I love this movie so much

Absolutely brilliant

The movie runs out of plot and jokes well before the end of a two-hour running time, long for a light comedy.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Christopher Walken gives an extraordinary performance as an aging cellist faced with a life changing illness. Very Dramatic film, with deep dialogue and thoughts. The cast works well together. How I can go from College Basketball to a Emotional Film like this shows I am very refined !! Ha Ha Go see if you like the actors. The music grows on ya Bravo............

It's very amusing to see "musicians" complain about the "playing" of the actors (even going so far as to deride the Nina character, who, as was pointed out by one reviewer, is in fact a member of the Brentano Quartet and the only musician in the cast). I have sad news for you: the actors who play gangsters on TV are not real gangsters. Those who play doctors are often not doctors. And not all those who play soldiers or policemen are real either (and sometimes, SHOCK! they don't even appear on screen in regulation hair style). I've even heard (although I don't know for sure) that actors who play lovers on screen are not lovers in real life, and that the things they say to each other are not what you and I say to our lovers. As Tony Soprano says to his son about The Godfather: "A.J. It's a MOVIE."

This is a wonderfully conceived film on so many levels. But it's main thrust is as a metaphor for the human condition, focusing on Beethoven's Op. 131 quartet throughout. Members of the Fugue Quartet have been playing together to worldwide acclaim for 25 years when their Cellist discovers that he is in the early stages of Parkinson's. This serves as the catalyst for a chain of relational disasters among the other members of the ensemble. The Beethoven Op. 131, being comprised of 7 increasingly demanding movements that are to be played without the usual necessary pauses between them, serves as the metaphor for human life and its ongoing impetus in the face of crises and disasters that slowly undermine our efforts to maintain human dignity and integrity as we are required to carry on, regardless. The principle actors are all utterly amazing in their depths of expression and relevance. Many of the characters behave reprehensibly, but always with a highly sympathetic humanity that allows all of us to identify with their pettiness and weakness as they strive to carry on despite serious threats to their existence as a living, creative community of artists.if you love classical music, and especially the Beethoven Op. 131, you'll enjoy the insights and parallels presented between musicianship and human existence, integrity, and dignity as the players seek to overcome their baser selfish desires and encounters with tragedy to maintain stability, love, and respect for one another.Walken as Peter Mitchell is especially impressive in his monologues on music as life metaphor. He is the foundational sage of the ensemble, and he displays convincingly why he is such an essential force in allowing the quartet to endure through hardships.Highly recommended!

This is one of the most beautiful movies I have seen lately. Beautiful photography, a finely crafted plot and a superb ensemble of actors and behind- the - scenes musicians. Two actors carry the weight of the drama on their excellent and proved performance capabilities. Philip Seymour Hoffman the second violin of the Fugue Quartet, and Christopher Walken as the cellist and oldest member. Although the film centers around the performance of Beethoven's No. 131 String Quartet, the core of this movie is about human relations. This movie is not for the guy or girl who loves only high adrenaline + special effects flick. This movie is for people who like theater and old style drama. A bonus for the viewer is the magnificent and moving music by Beethoven, and Korngold. If you love classical music as I do, this film is a rare and precious jewel.