Cissy (Pauline Collins), Wilf (Billy Connolly), and Reg (Tom Courtenay), once members of an operatic quartet, now live at a retirement home for the musically gifted.  When the world-renowned fourth member of the group, Jean (Maggie Smith), moves to the home old rivalries are stirred up, old wounds are reopened, and a big question is raised: will Jean rejoin the quartet and sing Rigoletto at the gala concert?  My goodness the tension is unbearable.

Maggie Smith and Tom Courtenay are thoroughly convincing as old flames Jean and Reg, with the years of unspoken bitterness and regret painted on both of their faces as they are reunited for the first time in years.  Maggie Smith of course attained legend status as Lady Grantham in Downton Abbey,and though she may not get as many caustic one-liners to deliver in Quartet, she certainly retains the punch and force of will from that character.

The themes of lost love, of family, of self doubt, pride, and of trying to come to terms with one’s place in the world carry across the generations, and to be able to pull all this off while also being very funny is quite an achievement.  In addition to this, the roster of stars from the classical music and theatre worlds is quite remarkable (make sure to stay for the credits for more information on the supporting cast), and the music is, as to be expected, wonderful.

Quartet is billed as a comedy/ drama, which is part of a new cinematic movement to depict older people as fully rounded individuals with the same emotional needs as the rest of the human race. The idea is to appeal to a more (ahem) mature audience. To be fair, the audience at the performance I attended fell largely into this demographic, laughed periodically and could be overheard at the end saying that it was “very good”. Personally, I thought it was dreadful.

The story is set in the Beecham Home for Retired Musicians, where the residents are organising a show to try and save the home from closing. The emotional element is provided by the arrival of a new resident - retired opera singer Jean Horton (Maggie Smith), much to the discomfort of ex-hubby Reginald Paget (Tom Courtney), who‘s still carrying a torch for her.

Unfortunately, Britain‘s finest couldn‘t squeeze much drama or comedy out a script dripping with phrases like “Why do we have to grow old?” and “Whatever happened to forgive and forget?” The other main problem came from casting straight actors as world-class opera singers - at best we get Maggie Smith silently, and unconvincingly, mouthing the words of an aria.

More seriously, far from depicting older people as intelligent adults, the home has all the trappings of a school in which residents are treated like children (and frequently indulge in childish behaviour). This type of tired stereotype may raise a few laughs in an undemanding audience, but it has no place in 21st century cinema.