'A Late Quartet' movie review: Relationship drama built on rock-solid ...

Violin player Robert is tired of playing second chair in his string quartet, and that's a problem. But he's also tired of playing second fiddle in his marriage to Juliette, the quartet's viola player -- and that's an even bigger problem.

But then, problems are hardly uncommon for members of Robert's renowned, New York-based chamber quartet, and after 25 years of playing together, all those problems are finally all bubbling to the surface in director Yaron Zilberman's nuanced and low-key drama "A Late Quartet." In fact, they are all ready to burst.

Building a patient but passionate case for the need to hold tight to those most important to you no matter the obstacles, it's the sort of quiet, character-fueled film that starts slowly but builds steadily. Helped along by a smart script and spot-on performances, what it's building toward is a nicely crafted emotional crescendo, and one that delivers with it a rich and satisfying payoff.

The result is an appealingly decidedly grown-up drama, but also the kind of arthouse-bound film that never seems to get as much play as it deserves. After it played in October at the New Orleans Film Festival, however, local audiences will get another opportunity to see "A Late Quartet" this weekend, as it opens Friday (Dec. 14) for a weeklong engagement at the Chalmette Movies.

An enormous part of the film's success is the dream cast Zilberman has assembled to populate his quartet: Philip Seymour Hoffman is the conflicted Robert. Catherine Keener plays his emotionally embattled wife, Juliette. Christopher Walken is the cellist who has just received the news that he suffering from Parkinson's. And Mark Ivanir is the precision-minded -- and arrogant -- first violinist who refuses to let Robert share in the glory.

Operating as a black-tie-wearing microcosm of modern, civilized society, they make undeniably beautiful music together, despite the turmoil roiling away behind their polite smiles. But they are only human, after all, and they're bound to weaken and let their ego, their passion, their stubbornness and their stupidity get in the way of things. Just as we all do.

After 25 years together, that's exactly what happens -- both for the quartet and for Robert and Juliette's marriage. The question in both cases is: Do they have the energy, or the desire, to push through it and remain functioning as a unit?

Zilberman's audience knows what the answer should be: They must keep playing together, because beautiful music isn't easy to make. But that sort of thing is always easier to spot from the outside looking in.

All of the film's cast turn in wonderfully honest performances, but Walken in particular stands out as the beloved Peter, the gentle but firm pater familias of their little group. Normally typecast as a sneering and sarcastic villain, he gets an opportunity to play against type here, and he seizes it. Not only is his performance in Zilberman's film both touching and tender, but it's also entirely (and refreshingly) absent any hint of the camp that he so often leans on.

What he and the rest of the cast arrive at is an illustration that one is, indeed, the loneliest number, and that if you're lucky enough to have a functioning quartet -- or even a trio or a duet -- you'd better hang on to it, brother, and you'd better hang on to it tight.

"A Late Quartet" is the sort of movie you should go see with someone you love. You should also hold their hand during the movie. And be thankful that that hand is there.

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A LATE QUARTET
3 stars, out of 5

Snapshot: A quiet, character-driven drama about a renowned chamber music quartet, and the problems that threaten to rip them apart.

What works: The cast is tremendous and is a vital part to what makes the film work.

What doesn't: It isn't without its occasional lulls.

Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Christopher Walken, Mark Ivanir, Imogen Poots. Director: Yaron Zilberman. Rating: R, for language and some sexuality. Running time: 1 hour 45 minutes. Where: Chalmette Movies.

Source: http://www.nola.com/movies/index.ssf/2012/12/a_late_quartet_movie_review.html

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