The Pianist
User Score
8.6 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 171 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 157 out of 171
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 171
  3. Negative: 9 out of 171

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  1. DaveC.
    Sep 24, 2005
    4
    Can't go wrong with Adrien Brody, whose performance is, at once, intense and sympathetic, yet the character he is playing is little more than a void in the film, where we should in fact be thinking of him as the protagonist. Many sections of the film are risible where the ought to be taken seriously and at other times, I wasn't even convinced. The piano playing sequences are pretentious and obvious and the rest of the film feels like a missed opportunity. Why doesn't it tackle issues like the prejudices of slavic poles towards the jews. I never got the sense of what it might have felt like to be jew. Polanski has evidently been more pre-occupied with making a crowd-pleasing thrill ride. What a waste.… Expand
  2. T.P.
    Jan 6, 2003
    3
    A huge disappointment. An incredible story, very rudimentarily told. I was extremely bored during the second half. Did not like it at all. It does not bring anything new.
  3. stephenc.
    Aug 18, 2005
    2
    This film didn't take an angle to the events of the Holocaust, unless you count the fact that the lead could play a bit of piano. It showed the horror of the time but in a tasteless manner and really brought nothing new to the subject. Adrian Brody put on a sad face for the movie and won an oscar. An awful film.
  4. DavidM.
    Jun 14, 2005
    2
    The film is terribly contrived and appears to be sewn together from pieces of other Holocaust films, taking their drama, their imagery, their violence and their beauty, but leaving behind the reasons why we should care about these things. It's the type of film a Holocaust film enthusist would make, not a historian or a true film maker. I left this film feeling cheated that I never developed an understanding of any of the characters or any attachment to what was happening to them.… Expand
  5. BrianH.
    Jan 9, 2003
    1
    Wait, we could do a film about the Holocaust! What a great idea!!
  6. GabrielP.
    Jan 6, 2003
    0
    No wonder ALL the Holocaust fims get a 10 and an Oscar. Bet this is going to be another one. Polansky is only trying to make amends with Hollywood. Argh.
  7. Christopher
    Apr 13, 2003
    0
    Awful so boring!
  8. Shootsy
    Jan 3, 2003
    0
    Undeniable terrible history facts do not necessarily make a great piece of film making. Boring and way overrated.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
85 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 40 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 37 out of 40
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 40
  3. Negative: 0 out of 40
  1. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    91
    The result is a movie, and Cannes Palme d'Or winner, of riveting power and sadness, a great match of film and filmmaker -- and star, too.
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  2. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Desson Thomson
    100
    Polanski, himself a survivor of Nazi-occupied Poland, has created a near-masterpiece.
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  3. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Ty Burr
    100
    There are three Poles in The Pianist -- Szpilman, Polanski, and Frederic Chopin. Of the three, fittingly, Chopin speaks the loudest.
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