The Piano Lesson (1995 TV Movie) User Reviews

Excellent play & film!

[serena_took · 8/10 · 29 June 2005]

I first viewed this film in a literature class in 2003, and it quickly became one of my favorites. It rather saddens me that so many people complain that there's no story, no action. There is a lot of story to this film, if you want to take the time to watch and appreciate it. Not every movie has to be a massive epic. This film is a story about a family and how some of the members want a better life and to purge the past of pain, and just like real life, some of the best stories are about the intimate moments and of the struggles we all face.

If you enjoy a good drama, a story that slowly reveals the history behind the events you first see, this is the movie for you.

Strange Movie

[Wolf-121 · 7/10 · 27 September 2000]

This movie is a weird mix of a ghost story and a drama. The story is in the beginning vague and when you continue watching it, it becomes clearer and clearer, but it does not suck you into the story and make you want to see how it ends, maybe because the director made it more dramatic then scary.

I do not remember any background music in the movie, which makes it more special. The music is coming from the actors themselves, which was amazing to me and I must say to the actors: well done!

Very good.

[jewelch · 7/10 · 21 March 2021]

Charles S Dutton was very annoying but all of the rest of the cast did a awesome job, Very good movie Yes I recommend it. James Welch Henderson, Arkansas 3/21/2021

A family's past or its future - which is more important?

[pangurban-1 · 10/10 · 23 October 2006]

This play is not as simple as it first appears. There is great complexity in all of the major characters, especially in Bernice. And the use of the 'jazz set' model instead of the traditional Aristotelian'plot graph' makes all the difference! The language of the play is music itself, and eventually erupts into song. This is a wonderful debate on the importance of the past and the future in the lives of these characters, symbolized by the piano which has been passed down through the family. A cast full of excellent actors brings it to life. Loved it! I hope 'The Piano Lesson' and the other plays in Wilson's ten-play cycle will soon be available on film.

Piano Lesson is wonderful: A play brought to life.

[The_Kim_Kat · 10/10 · 8 May 2007]

In all truth, I watched this by mistake, thinking i was about to see the 2006 film by the same name. Although I still have to see the new film, this take of Piano Lesson was a nice surprise. Funny, smart, touching - it had it all. The storyline is great, evolving just at the right pace, without being too expected (as in Boring) or too melodramatic (as in Not my cup of tea). The plot has twists and turns, the characters are 3-D and interesting and the actors convincingly bring them to life. As I said - a very nice surprise for me, and I'm about to watch this all over again - this time with my boyfriend. I give it an easy 10 out of 10. Wonderful. >> Kim B. >> http://www.reviewsnest.com

very funny

[sbrnnxn · 8 October 2002]

You have to come up in a certain culture to understand the overreactions of Charles S. Dutton. They really weren't overreactions, but what makes the film so comical is that there were (and still are) African-Americans that behave that way. What makes it funny is that we all at some point have relatives that are like those in the movie, esp. the part where he comes to visit early in the morning unannounced and expects everyone to get up to greet him. We also have some Uncle Doakers who minds his own business and some con artists like Uncle Whining Boy. Now the part I do agree on is the supernatural aspect of the film. With all the joking and jesting going on, it does drown out the concept meaning it doesn't fit. Otherwise it's a good movie if you want to have a good laugh.

A movie you will either like or hate

[sutcal · 4/10 · 11 July 2000]

I must confess I always have difficulty with some of the made for TV movies that I get to watch on my pay tv channels here in Australia.

The Piano lesson is once such movie.

The story line seems to have no real purpose other than a sibling squabble over a family piano. And I am not sure as to what the "supernatural" element to the movie is supposed to do in relation to enhancing the story. Without the absurdity of this, it may have passed as an acceptable "Afro american" period movie.

I am not a big Charles Dutton fan and I feel there is an element of overacting at times with his character who I dislike more and more as the movie goes on.

