Review of Grand Piano (2013) by Campbell P — 29 Jan 2016

Grand Piano has one of those plots that when you read it you are excited to see what the writers will do with it, but would ultimately fail to entertain with the outcome. This film breaks that rule... FOR THE MOST PART.

The plot of the film is that Tom Selznick (played by Elijah Wood) is playing a comeback concert after he screwed up a piece and became ridiculed but little did he suspect that tonight his piano playing would be put to the ultimate test.

If one note is played wrongly, him and his wife are dead. This movie succeeds in more things than expected, for one it is really a suspenseful film. I was on edge every time a new threat was brought into the mix and there were high stakes for sure.

Lives were on the line for good people and in front of a big audience. The acting was really good, with standouts being Elijah Wood of course because of how tense he looked throughout and Alex Winter who was surprisingly really creepy.

There's a price to pay in the end as expected, however. I was thoroughly enjoying myself throughout Grand Piano until the last 10 minutes. The ultimate reveal and way the villain was defeated was lame and disappointing.

Clem and Tom fall from high up resulting in Clem's death but also the death of high expectations. They fought over a gun that didn't even get close to being fired at someone in the end and didn't meet the suspense of the other part of the film.

I didn't understand what Clem's motive was for killing Tom and Emma either. He worked alongside the owner of the piano and I guess it made him angry that someone else brought it into public. It's really a weak motive and not interesting enough.

The complete ending after finishing the piece was also left on an unnecessary cliffhanger as to what he would do with the key that he earned. There's no moral to the story or character development except Tom dealing with stage fright which is hardly even a learning experience.

Grand Piano had me hooked until the last 10 minutes where it lost me and led to a disappointing fight and ending. B.