Mediocre Movie Club Movie Reviews

Grand Piano

6/22/2015

B-
2.71

All the leads interacted great together and created the necessary tension for the situations - Chris
I love all things Cusack - Sean
Eugenio Mira is excellent behind the camera - Jon

Initial post by: Chris

Play one note wrong and you die. Try to get help and your wife dies. And I thought the symphony was boring.

Grand Piano was an intense thriller using a rather simple story. Tom Selznick (Elijah Wood) is making an on-stage comeback after previously freezing-up while playing a difficult piece five years earlier. During the comeback performance, which was encouraged by his actress-singer wife, he notices markings in the sheet music—given to him by an usher—and quickly learns that he’s being held hostage. Who would hold a pianist hostage—a locksmith that designed a mechanism in the piano being played which holds a key to Selznick’s deceased mentor’s lost fortune. Sounds bizarre. How is the key retrieved? By playing the last four bars of the difficult piece that Tom butchered years before. In order to release the key from the piano and not get himself or his wife killed, Tom has to change his performance pieces mid-concert, communicate by earpiece with an assassin and play the difficult musical composition by memory after the sheet music is destroyed.

Taking place in a concert hall, I must bring up the fantastic musical score, and even when there was no dialogue taking place, the music successfully set the tone—especially when the usher, played by Alex Winter (A.K.A. Bill S. Preston Esquire), slashed the girl’s throat with a shard from a broken mirror. I’m glad they didn’t show it and let the music portray the murder.

At one point, while playing, Tom successfully contacts a friend in the audience, played by Allen Leech of Downton Abbey fame, by secretly using his cell phone to call and text him. I thought this series was well-done as an initial attempt to outsmart the villain (played by John Cusack). Tom later improvises a duet with the conductor on keys and his wife from a balcony on vocals in order to search for the assassin.

I’m really glad the action didn’t progress out of the theater. When Tom was playing the broken piano in the moving truck at the end (yes, Wood and Cusack fall off the rafters in the climax and Cusack lands on the grand piano), I was half expecting Cusack to show up in the background and steal the key after it was revealed. Then there’d be car chases and a race to a vault and it would’ve been stupid. So glad this didn’t happen.

The length of the film was just right and I never found myself shaking the Wii remote to see how much time remained. And although the film was a thriller, it did show some hints of humor. “I think I broke my leg.” And I loved the Rock-afire Explosion reference. The concept of a symphony audience not knowing the difference when an incorrect note is played was also a nice touch, after Tom deliberately misplays the final note of the piece—to not release the key—but still receives a standing ovation.

I don’t have much negative to say on this one. The opening titles, although cool, did run a little bit long and that first song in the end credits was a bit annoying although appropriate.

All-in-all, I thought Grand Piano was very well-done, well-acted and entertaining. Despite being sequestered to the music hall, I thought all the leads interacted great together and created the necessary tension for the situations. I can see why it was nominated for the Saturn Award for best independent film. I’m giving this a solid B+

13 Comments

Chris

6/22/2015 02:29:31 pm

1st reply for direct comments about the main review. This prevents them from being bumped to the bottom.

Bryan

6/22/2015 02:30:00 pm

I appreciate the director throwing us in the mix as soon as humanly possible and showing a touch of the past as the movie progresses, but this lead to zero connection to any of the characters. Without any connection to the character, it was impossible to be drawn into what could have been Speed redo with a piano. At one point the marksman explained the heist about to go down, but I had a hard time understanding it.

The plot is interesting, but the dialogue was pretty hokey and I find his piano playing - text messaging to be a little too incredible. How he survived the beating and the fall so well at the end to continue on to play the piano was way too incredible. And how did he get in the truck? Weren’t the insurance guys the baddest dudes in town? I may have rolled my eyes at the ending, the last 20 minutes were atrocious.

A few saving graces for Grand Piano. First, they went through with killing off some sub-characters without batting an eye. I knew it was coming, but I wasn't’ sure they’d go through with it based on Kusak’s character constantly threatening and not following through. He must be a suburban dad. The story itself was a fun idea to create suspense - it’s a shame there was none.

