A Late Quartet really surprised us, because so many critics and people we know had given it decidedly mixed reviews. It may not be a great film, but it was a really good, balanced film with no major flaws. The set-up was decent, dialog was pretty good, pacing was good, the performances were strong (Philip Seymour Hoffman really should have gotten a nomination for his performance – it was way, way better than what he did in The Master,) and it has an interesting story which reveals each character’s inner struggle quite effectively. They even did a decent job weaving musical details into the script to give it some texture. It’s not a super deep film, but it leaves you with a very satisfied feeling.

Ignore the critics – there’s no reason not to Netflix this one.