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The Pianist Review

Other Critics provided by Metacritic.com

Critics scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 5.0
    85

    out of 100

    Metascore®
    Universal acclaim
    based on a weighted average of all
    critic review scores.

  • 100

    out of 100

    Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

    A great movie on a powerful, essential subject -- the Holocaust years in Poland -- directed with such artistry and skill that, as we watch, the barriers of the screen seem to melt away.

    Read Full Review

  • 50

    out of 100

    Variety Todd McCarthy

    Surprisingly lacks a feeling of personal urgency and insight that would have made it a distinctive, even unique contribution to the considerable number of films that deal with the war in general and Holocaust in particular.

    Read Full Review

  • 60

    out of 100

    Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern

    Astonishing visually and problematic dramatically.

  • 88

    out of 100

    USA Today Mike Clark

    With this 2002 Cannes Film Festival best-picture winner, Polanski skips the quirky flourishes and simply brings history to life.

    Read Full Review

  • 88

    out of 100

    Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

    The closing scenes of the movie involve Szpilman's confrontation with a German captain named Wilm Hosenfeld -- Polanski's direction of this scene, his use of pause and nuance, is masterful.

    Read Full Review

  • 90

    out of 100

    Los Angeles Times Manohla Dargis

    Never before has a fiction film so clearly and to such devastating effect laid out the calculation of the Nazi machinery of death and its irrationality.

    Read Full Review

  • 90

    out of 100

    The New York Times Dana Stevens

    Polanski, who was a Jewish child in Krakow when the Germans arrived in September 1939, presents Szpilman's story with bleak, acid humor and with a ruthless objectivity that encompasses both cynicism and compassion.

    Read Full Review

  • 91

    out of 100

    Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

    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.

    Read Full Review

  • See all The Pianist reviews at Metacritic.com

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For Families provided by Common Sense Media

OK for kids 16+

True story of a Jewish pianist; OK for older kids.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this is clearly not a movie for children. However, in addition to being an excellent work of art, it's an instructive movie for teenagers who take for granted the comfort and stability of their world. War isn't glamorous, and the most principled and courageous people are among its first victims. This is an excellent movie about survival, fate, and values. It's a very worthwhile movie for young adults. Parents should know that the movie has strong language and graphic and horrific violence, including casual murder of Jews.

  • Families can talk about why movies like this one, which is based on a true story, are so important, even today. Are there any current events you can think of that are similar to the plight of Jews in World War II?

What to watch for
  • violence false4

    Violence: Intense violence, characters killed in Holocaust. Explosions. Total devastation of towns after bombings.

  • sex false0

    Sex: Not an issue

  • language false4

    Language: Very strong language.

  • consumerism false0

    Consumerism: Not an issue

  • drugsalcoholtobacco false1

    Drinking, drugs and smoking: Mild.

An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology.

© Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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Fan Reviews provided by

Average Rating: 4.054
Read all reviews Write a review at Fandango
5

Incredibly moving by johnny4340
The movie was unlike any other and truly showed the holocaust from an average Jewish families point of view.

4

by Brig NorwayFrance

Read all The Pianist reviews at Fandango
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