I could recommend someone watch it for the story, but it was much too hokey and underdeveloped for my tastes. C-

Sean

6/23/2015 04:39:38 am

Cool concept with pretty good performances and great music.

I watched with Mindy who if any of you didn't know had a scholarship to attend UCONN on a music scholarship for piano. She rarely plays anymore, in my opinion its because she's mad she's not as good as she used to be and gets frustrated but you'll have that when you go from hours a day to hours a year.

Because of this I found things odd- 1st no warm up. Off the plane and change in the car and on stage to play. I remember when they had the piano contests at UE and they always put a shit load of pianos in the halls and you would see kids wearing gloves to keep their hands warm and doing warm-up exercises for their hands. 2nd, Elijah Wood doesn't touch a pedal in the whole movie, he pretends to while stomping his vibrating phone but you play piano with hands and feet.
I also thought the 2 friends who got killed were ridiculous. Their interaction together and when the phone rang in the theatre was completely unbelievable.

Frodo was otherwise solid, very good as nervous dude and as scared for his life dude. He gained confidence as he played because he was realizing he was at home at the keys.
I love all things Cusack.

B-

6/23/2015 04:46:48 am

I will say the conductor mentioning it then Frodo finally realizing the audience never knows when you miss a note was great. Cusack's character screwed up when he revealed the plan was heist related, revealing that he needed Tom alive to be able to pull off the heist.

6/25/2015 03:55:40 pm

Thanks for the actual piano knowledge. What were Mindy's thoughts on texting while playing? Seemed absurd to me.

Mindy

6/26/2015 03:40:49 am

There are definitely times where you play 1 handed, the absurdity was his ability to actually hit the keys on the phone so efficiently

6/26/2015 04:47:58 am

Phil, this is where my brain kills a movie. Take a movie that has a high degree of realism, and throw in virtually impossible physical feats. Or absurd plot advances like the doofus friends.

Phil

6/25/2015 06:16:56 am

“Grand Piano” may not have any high-minded goals, but as a thriller utilizing limited story-telling, it works for me. It was a solid concept that was well-executed and was done effectively given the constraint of nearly all the action occurring the in the concert hall.

I’ll start with Elijah Wood as Tom Selznick, who I really enjoyed. We had to portray a lot about Tom in the short exposition, and Wood was up to the task. The exposition gives us some commentary into classical music’s place in the modern world, as Tom is able to travel anonymously, and I liked his snide remark bashing the 21st century. I would bet quite a few classical musicians feel that way. We also get just enough tension from Tom to Emma that throughout the hostage situation, you have to wonder how much Tom would care if the gunman killed Emma.

Which brings us to John Cusack as Clem. I became more fascinated with VO roles after watching “Locke,” so I was curious how Cusack would do and when he would be revealed. I thought Cusack did great transforming from completely in control to melting down once Bill S. Preston started questioning the worth of their endeavor.

Like I said, there isn’t much going on here in the way of themes and messages – it’s a thriller, and I thought it was a good one. We haven’t done many thrillers here. “The Game” is the only one coming to mind, and that movie was long and ludicrous. I can appreciate that Grand Piano feels like it exists within the confines of a world that makes sense. Even though things get a little paint-by-number in the end, I liked that Clem had motives that made sense, as opposed to “Phone Booth,” which I couldn’t help but compare to this movie as the plot progressed. The third act was definitely a little goofy, as it felt like we had a fantastic concept that ended up a little muddled, but I won’t necessarily deduct points for a movie for its ending when I can’t come up with a better idea. The only other way it could have ended in my mind would have been Clem giving Tom one final lesson from his dead teacher, but once bodies started piling up, that was out the window. (Also, screenwriter Damien Chazelle probably thought about that and decided to write “Whiplash” next instead.)

+ Great concept
+ Wood and Cusack were great
+ Well done within limited storytelling
- Third act played out in an obligatory manner

Grade: B+

Jon

6/25/2015 05:01:57 pm

I recently watched a documentary called Ballet 422, in which a male ballerina (ballerino?) directs a ballet for an NYC performing company. No drama, no real conflict, just the science of creating art. You all can read my Exclusive review in 4 or 5 weeks, but suffice it to say, I was very much a fan. That theme, the sweat equity behind something beautiful, is undergirding Grand Piano and elevating it above its cousin Phone Booth (good catch, Phil). This would be fine as a straightforward cat-mouse thriller, but that thematic impact and some flashy direction kick it into the next level.

