Follows the lives of the Charles family as they deal with themes of family legacy and more, in deciding what to do with an heirloom, the family piano.

The third in a trilogy of August Wilson plays that Denzel Washington has adapted from the stage to the screen is ‘The Piano Lesson’, a southern gothic story about the Charles family, and the family heirloom piano that connects them all to their past, their present and their future. Unlike in ‘Fences’, the Oscar Nominated first movie adapted, Denzel doesn’t star (too busy causing chaos in Ancient Rome I suspect), but produces, with his son Malcolm directing and other son John David starring in an ensemble cast alongside Samuel L. Jackson, Danielle Deadwyler and Ray Fisher amongst others.

The story takes place largely in 1936 Pittsburgh during the Great Depression, and follows the lives and conflicted relationships of Doaker Charles (Samuel L. Jackson) and his family, which often tie back to good and bad memories surrounding the piano. We learn that the piano is decorated with designs carved by an enslaved ancestor and there is a suspicion that it may be slightly haunted. The haunting in this case can be viewed both literally and metaphorically with the scars of slavery in the recent past still having a large hold over those living today.

Like ‘Fences’ and ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ before this, it is a handsomely produced tale and August Wilson was clearly a good writer, but there is no doubting the origins of ‘The Piano Lesson’ lie in the stage, and there is not nearly enough done here to make this work as a movie in its own right. That is to say we have lots of eloquent, dialogue heavy shouting matches between characters in enclosed spaces which are ripped straight from the stage, and it prevents any efforts to broaden the scope to cinema to work successfully. There are some excellent performances here, Danielle Deadwyler especially, but I felt as a movie, this doesn’t really work and like those previously mentioned adaptations, the stage is clearly where these stories are at their best.

Rating: 3/5

Directed By: Malcolm Washington

Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington, Danielle Deadwyler, Ray Fisher, Corey Hawkins, Michael Potts, Skylar Aleece Smith, Stephan James and Erykah Badu

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt15507512/