Grand Pianno

Starring: Elijah Wood, John Cusack, Kerry Bishe, Tamsin Egerton, Allen Leech, Don McManus, Alex Winter, Dee Wallace
Directed by: Eugenio Mira
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
2014

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: During a live performance, a concert pianist (Elijah Wood) receives a threatening note- play one wrong note, and you will die.

Review:

Tim: When I first heard about this movie, I was fairly excited to see it. The whole premise is just so crazy- a sniper threatens a concert pianist during a performance- if you play one wrong note, you and your wife will be killed. That's a crazy idea. While having nutbags threaten innocent people is nothing new in Hollywood, this is a crazy, different twist on the concept that was fairly refreshing. I was immediately intrigued. When you add in two likeable actors like Elijah Wood and John Cusack, this movie pops to the top of my "Must See" list. So, going into it, I was fairly excited. Unfortunately, the movie just doesn't quite do enough to live up to it's promise. I believe this is a good movie, but Grand Piano really should have been better.

There are some quite tense scenes throughout the movie. I loved the moments when Wood is on stage, playing a very difficult musical sequence, while also having a conversation with the sniper and making sure he plays every note correctly. There were some intense sequences there and I really enjoyed them. I also enjoyed the early mystery of what exactly was happening and more importantly, why? Why would anyone threaten a pianist to have a perfect performance? That mystery kept me interested.

However, as the movie goes on, the flaws pile up. It was pretty ridiculous to see Wood running off stage as often as he did throughout the concert. If it happened once, I would get it. It happened so frequently that it just became comical. Something like that just couldn't happen in real life, especially with him timing it up perfectly so he always returned right before he needed to play. A pianist wouldn't have that length of break and there would be no way to coordinate the timing so perfectly. That was absurd. I also hated the characters that were friends of Wood's wife. I don't know the point of them, but their gross overacting nearly ruined the entire film. Every second of their screen time, I cringed and wished it would be over. The movie is saved because both of these unbelievably annoying characters thankfully don't have a lot of screen time.

Another flaw is the eventual reveal of the mystery. If you create a compelling mystery in a movie, the payoff has to be worth it. The final understanding of why the sniper is threatening the pianist and what it's all about felt like a massive letdown. It really pushed the boundaries of incredulity and I just did not buy it at all. It felt like a fancy Hollywood explanation and had nothing to do with anything remotely approaching reality. It was unsatisfying and quite a letdown.

I did enjoy the performance of Elijah Wood. I think he's an underrated actor and he gave an enjoyable performance here. There were a few moments when I just did not buy his performance, but for the most part, he was good. I loved the casting of John Cusack. His voice was perfect for the sniper and I loved how he used only his voice to become this major presence in the film. (SMALL SPOILER ALERT)- I loved when he finally appeared on screen. I was so used to hearing his voice, when I actually saw him, it was jarring and surprising. He doesn't have a lot of screen time, but I loved his small role in the film. Outside of Wood and Cusack, the supporting cast was average.

I do love that Grand Piano tried to put a new and different twist on an old story. The idea was great, but unfortunately, the execution just lacked something. I still had a fun time watching this movie and I would certainly recommend it, but I would just ask that you temper your expectations.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7



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