Awful. Couldn't wait for it to end. (Possible spoilers)

Rating: Null/10 (14 January 2003)

We know nothing about the hero of the movie or his family. Instead, we are simply droppped into their lives with no sense of character or context. In this manner, material with obvious visceral impact is stripped of any kind of dramatic thrust or force. I couldn't tell you two things about the Brody character, or one thing about any of the other characters, so how can I be expected to care about them on any but the simplest level that they represent actual people with whose sad stories I am already acquainted? What we do get are countless, endless shots of Brody pretending to play the piano. The music is good but certainly not memorable; I can't imagine wanting the soundtrack. But what are we in the audience to do during these scenes, other than to yawn, shift in our seats and pray for relief? Polanski includes certain scenes with undeniable visceral impact but seems to take all a little bit too much pleasure in the prettiness of his staging. The endless, deadly dull "Pianist" will have you hissing at the end -- if you make it that far.