Wow, this was so dumb that I could barely make it through the movie! An already nervous pianist/performer, now has to play an extremely technical and difficult piece, after 5 years off. And now he has a gun to his head while on stage, has distracting & threatening conversations on a cell phone, while playing before a packed house!??? Concert pianists need full focus on the performance, without any distractions, to play it right. WOW, this was really dumb!!!

I really like movies build around a simple concept playing out in near real-time. And this is one of them. It's really fast paced and never gets boring with that. I was surprised by how incredibly well shot it was with a lot of long fluid sweeping shots. The two central performances are pretty great. Some of the cast really isn't but it gets away with it very well. The explanation for the set-up may not make much sense but it's easy to forgive since I don't think the movie is really asking to be taken that seriously. It's probably not going to impact your life much but to simply pass the time with this movie is terrific light entertainment..

If you like funky piano music then the opening credits are worth the admission fee, but from thereon this film heads downhill fast. The film is murdered by its many clumsy plot movements, until you are left hoping there is a punchline to make it all worthwhile. But there isn't. Indeed the end is the clumsiest part of the film, and it is not as if the actors make anymore sense of anything than we do.Okay there is some nice music to listen too, but, for the rest, it isn't that good to look at, and it tries to be clever with plot distractions that fail miserably.I will not be watching it again to see what I may have missed.

Grand Piano is one of those small, independent features that often no one pays mind to which is a darn shame. Essentially speaking, it is the little thriller that could. No doubt, it's a small film but this is a piece of art. The film is very similar to 2002's Phone Booth, but instead of a phone booth, it takes place on a piano during a concert. The movie is riveting, tense, features fine acting, and a tight screenplay by Damian Chazelle, whom we will meet later on in great detail. This film is about a gifted piano player named Tom Selznick who embarks on a comeback trail after spending several years in retirement and suffers from stage fright. However, a sniper leaves a note saying if he plays one wrong note, he will die. Elijah Wood delivers a fearful performance as Selznick. He hits all the right notes, figuratively and literally speaking. His paranoia is intense as he tries to find the identity of his killer. John Cusack, or I shall say mostly his voice, delivers a fine performance as the man who wants Tom to play all the right notes for a specific reason. Overall, Grand Piano is a riveting thriller and a better movie than the kind of release date would inspire. The screenplay was excellent and likewise for the acting. The ending could have been better as I felt the movie ended at the wrong time. An additional five minutes would suffice. But on the whole, this is the little thriller that could.My Grade: B+/A-