Quartet... A Must See

I saw 'Quartet' the other day. If you take away one message from this post then take away this; go and see it, it's wonderful.

Ok for a bit of background. Quartet is set in an idyllic English country house which poses as a home for retired musicians. The plot such as it is, is following the build up to an annual gala performance by the residents to celebrate Verdi's birthday and raise funds for the running of the home. A large part of the action follows the rehearsals for the show.

So far I've made it sound drier than a temperance bar in the Sahara. It's safe to say the plot is not the film's strongest point; not by a long chalk. Given the fact that the story is about musicians, you would be forgiven for thinking that the soundtrack is where it really shines. But again no. Don't get me wrong, the soundtrack has some magnificent works played beautifully. My big criticism of it would be that it tended to be devoted to popular sound-bites which is all well and good but, to my mind, a wee bit unsatisfying.

What really made it was the casting. It was truly tremendous. Given it was a film about retired musicians, I was pleased to see a number of actual musicians in the cast who have had distinguished careers in outfits like the Royal Opera House or the BBC symphony orchestra. Michael Gambon gave a wonderful performance as the temperamental and histrionic producer of the whole show, the "Artiste" if you will.

However there were two performances that shone out like beacons from all the rest. First up was Dame Maggie Smith. Admittedly she played a slightly fluffier version of her Downtun Abbey character; plenty wry and barbed comments all round, but she did it wonderfully and had a truly brilliant stage presence.

However to my mind there was one star of the show. Despite the fact that the collective awards and accolades achieved by the cast could fill a museum, the one true star was Billy Connelly. He absolutely stole the show and then some. He was playing for laughs and got them in spades. His character was cheeky, warm, rougish, funny, thoughtful, outrageous and rude. In short, the Big Yin to a 'T'. Well a mildly modified version at least - it was quite a shock seeing his chin for the first time in about 20 years. His antics lifted the whole thing from what could have been a bit maudlin and nostalgic to a bright and fresh film.

Honourable mention should also be given to Sheradin Smith who plays the home's manager.She has come a long way since her days as an ultra-chav in "Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps". She also put in a lovely and warm performance. Credit to her, she held her own amongst many giants of stage and screen proving nicely that she's more than just a bit of eye candy (although she does that rather well too).

Like I said in the title... and the first sentence; go and see it. Take your friends, take your partners, take your parents. This really is one for everyone to enjoy. The ending is a bit on the saccharine side but that was to be expected from the start. I think the entire population of the cinema left walking on air and exuding a warm glow, it was just that kind of film.

JR

Billy Connolly

In a recent pole, published... somewhere, Billy Connolly (aka The Big Yin) has been voted the top British standup comedian of all time.

Quite right too! The man is a bloody genius.

Billy is the first standup comedian I can remember enjoying. Since then, I have loved virtually everything he has ever done. Like so many others, I have laughed to the point of physical pain when watching him. The hair, the beard, the swearing and the cheeky rudeness all combine to make him hysterically funny. I love his chatty style, making those in the audience feel like they are having a quiet chat to him in the pub. He radiates an easy warmth an charm both on stage and during interview which - from afar at least - makes him seem like a genuine, intelligent, sensitive and really nice bloke. I also love the fact that his shows are largely unscripted. According to his biography, he was challenged (and succeeded) to do two entirely different shows on consecutive days.

As well as this recent award; he has the dubious distinction of being one of the few (if not the only) comedian that can make my mother roar with laughter.

Of course he is not just a standup. Despite a lifelong desire to be funny, he was first a welder then a member of a folk band who told jokes in between songs to pass the time. More recently he has turned to acting in films. Two of my favourite are The Man Who Sued God and Mrs Brown.

The Man Who Sued God casts him as a lawyer and takes a cheeky poke at insurance companies who blame "acts of god to avoid paying out". It has the potential to go badly wrong either by being too po-faced or too flippant. Fortunately, in my opinion, the line was tread perfectly and the film managed to be thought-provoking as well as funny.

Mrs Brown needs no description beyond my urging you to see it if you haven't already. This showed Billy could play it straight as well as funny. Better casting I could not envisage.

I have always loved laughing and had great admiration for those that can make others laugh. Billy is a whole different kettle of fish. His ability to be breathtakingly funny is incredible. Long may it continue.

JR