The Piano Lesson
Netflix | Release Date (Streaming): November 6, 2024 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
69
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 40 Critic Reviews
Positive:
28
Mixed:
12
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Original-CinLiz BraunNov 7, 2024
The Piano Lesson is a hugely energetic, albeit often bittersweet, film. Read full review
91
Entertainment WeeklyMaureen Lee LenkerSep 4, 2024
August Wilson is a poet of the American stage. In the hands of this remarkable cast and Washington's assured direction, Wilson's work finds its best conduit to the screen yet. Read full review
90
Screen DailyRobert DanielsSep 16, 2024
Deadwyler is the heart and soul of a film whose every inch is deeply felt. Read full review
89
Paste MagazineTara Bennett Nov 22, 2024
The Piano Lesson is an adaptation, and a directorial debut that absolutely has me excited for what he attempts next. Read full review
88
The Seattle TimesMoira MacdonaldNov 8, 2024
The performances feel wonderfully lived-in, particularly Jackson’s weary, noble Doaker and Deadwyler’s brave, watchful Berniece, a widowed mother determined to make a good life for her daughter and leave the past in the past. Read full review
88
RogerEbert.comPeyton RobinsonNov 7, 2024
Uniting with a star-studded trio – his brother John David Washington, Samuel L. Jackson, and Danielle Deadwyler – Washington's study of inheritances (trauma, wealth, and history) is a powerful portrayal of Black lineage in America. Read full review
80
We Got This CoveredCarolyn JenkinsNov 25, 2024
Wilson’s work finds a foothold in cinema in a stunning debut by Malcolm Washington and the moving performances from all the actors. Read full review
80
The Daily BeastNick SchagerNov 15, 2024
An agonized drama about the burden of yesteryear and the conflicting ways to embrace and transcend it—one that’s rich in character, conflict, detail, desire, and history. Read full review
80
The TimesKevin MaherNov 8, 2024
Mostly 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. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalKyle SmithNov 7, 2024
The film is a scintillating drama that explores a weighty historical dispute with Gothic flair. Read full review
80
Time OutZandra OdetundeNov 7, 2024
The Piano Lesson strikes a perfect balance, showing us that the past isn’t just about trauma but is laced with moments of jubilance. It’s cathartic and moving – a reminder that strength and survival go hand in hand. Read full review
80
The TelegraphTim RobeyOct 11, 2024
Jackson inhabits the film beautifully, if more gently: in the role of peacemaker and sounding board, he’s the least pushy of all these performers, but finds the music in Wilson’s words and wastes none of it. Read full review
80
Screen RantPatrice WitherspoonSep 19, 2024
The Piano Lesson captures the importance of honoring our ancestors through legacy. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliJul 10, 2025
With impeccable period details, top-notch performances, and the text of one of the 20th century’s most lauded plays, The Piano Lesson represents one of Netflix’s stronger unsung late-2024 drops. Read full review
75
ObserverOliver JonesNov 25, 2024
That sense of history grabbing you by the throat was still there—it’s all but impossible to drain that quality out of any iteration of the plays in Wilson’s towering Pittsburgh Cycle—but the grip on your windpipe was not nearly as tight as it should be. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubJacob OllerNov 21, 2024
In The Piano Lesson, the ghosts are as tangible as they’ve ever been, and the film barely containing them is as weathered and tense as any family in need of a séance. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperNov 8, 2024
The Piano Lesson is occasionally overwrought, yet proves to be a worthy adaptation of a classic play. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeOdie HendersonNov 7, 2024
This Denzel Washington family affair (Washington and his daughter, Katia, produced it, his son directed it, and his other son plays the lead) is well worth watching. It captures the spirit of Wilson’s magnificent prose, moving the audience the way the author intended. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleNov 6, 2024
The film is a showcase for a talented ensemble of Black actors, not the least of whom is Samuel L. Jackson, who plays Doaker, an older, mellow wise man. Read full review
75
The Associated PressLindsey BahrNov 6, 2024
Regardless of your familiarity with Wilson’s Pittsburgh Cycle, “The Piano Lesson” is a worthwhile, captivating and moving watch full of charismatic performers. Read full review
75
LarsenOnFilmJosh LarsenOct 17, 2024
It’s the performances that ultimately carry the film. Read full review
70
TimeStephanie ZacharekNov 25, 2024
The film’s rhythms occasionally falter—this is Malcolm Washington’s feature debut, and it's an ambitious project for a beginner. But the inherent strength of the material always shines through, largely thanks to Deadwyler. Read full review
