--- title: "The Piano Lesson: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-piano-lesson/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-piano-lesson" critics_score: 71 critics_reviews: 12 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Piano Lesson (2024): what the critics said Critics' score 71 from 12 reviews: 7 positive, 5 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics like the film without quite loving it, and the spread is narrow: no review is negative, and the reservations repeat from one piece to the next. The praise clusters on Danielle Deadwyler, whose Berniece is named again and again as the performance of the film, with Samuel L Jackson’s peacemaker close behind and the ensemble, several of them carrying over their stage roles, credited for the fluency of the family arguments. Malcolm Washington’s debut direction is generally thought handsome and promising. The doubts gather around the move from stage to screen. The Guardian, Empire and The Telegraph all find it stagey and mannered, and several reviews think the shifts between comedy, family drama and the ghost story late on are clumsily handled, with the horror never fully paying off. The one real split is over rank: Paste calls it the strongest of the three Denzel Washington-produced Wilson adaptations, while Collider calls it the weakest. ## Time Out — Zandra Odetunde Rating 4/5. 7 November 2024. The film brings generational trauma and family legacy to life with elegance, rawness, and unexpected humour through the central piano heirloom and layered performances. It balances pain and joy in a cathartic, uplifting way that resonates across generations. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-piano-lesson-review-2024) ## The AV Club — Jacob Oller Rating B. 21 November 2024. The film sets the story free through gripping allegorical elements and strong ensemble work, especially from Jackson and Potts, though some supernatural additions risk turning into sloppy horror; it maintains Wilson's spirit in a tense family debate. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-piano-lesson-review) ## Empire — Steph Green Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 19 November 2024. The adaptation feels stagey and does not significantly elevate the play, with clumsy transitions between comedy, drama and horror. Danielle Deadwyler as Berniece stands out as the most valuable player, distilling inherited anguish with earthy authenticity. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-piano-lesson/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 10 November 2024. Danielle Deadwyler and Samuel L Jackson shine in Malcolm Washington’s debut feature, based on Wilson’s haunting family drama set in 1930s Pittsburgh. The film is a handsome production and an impressive debut but like the previous two pictures it’s stagey and mannered – a film that never quite sheds its theatrical roots. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/nov/10/the-piano-lesson-review-malcolm-washington-handsome-if-stagey-august-wilson-adaptation-danielle-deadwyler-samuel-l-jackson-denzel-washington) ## Radio Times — James Mottram Rating 6.2/10. The well-meaning adaptation struggles to escape its theatrical origins despite an intimate ensemble cast familiar with the material and standout work from Danielle Deadwyler. Sluggish pacing and a confined setting blunt its impact until a surprising fabulist ending. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-6nu85q/the-piano-lesson/) ## Little White Lies — Leila Latif Rating 3/3/3. 8 November 2024. Malcolm Washington’s directorial debut is a handsome but middling adaptation that lands between faithful stagebound and fully cinematic, with strong performances but tonal shifts that expose seams. It serves as a solid foundation for future work rather than a standout achievement. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-piano-lesson) ## The Telegraph — Tim Robey Rating 3/5. 7 November 2024. Festival review. Samuel L Jackson is quietly magnificent as the peacemaker in this fitful August Wilson drama. The film borrows the trappings of an exorcism flick but can’t quite pay off as horror and staginess still wins over a genuine battle with the spirit world. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/the-piano-lesson-lff-review/) ## IndieWire — Caleb Hammond 1 September 2024. Malcolm Washington's directorial debut is a promising but uneven adaptation that leans heavily on its strong ensemble cast, particularly standout sequences and acting prowess, while introducing a new talent. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-piano-lesson-review-malcolm-washington-1235042873/) ## Screen Daily 6 September 2024. Festival review. Malcolm Washington’s adaptation features beautifully rendered compositions and powerhouse performances from the Washington family and ensemble in this family affair production. It promises deep resonance with Black audiences and awards voters following its festival premieres. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-piano-lesson-toronto-review/5196937.article) ## Sight and Sound 7 November 2024. The adaptation successfully opens out the play with cinematic flashbacks and gothic haunting elements while preserving the core sibling conflict over the family piano. It adds to traditions of Southern gothic and spectral returns in African American storytelling through strong ensemble performances. