User reviews

August Wilson's work has been an important part of theater work in the Black Communities. Achieving many themes and style approaches that other plays haven't approached before hand.

With the Piano Lesson, while not perfect, it still remains an intense dialogue-filled journey. Throughout, the ambitious direction and atmosphere of The Piano Lesson is successful with it's narrative setting and ground. Exploring themes of slavery, trauma, horror, and Black American society that are interesting. With solid camerawork, production designs, and strong performances from the entire cast, especially Danielle Deadwyler whom I believe will get more recognition in the near future.

The narrative, although it feels a bit long and dragged on some components, it achieves as it's characters and good dialogue moments are investing and engaging. The presentation color is a bit dull, some of the pacing was a bit too dry, and the worst aspect was the musical score, the score felt overdramatic and at times, ruined some of the best scenes that could have been a bit more impactful.

Overall, I do recommend it for those who love August Wilson.

I was really hoping I'd love this, but I didn't. It was visually authentic, but the music was completely destroyed! How do you miss on something as important as the music, in this play??? The "Berta Berta" scene was completely altered, and "Rambling, Gambling Man" was nowhere to be found. Damn shame. They also never show the Yellow Dog train, just smoke! What?

Don't get me started on how stupid they made Lymon. He wasn't dumb in the play, just lonely, naive, and sensitive. I really hated his portrayal. Secondly, Charles Dutton will forever be my favorite Boy Willie. Baby boy Washington just wasn't getting it.

It's not completely messed up, just too different for my tastes. The Washingtons should have just kept the classic aspects in tact.

The Piano Lesson, delves into the lives of a Black family grappling with their history during a time marked by oppression and loss. The story focuses on Bernice (Danielle Deadwyler) and her daughter, who live with her uncle Doaker (Samuel L. Jackson). The plot unfolds as Bernice's brother, Boy Willie (John David Washington), visits, and we gradually uncover the family's past, including the mystery of Bernice's late husband and the deep significance of their treasured piano.

The film explores weighty themes such as Black slavery, grief, guilt, single motherhood, and moral dilemmas. Adapted from August Wilson's play, part of his celebrated Pittsburgh Cycle (which also includes Fences and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom), the movie carries a similar pacing and tone, though it feels closer to Fences in structure.

Danielle Deadwyler delivers an outstanding performance, portraying Bernice with emotional depth and nuance. She is undoubtedly a rising star, evoking comparisons to Viola Davis. Her performance deserves serious awards consideration. By contrast, I found John David Washington's portrayal of Boy Willie overacted, making it harder to connect with his character. Samuel L. Jackson and Ray Fisher (as Lymon) brought solid supporting performances, grounding the narrative effectively.

The cinematography and direction were immersive, giving the house and the piano a lived-in, almost iconic feel. The dialogue is beautifully written, seamlessly weaving past and present. While I found the ending slightly overdone, the film's overall impact remains strong.

I would rate The Piano Lesson a 7/10-higher than Ma Rainey's Black Bottom but slightly behind Fences. Danielle Deadwyler's performance alone makes this film worth watching, and the music and writing are nothing short of masterful.

My wife and I watched this at home, streaming. While it is a well-made movie and covers an interesting topic, we didn't find it very enjoyable. It is a movie adaptation of a stage play and it comes across that way, with loud dialog and broad gestures, with limited settings.

It is a Washington family project, Denzel is a producer, one of his sons is the director, another son stars as Boy Willie, and his wife also has a small role.

Samuel L. Jackson is in it but his role as uncle Doaker could have been played by anyone. John David Washington is Boy Willie, he is brash and angry all the way through and after a while I found him hard to watch. Danielle Deadwyler is really good as his sister Berniece. But she is unhappy the whole time because of the bombardment by her brother.

The gist is this, as we see in an opening scene from 1911 in Mississippi when the main characters are children there is a late-night theft of an old upright piano during a celebration event. The piano has sentimental value to the family because of their connection to some wood carvings that adorn the piano. In fact they didn't consider it a theft, they figured they were the rightful owners.

Bernice, now a single mother living in Pittsburgh in 1936, has the piano. However her brother, needing to raise money to try to buy some land back in Mississippi wants to take the piano and sell it. He doesn't make a request, he drives to Pittsburgh with a truckload of watermelons to sell along the way and expects to just take the piano. This creates the discord between the siblings.

The title may lead us to believe it involves piano lessons in the usual way, music instruction, but it isn't. It refers to the lessons a family learns with the piano as a central figure.

