The members of the New York based Fugue Quartet have been with each other for more than 25 years, but from the beginning when we see them practice and Christopher Walken can’t seem to sustain the notes on his cello – “I must be on vacation time still,” he says with some embarrassment – we sense that everything is about to change.

The quartet consists of Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Mark Ivanir and Walken and together they have played more than 3,000 performances, but Walken’s issue with his performance, which turns out to be early signs of Parkinson’s, begins a series of events that threaten to tear the quartet apart.

Hoffman’s Robert, the second violinist, wants to alternate the first-violinist chair with Ivanir’s Daniel, but his desire for change is less then welcomed by both his wife, Juliette (Keener) and Daniel.  “Daniel doesn’t think you have the qualities to be the first chair,” Juliette tells her husband.

What follows is a series of personal relationship complications revolving around Robert and Juliette’s marriage, Robert’s infidelity with an alluring flamenco dancer, and Daniel’s secret love affair with Robert and Juliette’s musically gifted daughter, Alexandra (Imogen Poots).

The film is at its best when we catch real glimpses of what it’s like to be part of this musical world. When the daughter confronts Juliette and accuses her of being an absentee mother for most of her life, Juliette responds with, “This is a musician’s life.  We practice, rehearse and perform.”  Then she adds as if passing on an ominous warning of things to come, “It will be the same for you.”

A Late Quartet is essentially a drama with the heart of a soap-opera that occasionally incorporates elements of farce.  For some, the uneven rhythm of the film’s style may be a cause for concern, particularly if you like your serious subjects to remain serious, but those moments of humor work well and always seem to arrive at just the right moment.

When Juliette makes a surprise visit to her daughter’s apartment just at the moment when the daughter and the older Daniel are having sex, Daniel is forced to jump out of bed, gather up his clothes and escape through the window and down the fire escape.  Later, when the quartet is practicing, accusations are made and tempers rise to the surface.  Walken’s character, who has done nothing other than concentrate on slowing down the onset of Parkinson’s, looks on bemused at his fellow musicians, then suddenly demands at the top of his voice, “What’s going on?  Fill me in!” 

These are intelligent characters who have devoted their life to their passion on a level that most of us will never experience, yet it is somehow a relief to see that such smart people can mess up their lives in just the same way as everyone else.  The film is presented in a welcomed, conventional manner – no hand-held or fast edits – and each widescreen shot is held long enough for us to enjoy the ability to study a character’s face and enjoy the luxury of watching a person think.  For me, A Late Quarter rarely hit a wrong note.

 MPAA Rating:  R     Length:  105 Minutes     Overall Rating:  8 (out of 10)