THE PIANO LESSON
Director: Malcolm Washington
Starring: John David Washington, Danielle Deadwyler, Samuel L. Jackson, Ray Fisher, Michael Potts, Corey Hawkins
Denzel Washington has been actively working at turning August Wilson’s plays into movies. We’ve seen Fences and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom earn critical acclaim. The latest is The Piano Lesson, which recently had a revival on Broadway. The story is set against the backdrop of July 4th in the 1930s. We see some Americans celebrating the country while others are fleeing, watching their homes go up in flames. The film centers around the Charles family. John David Washington plays Boy Willie Charles, who along with his friend Lymon, want to get their hands on a family piano hoping to sell it for money. Ray Fisher gives an outstanding performance as Lymon. The piano has been passed on from one generation to the next with intricate carvings detailing the family’s history on it. Boy Willie knows he can make a fortune on it, but his sister Berniece (Deadwyler) refuses to have it sold out from under the family. For her, there’s too much as stake, too much family history to let it out of their hands. Samuel L. Jackson plays their uncle, Doaker, who lives with Berniece and becomes embroiled in their mess. Now on Netflix
Here’s my review
