Tacticalin An absolute waste of money

Sharkflei Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

Teddie Blake The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Jerrie It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Bernard Juby Classified in France as a Drama this film is full of laughs tempered with what is apparently based on a true and harrowing story. Others have already written about the plot so just enough here to say what a great film this is. Especially amusing was the issuing of their forged passports in the airport foyer under the noses of the guards. I loved the way that the various ex-orchestra members went their various ways with their enterprising money-making ventures, seizing the opportunity to make the most from their unexpected chance to go from impoverished Russia to Paris to make a fast buck. Especially impressive was the fact that Melanie Laurent spent a lot of time preparing for the role of violin virtuoso by studying under a professional violinist for several weeks beforehand - and it showed. Thoroughly recommended.

robinski34 The themes are familiar, the characters are interesting but not complex, the script is uncomplicated, the humour comfortable – the story itself is straightforward, but the sum of these largely unremarkable parts is a truly uplifting piece of cinema. It is a great pleasure to discover that a film like The Concert can still exist in a cinematic landscape over-shadowed by violence, sexual objectification, product placement and the commercial imperative. Mélanie Laurent (Inglorious Basterds, Now You Seen Me) is probably the best known face in a largely eastern European cast, but it is Aleksey Guskov who steals the show as the Maestro with an endearing performance. Thank goodness (and thank Rumania director Radu Mihaileanu) for cinema with a good heart and a positive message, and characters motivated by kindness and artistic vision. The finale is a heart-warming emotional crescendo. It is genuinely satisfying to see a happy outcome, and well worth the modest investment of time to experience entertainment that is life-affirming, which, sadly, cannot be said about the majority of cinema these days.

Gordon-11 This film is about a renowned Russian conductor who got publicly humiliated 30 years ago for hiring Jewish musicians. He sorts out his unfinished business by gathering a group of friends to pretend to be the Bolshoi Orchestra."The Concert" treads a fine line, as it is not easy to make a film funny and serious at the same time. It manages that successfully, as it provides many comedic moments; I am particularly entertained by the negotiations between the French and the Russians, and how the Jewish musicians exercised their business acumen. The drama is engaging and emotional too, and the emotional climax is gracefully augmented by beautiful music. "The Concert" is a very good film.

Jackie Scott-Mandeville After a surfeit of mediocre American movies lately, I was mesmerised by the magical film of The Concert. Rarely seeing Russian movies, I was intrigued by the setting, characters, snapshots of Russian life today, and swept away by the way in which the actors and director lifted the ordinary into the extraordinary by way of a great plot, exquisite comedy moments, and a romantic theme which had nothing sentimental about it. The central character, Filipov, has an impossible dream and the realisation of this dream through a series of improbable connections results in a screwball comedy the likes of which we haven't seen since Billy Wilder's 'Some Like It Hot'. The musical background provides a culturally sophisticated backdrop to an earthy and simple concept: the combination of the two creates a little masterpiece of a film.From the sub-plots of Russians in Paris trying to make a buck, to the sensitive history of the celebrity violinist persuaded to play the Tchaikowsky concerto with the makeshift, unrehearsed, pseudo-Bolshoi orchestra, the film manages to capture every last nuance of human sensibility. The depiction of the tragi-comedic figure of the arch Communist Gavrilov who ruined the original concert and the lives of orchestra musicians 30 years previously, and now is responsible for ensuring the orchestra reconvene and play in Paris a master stroke and lends the lie to the whole plot.My only criticism is the way in which the final sublime denouement is cut across with collages of resolving the mystery between Filipov, the conductor, and Anne-Marie, the violinist. I can see the point of combining the performance of the music with the resolution - it is clever and creates a crescendo of poignancy to the highest pitch of the music itself. But it was a little confusing and, though, of course, the whole film is a contrivance to entertain, too contrived in the sudden success of this abandoned and defunct orchestra of Jewish misfits in Russia.This film is a compelling story, beautifully played, and a lovely idea. To create a hilariously funny yet subtly and searingly poignant plot is remarkable and I cannot imagine any film lover not enjoying this lovely film.