Song for Marion

Grumpy pensioner Arthur (Terence Stamp) honors his recently deceased wife (Vanessa Redgrave)'s passion for performing by joining the unconventional local choir to which she used to belong, a process that helps him build bridges with his estranged son, James (Chris Eccleston).

The director, Paul Andrew Williams, made a name for himself in darker territory -- the wildly successful horror comedy "The Cottage" and the gritty home invasion story of "Cherry Tree Lane". The latter is so nasty that it left me (a hardened horror fan) squirming in my seat because of its realistic approach to the subject matter.

With that background, Williams is just about the last person I would have expected to take on a heartwarming tale of curmudgeon and his wife's elderly singing troupe. And yet, he weaves everything together expertly. I smiled quite a bit (I rarely laugh). I was captivated. And what seemed like a pretty lame story from the plot was actually rather entertaining and the characters were people I could identify with.

Really, though, the core of this film that separates it from others is the group of old folks singing rock and hip-hop songs. Maybe the joke is not completely new (Betty White has been pushing the envelope for a decade) but how can you argue with crotchety old fogies thrusting to Salt N Pepa and Motorhead? Definitely worth checking out, and fairly appropriate for the whole family.

How did they pitch this? QUARTET meets CALENDAR GIRLS? Vanessa Redgrave plays a Senior Citizen (in the north of England) dying from cancer who somehow finds the strength to sing with a local choir of fellow OAPs. Her grumpy old git of a husband (Terence Stamp) wants her to stay home and greet the Grim Reaper while he (Arthur) tenderly cares for her, but - guess what? The sub-plot involving Arthur and his estranged son (Christopher Eccleston) is over-familiar but also touching - he even has a cute smarty-pants daughter cloned from Shirley Temple.

OK, this is a very predictable story which shamelessly milks tears from the audience, but there is some pleasing humour as well as the somewhat heavy-handed tragedy. The performances - what did you expect from Redgrave and Stamp? - are nothing less than stellar. I see nominations for BAFTAs and maybe even next year's Oscars. Stamp gives perfectly judged grief. Gemma Arterton is excellent as the choir-mistress with an unhappy love life and it's a joy to see Anne Reid in the chorus line. All the supporting cast of yesteryear character players are splendid, as they were in QUARTET. Pensioner power is beginning to have an impact at the box office - about time too!

This is lightweight entertainment pitched at the Grey Pound and it is outrageously mawkish, but it sets out to warm the stoniest of hearts and it certainly warmed mine.

We had the choice of seeing this or Die Hard 27 or whatever we're up to now. Chose this & what a delight it turned out to be. A very simple story. A group of OAP's, sorry OAPz (It's more street!) are taught to sing current pop songs by a young music teacher and entered into a choir competition. Marion is a member of this choir but desperately ill with cancer and her grumpy husband tries to stop her going s he fears it is too much for her. I won't add any spoilers as to how the plot progresses. You will laugh, my wife cried for about an hour constantly and took out my handkerchief, it will tap into relationships and make you think about what you have yourself. It will ensure you never listen to 'Ace of spades' again! Terence Stamp, not a favourite actor of mine, was just brilliant and spot on with his grumpy old man performance. Vanessa Redgrave just gives a beautiful, touching master class. Christopher Eccleston is gritty as ever and Gemma Arterton as the plucky, strong willed young teacher just makes you smile throughout. The cast of the choir also all have their priceless moment. This may not be for everyone but there is something in it for everyone and although it may appeal to the older market, the message is equally strong for all age groups.

Marion and Arthur are an oddly matched couple. Marion (Vanessa Redgrave) is a sweet old lady and Arthur (Terence Stamp) is a nasty and thoroughly unlikable old misanthrope. Marion is also dying from cancer. However, this isn't destroying her spirit and she spends what time she has left singing with a senior center choir. As for Arthur, he's very sad she's dying, as he does love her but he shows absolutely no love for anyone or anything else.

When Marion dies, Arthur is understandably lost and alone by his own choice and actions. However, the leader of the choir, Elizabeth (Gemma Arterton) makes an effort to try to connect with this old jerk. Eventually, she does and after a while she even gets him to come to choir practice. But he's still proud and a grouch. So what's next?

The film is enjoyable and it's a two or three Kleenex sort of film. However, based on my own personal experience with family and as a psychotherapist, Arthur's change came way too fast and it was hard to believe a 70-something old man would that suddenly stop being the creep he was his entire life. I think the film would have been more memorable and effective had the change been much slower in coming. But, if you can ignore this, it is a nice film. By the way, I noticed that the summary called this movie 'hilarious'. Whoever wrote that has a very sick sense of what's hilarious!!! It's mildly funny in parts but is really NOT a comedy.

I saw this show as a screening several months ago, but under the title "Song for Marion." At the time, I told several people about it and recommended it when it came out in wide release.

It reminded me of the 2007 documentary "Young@Heart," where an older group of people form a choir and sing rock and pop music.

This movie follows the lives of an elderly couple (Marion and Arthur played by Vanessa Redgrave and Terence Stamp), their son (Christopher Eccleston) and granddaughter, and the senior adults in a choir led by a young woman (Gemma Arterton), who encourages them to sing pop and rock favorites. At the beginning of the movie, Marion is already in the choir and attempts to get the loving, but sometimes curmudgeonly, Arthur to join.

While the plot was predictable, the characters still warm the heart. The songs selected were terrific, especially when you see the choir members reactions to some of them. It was fun to watch the characters' progression as time went on. Performances by all were amazing!