70
The New York TimesAlissa WilkinsonNov 21, 2024
What’s great about the movie is its performances. John David Washington brings fire to his role, matched by Deadwyler’s coolly furious resolve. Jackson’s role has him mostly observing, but he’s a magnetic presence. And Fisher is phenomenal, embodying a character who seems oblivious and a little dense but, it turns out, is more than meets the eye. Still, as a film, The Piano Lesson is the weakest of the Denzel Washington-produced Pittsburgh Cycle. Read full review
70
ColliderRoss BonaimeSep 24, 2024
Malcolm Washington shows himself to be a capable director, expanding this story in the ways he can while staying true to the source material. This cast also knows how to elevate Wilson's words beautifully, whether it's sticking close to a more stagelike performance or bringing new life to this story, as Deadwyler does. Read full review
70
VarietyPeter DebrugeSep 12, 2024
While most of the cast is the same that appeared on Broadway, the movie is undeniably Deadwyler’s show. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterLovia GyarkyeSep 12, 2024
The director has assembled a strong cast, whose committed performances do the playwright’s famed drama justice. But the duty can also be limiting, and there are times when The Piano Lesson is too faithful, struggling to shake the specter of the stage. Read full review
67
The PlaylistGregory EllwoodSep 12, 2024
Malcolm Washington, Denzel’s youngest son, has his own secret weapons to assist him in his feature directorial debut. The first is a scintillatingly stellar performance from Danielle Deadwyler. The second is Washington’s impressive artistic vision which proves that a love of cinema truly does run in the family. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineSeth KatzNov 5, 2024
This film feels at times like the earnest result of a group of artists paying tribute to a great playwright rather than a fully realized work of its own. Read full review
60
NMEHollie GeraghtyDec 6, 2024
Exploring themes of ancestral reparations and generational grief, The Piano Lesson is powerful on paper, but unremarkable on the screen. Read full review
60
Rolling StoneDavid FearNov 21, 2024
Yes, The Piano Lesson hits a few bum notes. Its melody nonetheless remains intact. Read full review
60
EmpireSteph GreenNov 19, 2024
This drama works best when it’s not taking its cues directly from its source material. It may not be always totally compelling, but Deadwyler elevates every scene she’s in. Read full review
60
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeNov 11, 2024
It’s a handsome production, and an impressive debut from first-time director Malcolm Washington, Denzel’s son. But like the previous two pictures, it’s stagey and mannered – a film that never quite sheds its theatrical roots. Read full review
60
Little White LiesLeila LatifNov 8, 2024
Much like what the film’s themes speak to, this debut alludes to a brighter future, and serves best as the foundation upon which Malcolm Washington’s greatness will be built upon rather than a monument to it. Read full review
60
ABC NewsPeter TraversNov 8, 2024
Neither a filmed play nor an actual movie, the muddled screen version of August Wilson’s great drama about systemic wrongs against Black America is a mixed bag but also a stirring promise from producer Denzel Washington and his family to preserve the work of a theatrical master. Read full review
60
The GuardianPeter BradshawNov 7, 2024
The ensemble cast work wonderfully and intuitively together; I loved the surges of emotion, and then the palate-cleansing moments of silence and calm. The song is a tremendous setpiece and the dialogue has a music of its own. Read full review
60
The Irish TimesDonald ClarkeNov 6, 2024
The interaction between these fine actors – John David Washington, the director’s brother, continues his rise – keeps the production tasty even as, in later stages, it gives into something like desperation. Read full review
60
The GuardianRadheyan SimonpillaiSep 11, 2024
There’s a struggle throughout the movie to marry the human emotions to the surreal and supernatural spectacle. Read full review
58
IndieWireCaleb HammondSep 12, 2024
Malcolm Washington’s adaptation of The Piano Lesson is referential, often overly so, and while this version contains its fair share of standout sequences along with Oscar-ready performances, the film never fully coalesces into an effective, singular, emotional narrative. Read full review
50
Washington PostTy BurrNov 8, 2024
The Piano Lesson offers a spirited if uneven testimony to the playwright’s great gifts. Read full review
50
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriSep 13, 2024
When it succeeds, it’s impressive. But it also can’t hold a candle to Wilson’s original, and it can’t reconcile the fundamental tension between theater and film. Read full review
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