Samuel L Jackson's new movie debuts with 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating
Samuel L Jackson's new movie The Piano Lesson has debuted with a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Star Wars prequels and The Incredibles duology actor stars in this latest adaptation of August Wilson's 1987 play, which focuses on a Great Depression-era Black family divided on what to do with a piano heirloom – should they sell the instrument to buy some land, or keep it due to its emotional importance to the family?
This new film version of The Piano Lesson, which also stars Justice League's Ray Fisher, P-Valley's Danielle Deadwyler, The Creator's John David Washington, 24: Legacy's Corey Hawkins, Rustin's Michael Potts and singer-songwriter Erykah Badu, premiered at the Telluride Film Festival ahead of its release in November.
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From the 13 reviews that Rotten Tomatoes is currently using, all of them are generally positive, leading to its 100% score. Here's what some of them say about the film:
TheWrap
"Samuel L Jackson is hilarious as Doaker and serves as the anchor for the entire piece. Deadwyler is equally powerful, one of the best and brightest talents of her generation. However, John David Washington is transformatively magnificent as Boy Willie. His command of this character is complex, layered and empathetic all in one fell swoop."
Variety
"While most of the cast is the same that appeared on Broadway, the movie is undeniably Deadwyler's show. With The Piano Lesson, Wilson wrote one of the great female roles of his career, and in Deadwyler, we get a leading lady who smolders even when silent, finding layers even the author couldn't have anticipated."
Entertainment Weekly
"Malcolm Washington makes his directorial debut with the film and it's a potent showcase for his visionary, promising skills as a filmmaker. There are segments of The Piano Lesson, particularly in the early expository sequences, that feel a bit stagey and indebted to the work's theatrical origins. But, by and large, Washington both expands and zooms in on the world in uniquely cinematic ways."
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The Hollywood Reporter
"Deadwyler and Washington bounce well off each other. Their performances are particularly dynamic when Boy Willie and Berniece negotiate the details of family legacy. In one striking scene, Alexandre Desplat's thundering score highlights the stakes of these verbal tussles. Credit must be given to Corey Hawkins, too, who shines."
Screen Daily
"Sometimes the Southern Gothic derived bumps in the night are not wholly interwoven, and the narrative can lose its propulsiveness due to the abundant characters and storylines. Yet The Piano Lesson is not only a strong debut by Malcolm Washington, but also sings the song of a people with uncommon reverence."
The Piano Lesson will have a brief cinema release in November, before streaming on Netflix.
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