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The Concert to avoid

Not being connoisseurs of classical music, we were suspicious of our opinions towards French film The Concert even before we entered the near-empty screening room. As well as a lack of excited attendees, the sappy, clichéd storyline saw to it that our preconceptions were well observed.

Although sometimes funny with a nice enough story – The Concert just was not for us. Twee, and with a predictably happy ending, this was something to be endured rather than enjoyed.

The once world famous leader of the Bolshoi orchestra – Andrei Filipov is now resigned to cleaning the opera house he used to command in a post-Brezhnev society still plagued by his suffocating influence. Fired for hiring Jewish musicians, Filipov's creativity and authority has been utterly undermined.

This is until he intercepts an official invitation from the prestigious Theatre du Chatelet. Filipov sets about amassing his old orchestra to replace the current one and the film gets moving to the sound of Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35. Apparently.

Unfortunately, The Concert takes the form of every other 'against all odds' film in the world – a band of hapless fools who get it together just at the last minute. You know the type – they all have raw, unconventional talent, but there's no way in a MILLION years they'll be able to pull it off. Oh, hang on. What's this? They have!?

Once he's got these pissheads and gypsies together – they fly off to Paris to perform a Tchaikovsky concerto that was interrupted 30 years earlier by that bastard Brezhnev. Cue lots of slapstick and over the top national stereotypes.

There are some funny moments, but most are tired language barrier gags, and although you could enjoy this film even without being a fan of classical music – it's just a little predictable and happy clappy for our tastes. It's even got a paternal revelation plotline to try to boost the story. Not only does Star Wars have the rights to 'I am your father', but it's usually soppy and forced in any other film. This one included.

Although it is well put together and should appeal to some, we won't be dusting off the violin and researching old Russian composers in a hurry.

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