The Piano Lesson is pretty solid. Malcolm Washington did a great job directing his first feature film. The cast here is all fantastic, with Samuel L Jackson being the standout in my opinion. The film has gorgeous cinematography and uses visual effects well. The movie has moments that are pretty scary, moments with could character tension and moments that are genuinely funny. The exposition is a bit confusing at times which makes the story a little hard to follow at certain parts. The pacing is also a little off. But overall the Piano Lesson is an entertaining and pretty unique movie that tackles themes about family while also mixing in supernatural elements. I enjoyed it.

I was fortunate to view this at TIFF September 11, 2024. This film blew me away. I was pulled in and mesmerized by the story, characters and filmography. I went in knowing very little about the story which is how I prefer to see films. Hats off to all involved in the this production. I loved the balance between the serious aspects of the film and small incertions of subtle comedy. I unexpectedly laughed out loud in so many spots which helped break the tension. Also, the singing was incredible. Experiencing this film lifted my spirits and is one of those movies you tell others they absolutely must see. If this film doesn't win awards I will be shocked. This would be my first round pick on my fantasy film team!

The Piano Lesson is a 2024 horror, drama and comedy starring John David Washington as Boy Willie, a young man who goes about doing business selling watermelons with his best friend Lymon (Ray Fisher). However, things start to take a turn drastically when the family home keeps a piano that is cursed with an evil spirit. As our protagonists start to do things like move the piano out of sight, the piano itself starts to haunt them supernaturally.

Adapted from a play, this story is very enjoyable and hilarious at times with it's cheery tone and marvellous acting. It may sound like a horror film but it really isn't, most of the characters that revolve around the piano actually have a nice build up until a haunting climax. All cast involved did a great job, including the impressive directorial debut of Malcolm Washington (whom I got to meet!) and the rest of the cast were great and they all had their unique personality, something not easy to do. But I think there's one character that stands above them all though, Lymon, oh what a character! He was kind of a gentle giant and his scenes throughout the movie are some of the best.

The only flaw with the film itself, and it's what got it a 7, some of the scenes really dragged out and were very slow but not all of them. For example, we have a really funny conversation about what clothes fit Lymon and that lasts about a few minutes but, no spoilers, there's this one argument around the halfway point that lasts quite a bit. I know it's a play but I'd rather have this time used on some of the perspectives of the characters rather than a argument to show powerful acting.

Overall, really great watch would highly recommend this when it comes out on November, most certainly a pleasant watch and very quotable. You will probably be watching this more than once when it hits netflix.

Grade: A

London film festival 12th October.

Yes, most definitely.

Before sharing my thoughts on "The Piano Lesson", I should start by mentioning that I have neither read the original play by August Wilson nor seen it performed live in any theater. This film, directed by Malcolm Washington, is my first encounter with the material and its story. Therefore, my reflections will be based solely on the movie I just watched.

With that said, I must admit that the movie started off strong, instantly capturing my excitement and curiosity about the drama that would unfold around the titular "piano". However, as the film progressed, my interest gradually waned, and by the end, I was completely disengaged as a viewer. I attribute this to what I believe is one of the film's biggest flaws: its unnecessarily long runtime. The pacing drags noticeably, and you feel it. A 90-minute runtime would have sufficed, and I would even argue that a 40-minute short could have been the perfect length to tell this story effectively.

However, for me, the issues go beyond just the runtime. Perhaps the story simply isn't for me, or maybe it wasn't translated effectively in this adaptation. Either way, while watching this particular film, I couldn't help but find it overall quite dull and tiresome.

The story within the story, which depicts the origin of the piano, was fascinating to watch. In fact, I could easily see myself far more engaged with an entire movie dedicated solely to that narrative! However, everything that takes place in the "present day" - the main plot involving the family debating whether to sell the piano or not - felt tedious and stagnant by comparison.

Nothing truly moves the plot forward. "The Piano Lesson" delivers two hours of needless and repetitive arguments between family and friends. While these exchanges might initially seem meaningful, they quickly become overdone, dragging the narrative to the point of frustration and even inducing a headache.

The movie certainly has its merits. However, why do I consider it Oscar bait? Because it's evident while watching how much the actors - particularly John David Washington - are acting to the point of overacting. His performance feels so labored, as though he's straining every moment to earn a nomination. This effort becomes so apparent that what he delivers on screen ceases to feel natural and instead comes across as exaggerated, ultimately breaking the immersion.