The main thing that jumps out at me about Tom Selznick is that he is that kid who gets B’s in high school without even trying. He could get A’s if he wanted to, but what’s wrong with a B average? The comparison doesn’t totally stick, because Tom’s on the top of the heap, but the part about levels of effort are the same. He’s only doing this whole concert because his wife put it all together, he doesn’t appear to take any joy in his preparation, and the act of playing onstage, sniper or no, is depicted as something as mundane as taking out the garbage. Tom’s specifically gifted in this way, and physically, he succeeds on a barely conscious level. That he has past trouble in the mental arena brings his near-alien talent down to earth, making this literal freak more knowable to the viewer.

His innate skills are what prove to be the lynchpin to Clem’s heist, and that’s something else I love about the angle Grand Piano takes. The audience is partaking in beauty for beauty’s sake, while the same action functions as Tom safe-cracking for Clem. Art depicted as something more than entertainment, specifically a riddle to be cracked, directly reminded me of one of the main reasons I love movies. Even in the context of a pat thriller like this one, that idea radiates out.

Phil also pointed out that Grand Piano was written by Damien Chazelle, who went on to direct the superlative Whiplash, and you can see some similarities between the two movies. Tom as Neiman and Clem as Fletcher is a nice comparison, though Clem’s insults and threats are less clever and more repetitive than Fletcher’s barrage. Neither Tom nor Neiman seem to enjoy what they’re doing, even as they are both great to very good at it. For both, what they’re doing is more a series of calculated, precise motions than art. I’ll echo praise of the ending, and I loved how thematically consistent it was with the idea that this is a mechanical skill and not an artistic one. The keys don’t make the right noises, or any noises, but Tom is still able to play this ‘unplayable’ piece perfectly, to no one’s benefit.

On top of the writing, Eugenio Mira is excellent behind the camera. He creates a spatial picture of the symphony hall with a series of long takes, such that it’s clear at all times where everyone is in relation to each other. The striking reds on and off the stage pop out of the frame. Whether that’s the way Mira designed it or that’s how the symphony hall was decorated, it looks fantastic. Just the frame of the stage, with the piano in the center, makes the film. Mira repeatedly starts a shot from a wide perspective and then gradually zooms in, putting the viewer in Clem’s frame of mind. Those long shots not only establish the space of the hall, but they also build tension, particularly when the camera’s watching the conductor play the piano and the viewer is waiting for the bodies to fall from the rafters. Lastly, a big, big shout-out to the cut from the throat getting cut to the bow being drawn across the violin. Those kind of clever touches make Grand Piano lighter than it could have been.

The other attempt to add levity to the film is the two uncultured friends. This one falls flat. Both characters are a complete waste that only serves to draw out the running time. They don’t play into the later events at all and their deaths have no ramifications. They’re only in there to be rude and annoying. I was rooting for their deaths long before they happened.

Despite that pretty big misstep, I’m a fan of Grand Piano. It hits some pet themes, it looks consistently great, Wood’s good in the lead, and Cusack’s got a future as a malevolent cartoon villain. Based on this, I think he could’ve subbed in as Ultron. Bad scenes with the pair of dumb-asses keep it out of the A’s, but this is a strong B.

6/26/2015 03:42:52 am

Ballerino

Shane

7/1/2015 07:37:16 pm

Agree on the shots. Well done on the camera work.

I also agree on the friends. Just seemed forced. Why did they have to be such putzes? Distractibgly bad.

Drew

6/28/2015 02:29:12 pm

You all hit the spots I would discuss so there is no need to reiterate the points.

This was a preposterous plot but it played out fairly well.

The musical play was amazing but the entire plot was completely unreal. The cliffhanging "Who shot JR?" ending was too much.

With all that being stated, this was not too bad.

Grade: B-

7/1/2015 07:35:19 pm

Frodo plays music
Plot is very much silly
Perfectly OK

C+

Grand Piano

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