Quartet

Mature moviegoers sometimes lack options at today’s multiplex, amid the usual glut of superhero sequels and special-effects blockbusters. In that regard, Quartet is a refreshing change of pace.

It’s a modest crowd-pleaser with a sterling cast of British veterans that celebrates performers past and present and isn’t afraid to tell a story about opera music with actors into retirement age. These days, that seems somehow courageous.

The bittersweet story takes place at Beecham House, a fictional home for retired opera singers where preparations for the annual gala celebration of Verdi’s birthday coincide with the arrival of Jean (Maggie Smith), a former diva who becomes a handful for the residents, including her ex-husband Reggie (Tom Courtenay).

While Reggie becomes despondent, his fellow residents generate the idea to reunite Jean, Reggie and their counterparts Wilf (Billy Connolly) and Cissy (Pauline Collins) to perform their famed quartet from Rigoletto at the gala, if they can put aside their personal differences and various impairments long enough to do so.

The film marks the directorial debut of venerable American actor Dustin Hoffman, who perhaps was attracted to the material because it’s essentially an actors’ film. Hoffman shows a few visual flourishes but mostly allows his actors to shine.

Meanwhile, Oscar-winning screenwriter Ronald Harwood (The Pianist), who adapted his own play, frees the material from its stagebound roots as much as possible, although almost all of the action takes place at a single location.

It’s a film that lightheartedly examines various perspectives on aging, with several amusing gags about the perils of growing old. In one standout sequence, Reggie compares classical opera with modern hip-hop music with a young teenage visitor on a school field trip.

While the story has some predictable elements (such as the threat of the retirement home’s closure and the inevitable reconciliation between Jean and Reggie), generally they are skillfully weaved into the charming narrative.

Each of the four leads is given an opportunity to share the spotlight, and the supporting cast includes many former standouts from the British stage — both thespians and musicians — whose achievements are celebrated during the closing credits.

That’s a fitting recognition for those folks, but so is Quartet, a film that shows how the love of performance can transcend generations.

Rated PG-13, 98 minutes.