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/piano-lesson-august-wilson-adaptation-adds-rich-tradition-southern-gothic-storytelling) ## Slant Magazine — Seth Katz 5 November 2024. The earnest adaptation features strong performances, especially from Deadwyler, but strains for visual dynamism at the expense of the play's natural rhythms, feeling like a tribute rather than a fully realized cinematic work. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-piano-lesson-review-danielle-deadwyler-august-wilson/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Lovia Gyarkye 31 August 2024. Festival review. Danielle Deadwyler delivers an electric, central performance as Berniece that anchors the film, but Malcolm Washington's reverential adaptation is often too faithful to the stage play and struggles to fully transcend it cinematically. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-piano-lesson-review-danielle-deadwyler-august-wilson-1235988837/) ## The New York Times — Alissa Wilkinson 21 November 2024. The film adaptation of August Wilson’s play is vital viewing despite some specific flaws. The critic highlights the central piano as a powerful symbol containing a family’s history, trauma, and resilience. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/21/movies/the-piano-lesson-review.html) ## The Times Rating ★★★★☆. 8 November 2024. Newbie director Malcolm Washington puts his trust in Wilson’s words, the play’s complex characterisations and the phenomenal performances from his never better cast. Deadwyler is fiercely compelling as Berniece and is the performance of the film. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/the-piano-lesson-review-denzel-washington-danielle-deadwyler-ray-fisher-vt8nqn7gp) ## Variety — Peter Debruge 5 September 2024. Festival review. The Washington family delivers a powerful screen adaptation of Wilson’s play that is undeniably Danielle Deadwyler’s show. The critic praises the lead performance and the film’s engagement with themes of family legacy while noting some dialogue feels stage-bound. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2024/film/reviews/the-piano-lesson-review-1236125994/) ## Vulture 8 November 2024. Festival review. The adaptation adds flashbacks and expressionistic elements but cannot fully live up to Wilson's play, resulting in a work that lives uncomfortably between theater and film while remaining worthwhile and occasionally moving. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/the-piano-lesson-review-cant-live-up-to-august-wilsons-play.html) ## Paste — Tara Bennett Rating 8.9/10. 22 November 2024. Malcolm Washington's feature debut is the strongest of the three Denzel Washington-produced August Wilson adaptations, thanks to his fresh eyes, confident direction, and inventive approach to the play's themes and subtext. The critic singles out the film's effective expansion of the story beyond the stage and its potent incorporation of gothic supernatural elements that heighten the emotional payoff. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/the-piano-lesson/the-piano-lesson-review-netflix-malcolm-washington-debut-samuel-jackson-john-david-washington) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 1 September 2024. Festival review. The review celebrates the powerful adaptation, praising the performances of Samuel L. Jackson, Danielle Deadwyler, and especially John David Washington as Boy Willie. It notes the film's vivid imagery and Malcolm Washington's successful directorial debut in bringing the play to screen. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/the-piano-lesson-malcolm-washington-samuel-l-jackson-telluride/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 31 August 2024. Festival review. The critic praises the film's adaptation of August Wilson's play, highlighting how it merges blues tradition and family issues while expanding on ghostly elements effectively. They single out the strong performances, especially from the cast reprising Broadway roles, and commend Malcolm Washington's direction in honoring the source material. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2024/08/the-piano-lesson-review-denzel-washington-family-august-wilson-1236073452/) ## Collider — Ross Bonaime Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 21 September 2024. Festival review. The film is the weakest of the recent August Wilson adaptations but remains a strong and captivating presentation of the playwright's work. Malcolm Washington makes an admirable directorial debut by expanding the stage play for the screen in effective ways, particularly in the horror-leaning final third, while the cast elevates the material, with Danielle Deadwyler singled out for her standout performance. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-piano-lesson-review/) ## The Playlist — Gregory Ellwood Rating B-. 1 September 2024. Festival review. The critic finds Malcolm Washington's adaptation the most successful screen version of an August Wilson play to date, crediting Danielle Deadwyler's fiery central performance and the director's cinematic vision. Some repetitive stage-bound scenes and an overly intense turn by John David Washington slightly hinder the film. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/the-piano-lesson-review-danielle-deadwyler-isnt-here-for-sibling-foolishness-telluride-20240901/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-piano-lesson.md