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.

This could be one of the saddest story in the world;it is not:although Marion is terminally-ill ,she is still full of Joie De Vivre :singing helps her through the night ,and keeps her alive much better than any religion would do.The movie is not melodrama,it's not a tear-jerker although at least two of its scenes bring tears to your eyes.This is a musical ,and the songs perfectly fit the story.In their two renditions ("true colors" and "lullaby" (goodnight ,my angel) ,the two legends of the English cinema inject more real emotion into the lyrics than you might think possible.(In a movie ,only Meryl Streep had impressed me so much with her "he's my pal" in "ironweed").Gemma Aterton's performance compares favorably with the two giants':she 's got plenty of go ,she's so warm,so generous ,so nice it's hard to believe a man walked out on her.SPOILER AHEAD :as for Marion,she is so endearing a character that when she passes away,halfway through the film, we have the rare feeling of missing ,not the actress,but the person herself ,as though we had lost one of our very best friends.And this final song ,sung by her husband,is a song of redemption:Arthur opened up,he is alive again ,more than when Marion was still with him .And for the first time since she died ,he sleeps peacefully in their bed.Against the trend ,although it throws new light on senior citizens (they are not always singing Beethoven and "respectable" works) ,"A song for Marion" is a great moment of true emotion.

This film is really touching. I seldom feel anything so deep for the usual commercial films. This one is much different, death is involved (old people), songs are there, deep feelings.When you see old people, of course, you'd love to help, but here, much more is done for them. And what would you expect from old people, awaiting death? They certainly made a great piece of work with this film. Actors did a great job. All natural. It's definitely a MUST-WATCH. Good for married couples and families.No foul language used. Nothing offensive.It's not a film about old people, it is just a film showing how the elderly can live better and how we can make them laugh, and enjoy their last moments, with their families, happily.

I loved this charming movie. I read it had some "sentiment" (*gasp*). I'd dispute that, and say while it had some warm glow moments- they were not properly "sentiment," if by sentiment one means a deceptive and false attempt to manipulate the audience through cheap set-ups. This was honest and truly heartfelt. A work of art, if I may use such a pretentious word.Admittedly, a few of the scenes in the Community Center depicted the OAPs as "mascots" of a sort. But the powerhouse performances of Terrance Stamp Venessa Redgrave and Gemma Aterton truly and firmly outshone any and all conceivable "cuteness" that might have crept in around the elderly character contingent. The number four character, played by Christopher Eccleston was solid, and the little Orla Hill as the granddaughter was absolutely charming, believable, and delightfully real. Nothing "hokey" in any of those character portrayals.Stamp and Redgrave were expected to be great, and they were. Gemma Aterton was a bit of a surprise. She is lovely (hot, actually), but here she not only looks good, she submits a masterful performance. She portrayed a truly worthy and compassionate person. She was much more than "dressing" for the screen- her character's intuitive and loving relational skills were in fact the mechanism that allowed Stamp and Redgrave to do their bit as well. And I think her character could not have seemed that way to the full extent that it did if Aterton the actor didn't have those same traits herself.The movie was as much about Aterton's intriguing and appealing character as it was about the "central" people- the two oldies. And that takes some serious and genuine acting talent. I hope to see Aterton acting in more roles that feature her adorable nature and great depth- she could be a true star of the first order.