For those familiar with the play, the film might resonate differently. However, for someone like me, who came to it with no prior knowledge, I have to be honest - there isn't much here to praise.

I caught this at a Tiff screening on Sept 11, 2024 and it did not disappoint. The film is adapted by a play of the same name by August Wilson, which follows two siblings, one who want to sell a precious family heirloom (Washington), a piano, for money, the other (Deadwyler) who wants to keep it. The acting in the film, especially from Deadwyler is unreal; you cannot avert your eyes from her performance, as well as strong supporting actors the entire time. The film itself, while the slightest bit too long, is very well made. Malcolm Washington comes in strong with his directorial feature debut, and has a promising future ahead. The film is deeply disturbing and at times plays a bit too much into supernatural elements, but overall, if you are looking for a good thriller with great performances, this should be on your radar when it releases on Netflix.

Decent August Wilson adaptation and feature directing debut of Malcolm Washington who shows off skill and an interesting style.

The film was sometimes a bit distracting due to the unlikable protagonist played by another Washington, John David Washington, who acts well but I just couldn't get hold of his character . It's a theatre play turned into a film that still feels like a theater play. I like those but I know many people don't like stagey films.

Almost taking place on only one central set it's quite intriguing at times and makes you feel to be in the middle of it all.

Other notable performances came from Samuel L. Jackson who is rather subtle here. He had huge Oscar buzz before the film was seen, that slowed down now. I guess because it appears to be not special. And maybe they are right . It's not special or award worthy but it was good. Jackson nailed it and did what he was supposed to do. Many praised Ray Fisher but for me he wasn't anything special and I didn't buy his performance from time to time.

The true MVP is Danielle Deadwyler who is absolutely fantastic. A role that could have easily been overacted but she hit all the right tones and goes under your skin. Great work for which she hopefully finally gets an overdue Oscar nomination which she already missed for Till.

Disappointing and Overhyped

I had high hopes for The Piano Lesson, but this movie fell completely flat. The pacing was excruciatingly slow, making it a challenge to stay engaged. The writing lacked depth and coherence, leaving the story feeling disjointed and unconvincing.

As for the acting-horrible is an understatement. The performances felt wooden and unmotivated, making it hard to connect with any of the characters. It's as if the actors themselves didn't believe in the material they were given.

Overall, this was a major letdown. Between the boring plot, poor acting, and lackluster writing, I wouldn't recommend wasting your time on this film. There are far better ways to spend two hours!

The Piano Lesson brings another August Wilson play to the big screen without changing much despite swapping mediums. It's a family drama about generational trauma with a sprinkling of gothic horror and as it doesn't endeavour to truly adapt its source material, this feels like a filmed rendition of play opposed to a truly cinematic adaptation. Thanks to a strong cast and a few flashes of visual flair, it always remains an engaging and rewarding experience.

Since this puts all the performances front and centre, the terrific cast all get time to shine. Danielle Deadwyler is the best performer with the whole film building to her confronting her family's history. John David Washington and Ray Fisher give the complete opposite types of performances to what you'd expect based on their previous experience. Washington is the one who goes too theatrical in places whereas Fisher is a lot more nuanced which is better suited for this medium.

Macolm Washington makes a really good debut as co-writer and director even if it could've been more cinematic overall. There's a lot of dialogue heavy scenes that go on for a while and they're sustained solely by how good the whole cast is. It's few and far between but there is undoubtedly some impressive visual flair here in the few moments of horror and especially the opening scene lit by fireworks which remains the standout 2 hours later.

Rating - 6.8: Overall, a film very similar to other August Wilson works, as it uses authentic dialogue and good acting, especially from Danielle Deadwyler, to tell a profound story; but the movie is held back by its amateur filmmaking and inconsistent tone.

Direction - Pretty Bad: The direction on a macroscale feels very amateur and not that well executed; the direction on a microscale is fine as it mimics other August Wilson movies in that it allows the actors to act with minimal intervention, similar to a play; the storytelling is a bit muddy as they did not know what tone they wanted to go with throughout the movie; tension is not built that well because they try to force this horror, ghost story that is not that well executed

Story - Decent: The concept deviates from the original play and makes the movie an unnecessary supernatural ghost story, which kind of hurts the story dealing with the generational trauma from their ancestors; the plot structure is nothing special; the character writing is not that great because they keep introducing many characters and do not do a good job providing them backstory to make you root for them, except for maybe Deadwyler's character

Screenplay - Good: The dialogue is very authentic to the source material and other August Wilson works; the humor is pretty true to other August Wilson works; the symbolism is profound as the whole movie deals with generational trauma this family has dealt with from slavery and racism; the foreshadowing is present but kinda expected

