For a movie that aims to make four artists' last spotlit hurrah a revel-worthy moment, Quartet shouldn't urge the viewer to welcome the closing of the curtain.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
A frothy and often charming directorial effort from Hoffman, his first in a Hollywood career that's spanned five decades, that will keep Downton fans happy.
Los Angeles Times by Betsy Sharkey
Quartet is very much a performance piece, which plays to Hoffman's strength - as an actor he knows when to allow this excellent ensemble breathing room and when to tighten the belt.
Personally, I'd show up for Maggie Smith's top-drawer basilisk stare if she were guesting on "Sesame Street."
The curtain can't come down fast enough.
Village Voice by Melissa Anderson
Sentimental and pandering.
As cozy as a mug of Horlicks inside an electric blanket, Hoffman's film couldn't offend if it tried. Age, however, has yet to wither its veterans' undimmed star appeal.
The Playlist by Oliver Lyttelton
Quartet is a hard film to dislike entirely, thanks principally to the charms of its cast.
The result is a movie of enormous intelligence.