For me a 4/10 and that was being kind

August Wilson at his Best

[rday-9 · 10/10 · 20 October 2005]

Anyone who doesn't "understand" this movie probably doesn't understand African Americans. It's a beautiful, poignant piece about a family and an heirloom piano. I don't like everything August Wilson has done but this one is a gem. The interaction between the characters is top notch. Alfre Woodward is in her element. For those who don't care for Charles Dutton, I know what they mean, but that's the way he acts -- in everything. It's much more effective on the stage than on the screen. As another reviewer has suggested, I also identify with every character. I have uncles just like these men. It's nice to see a movie that really touches you where you live and come from.

There's a reason why this is made for TV

[johnmichael-2 · 3/10 · 24 October 2007]

This is a TV film based off a play. It should have stayed a play, because it just plain isn't good enough to be a movie. It's a very hokey sort of piece, mostly because of the bad acting and the weak ending.

Hmmm, what else can I say about this film in order to fill up the required minimum? I don't really know. It's a mundane sort of thing that your teacher makes you watch in theater class because (s)he can't show the really good stuff (or because (s)he has really tame tastes in what is considered engaging drama).

I'll admit, this movie is socially significant, and August Wilson did a fine job with the original storyline. But this made-for-TV thing is just verbatim crap.

Final grade: 4/10

Simple and nice

[JKranjski · 9/10 · 28 August 2001]

I liked the movie and its music. The best scene is the one when they sing about Alberta. I also think that actors realisticaly played the rolls of old time peoples way of communication. I love that home feeling in the Berinces house.

It also true that the story is simple and looks more like the gossip, that someone would tell you about people seeing a ghost.

The Piano Is More About Music In This Film!

[Sylviastel · 10/10 · 2 September 2018]

Based on the August Wilson play, the cast is first rate with Alfre Woodard, Charles Dutton, Lou Myers, Courtney B. Vance and others in this film. The film was produced for the classic Hallmark Hall of Fame. I didn't see the play so I don't know of the differences. There is a lot of dialogue among the cast to help believability. Back when they aired television movies on networks, Hallmark Hall of Fame produced the finest quality of films with cast and writing. This film is worth viewing at least once.

rate 7 this is above average PLAY

[glen10000 · 17 October 2004]

i emphasize Play because it seems that earlier commentators think Dutton over emotes. all the actors are convincing. this is not to say that all Afro-Americans always acted this way in the 30's. Indeed some act this way today when they feel comfortable . her uncle probably wouldn't be singing in the house except that he felt comfortable singing with these guys around a bottle of whiskey. to say this is merely a ghost story is to miss the point. this like A Raisen In The Sun where the man sees an opportunity to finally own a piece of the rock and a member of his family will not part with the means to acquire it. Also, there is quite a lot more going on here if you watch the play a second time, as i did.

A piano in the sun.

[mark.waltz · 10/10 · 28 August 2023]

Having seen a critically acclaimed Off Broadway revival of this Pulitzer Prize winning play (circa 2012), I was looking forward to the film version from 17 years before, and found a thrilling, perfectly edited family drama that keeps it all together. A superb cast, led by Charles S. Dutton and Alfre Woodard, brings this drama to life and reminds the viewer that the past disappears when you get rid of the important artifacts that were important to keeping those emotional memories alive, especially when it's part of family history like this piano is.

You get flashbacks of why the piano is so important to all but Dutton only cares about himself in his desire to sell it, just like the leading male character in "A Raisin in the Sun" lost the money that would have bought his family a house in a middle class neighborhood. The ghosts of the past intervene here, giving this subtle supernatural elements that indicated that unhappy spirits still guided destiny and the selling of the piano truly upset them.

The conflicts of siblings Dutton and Woodard are presented realistically, and that makes for fascinating, complex drama. Woodard can be fiery when angry, but mostly, her softness expresses a vulnerability that indicates strength of character and the desire not to allow the past family tragedies go forgotten so that the generations to come can be strengthened by them. This was recently revived in an instantly sold out Broadway production that is leading to a second film version, but I hope that this one never gets forgotten, just like the complex past of this family struggling to come together.