Acting - Pretty Good to Good: Samuel L. Jackson - Good (Feels like he pulls a lot from his experience as an actor in this role, but he does not feel like he is used as much as he should have been), John David Washington - Pretty Good to Good (Plays the lead role decently well, as this character feels like it plays to his strengths as an actor), Ray Fisher - Pretty Bad (Really feels off in comparison to the rest of the cat as his comedic humor feels very forced), Michael Potts - Pretty Good to Good, Erykah Badu - Pretty Good, Skylar Aleece Smith - Pretty Good, Danielle Deadwyler - Very Good (Steals the show in all her scenes as she shows a wide range of emotions and accurately displays a mother trying to hold onto her family and ancestry), Corey Hawkins - Good (Plays his role well and has good chemistry with Deadwyler), Rest of the cast - Pretty Good to Good (The cast as a whole works well together; it was evident that the director let the actors act in a way similar to the play)

Score - Decent: Used decently well throughout the movie; for a movie called 'The Piano Lesson' it would have been great to have at least heard one piano motif throughout the movie, so not having this feels like a wasted opportunity

Cinematography - Pretty Bad: Felt pretty amateur and not that well executed, especailly in the climax

Editing - Pretty Bad: Felt pretty amateur

Sound - Pretty Good: Helps enhance those horror elements

Visual Effects - Pretty Bad: Felt pretty tacky

Production Design - Good: Felt authentic to the time period

Costumes - Good: Felt authentic to the time period

Pacing - Pacing is pretty slow as it tries to mimic the play's pacing

Climax - Climax is chaotic and poorly executed; the ending felt very anticlimactic

Tone - Tone is a big issue for this movie because there never felt like there was a consistent tone as they tried to make this movie both a historical drama and a ghost story; they tried to do a lot of things and couldn't do any of them well

Final Notes - Saw premiere at the Austin Film Festival.

This was actually better than I expected! I was pleasantly surprised! Boy when I tell you my boyfriend and I laughed everytime we heard the word "watermelon" it seemed like Boy Willie said it everytime he opened his mouth! Lmao but overall this was a pretty good movie! You can tell Denzel and John David put a lot into this. It was funny but also very serious.

I love stories about our ancestors. Samuel Jackson is always a delight to see in camera as well. Oh, let me not forget how they say the word piano that was also very funny!! "PEEANNA" that's how they pronounced it! 😂😂😂😂 They had that old accent down pact!

When a gifted playwright's work is adapted for the big screen, the transition from one medium to another can be quite challenging to pull off successfully. And, if the adaptation gets it wrong, it fails to do justice to the source material, an outcome that often unfairly reinforces the blanket denigration often accorded to film as an "inferior" artform compared to others (like literature or the stage). Such is the case, unfortunately, with this latest adaptation of work drawn from the writings of August Wilson, a stage-to-screen cross-over comes up short compared to previous conversions of his material (like "Fences" (2016), which succeeded brilliantly). This tale of two siblings (John David Washington, Danielle Deadwyler) who match wits over the fate of a family heirloom - a piano with a hand-carved façade featuring images of their slave era ancestors - depicts their heated discussions over its ultimate dispensation, one option aimed at selling it and the other bent on retaining it as a treasured piece of family history. As this scenario plays out, however, complications emerge when the ghosts of their deceased relatives and other spirits make their surreal presence known in steering the quarrelsome brother and sister to settle the matter. It's an intriguing premise, one that speaks volumes about dealing with the ghosts of one's past, what they endured in their lives and how the impact of their experiences has been passed down to their descendants. But many of the film's scenes fall prey to one of the key pitfalls that often undermine theatrical adaptations - a series of overlong, stagey, tediously talky conversations that may work on Broadway but that try the patience of viewers on screen. What's more, many sequences launch into seemingly unrelated exchanges whose connections to the primary narrative often seem tangential at best, segments that are further undermined by loquacious and not particularly interesting dialogues. And, as for the fantasy sequences, their excessively disparate nature is wholly incongruous with the remainder of the film, looking more like they belong in a movie like "Carrie" (1976) than an August Wilson production. While writer-director Malcolm Washington's debut feature definitely has its strong suits, such as its fine ensemble of performances, inventive cinematography and meticulous period piece production design, it lacks the integral components needed to make this a compelling and engaging watch. To be sure, August Wilson deserves better than what's materialized here, a film that's largely forgettable and a pale shadow of his other cinematic adaptations.

