
It's not flawless; I've already mentioned Poots' poor acting and the musical metaphors are laid on a bit thick in places. There's also a scene where Walken's dead wife appears before him whilst he's listening to one of her recorded performances and the apparition is unnecessary - Walken's face alone says it all. However, I'm being very picky here. Overall, it's a marvellous film that's thoughtful, human and never descends into sentimentality.
I loved it. It's a beautiful meditation on ageing, love, friendship, loss and the importance of art as part of the human experience. The cast are all excellent (with one exception) and Walken steals the show with a reminder of why he's one of the finest living actors, even though he has appeared in some dross over the years. His performance in A Late Quartet is Oscar-winning by any standards. The only duff note (did you see what I did there?) is sounded by the performance of Imogen Poots; it's all very well casting these pretty boys and girls in TV dramas but their lack of talent and experience really show up when they're in with troupers of this calibre. There is zero chemistry between her and Daniel Lerner and a scene where Poots' character confronts her mother (Catherine Keener) is completely unconvincing.
Yaron Zilberman directs extremely well for what appears to be his first feature film and the whole thing is beautifully photographed. Locations are particularly well used with the warm, dark, welcoming of interiors contrasted sharply with the wintry exterior shots of New York.
It's not flawless; I've already mentioned Poots' poor acting and the musical metaphors are laid on a bit thick in places. There's also a scene where Walken's dead wife appears before him whilst he's listening to one of her recorded performances and the apparition is unnecessary - Walken's face alone says it all. However, I'm being very picky here. Overall, it's a marvellous film that's thoughtful, human and never descends into sentimentality.