I was surprised at the low rating for this film. I was not familiar with the play or the previous movie version, however, like other August Wilson's work, I really liked it. There was some strong acting and a it's a moving and memorable story.

Again, as in her acting in Till, I was so impressed with Danielle Deadwylers performance. She is definitely a stand out. I hope she get the accolades she deserves during the award season.

The story deals with slavery, a subject many are uncomfortable with, however it is a major part of American history. I thought it was handled thoughtfully. Don't let the subject matter stop you from seeing this!

The movie is a family affair with dad Denzel Washington producing, son Malcolm directing, other son John David acting , and wife Paulette and daughter Olivia in small roles. Together they have created a good movie. The plot is based on a much celebrated stage play. The movie will be liked by audiences fond of cinematographed stage plays which are necessarily stagey and slow, have over the top acting and have tons of dialogue delivered at a high decibel. These are not weak points but typical of the style of presentation of this genre. The average audience looking for entertainment may be disappointed.

The plot is set is 1936 in Pittsburgh in the home of Charles family when Boy Willie ( John David ) lands up with a truck full of water melons which he wants to sell. He has plans to also sell an ancestral old unused piano against the wishes of his sister Berniece ( Danielle Deadwyler). Both are determined and they argue and fight over this issue. There is an uncle Mr Doaker ( Samuel L Jackson ) in the house who tries unsuccessfully to calm them down.

Director Malcolm sticks to the style of the genre and faithfully presents a photographed stage play with characters having full throated arguments and delivering dialogue on a high pitch and there is lots of frenzy while they go about it. There are tense filled and traumatic scenes. The entire focus is on the fight between the siblings. Both Danielle and John have given impressive performances. Samuel is also good. He has limited dialogue which he delivers in his customery style as he quietly observes the ongoing drama and makes comments in between.

"The Piano Lesson" is a ghost story of sorts that reminded me a lot of Toni Morrison's novel "Beloved." Both conceive of the pain inherited by black Americans as literal ghosts haunting the characters and shackling them to a traumatic past. Both also have characters reckoning with that past and having to make a conscious decision about how much they will allow themselves to live under its shadow. This is the second August Wilson play I've seen turned into a movie (the first was "Fences"), and though I liked this more than "Fences," I still was left feeling like Wilson's stories remain on the stage.

"The Piano Lesson" is well acted, though John David Washington's tiresome and one-note character wore thin the same way Denzel Washington's did in "Fences." However, this is more of an ensemble piece than the other movie, so he doesn't dominate the screen time in the same way, and leaves room for others to shine, particularly Danielle Deadwyler as his sister and Michael Potts as a close family friend.

Director Malcolm Washington does make some able attempts to open up the film, which I appreciated. He stumbles at the end though, and the big climactic finale feels silly and clunky on screen where it probably didn't on stage.

There's enough to like about this movie that I would recommend it, but keep expectations modest.

Grade: B+

Not being familiar with the source material, this was my first time watching any adaptation of Wilson's work and it was not good. While the first 20 minutes or so of the film were well-directed and interesting, the rest of the movie was slow, boring, and hard to follow. For a 2 hour movie, almost nothing interesting happens. There are constant arguments about the family's piano and largely noting else important seemed to happen.

The acting was very average and mainly featured John David Washington's character shouting incoherently at everyone. I couldn't understand the plot even after reading a short summary about the play. Most disappointingly is the absence of Desplat's score! For a movie about a piano, there are very few piano pieces or any music, which made the film feel extremely boring. Desplat is an extraordinary composer but his talent was wasted.

Washington's directing, other than the first 20 minutes or so, is nothing special. Scenes drag on far too long and there are too many characters to remember. Perhaps the play is better to start with if, like me, you are not familiar with the plot or characters.

'The Piano Lesson', despite peaks and troughs, is largely a good watch. I could feel my interest increase and decrease fairly consistently throughout though, so no doubting more could've been done to keep me more interested - but that I still was, in fairness.

John David Washington and Samuel L. Jackson are two that perform well, but the person that I would rank as the standout is Danielle Deadwyler - great performance! I didn't actually know her 24 hours ago, though I do now after this and 'Carry-On'. Michael Potts merits props, too.

It does feature a noteworthy enough story, the music is decent and there are some solid moments in there - the rendition of "Berta, Berta" with Jackson & Co. Particularly stands out in my memory. I now see that this is based on a play, which is indeed very apparent in a few scenes.