Pianomania 2009

Critics score:
80 / 100

Reviews provided by RottenTomatoes

Manohla Dargis, New York Times: Mr. Knupfer makes engaging company both because he keeps enviable company and because he's a full-on geek, though one possessed by pianos. Read more

Sam Adams, Time Out: When sitting through this detail-heavy documentary, nonaficionados may feel like they're watching paint dry, albeit in the company of an artist who savors each and every shade. Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: "Pianomania" is at times engaging but ultimately frustrating; you keep thinking that there's a better documentary nearby, just behind another door. Read more

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: I imagine what makes Knupfer such a talent is his extrasensory grasp of what each musician needs for each piece and piano. He trusts he can locate that abstract perfect disappearing, and, eventually, so do we. Read more

Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: Pianomania is the thoroughly apt title for a thoroughly enjoyable documentary about Stefan Knupfer, the chief technician and master tuner for Steinway & Sons Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: All those months spent following Knupfer pay off in this crisis, because the filmmakers have complete access to the most sensitive artistic discussions. Read more

Kyle Smith, New York Post: It has a pleasing smallness -- it's cinematic chamber music -- that almost makes you overlook its inability to really explain its subject. Read more

Trevor Johnston, Time Out: A captivating film not just for pianomaniacs. Read more

Dennis Harvey, Variety: Read more

Brian Miller, Village Voice: Directors Lilian Franck and Robert Cibis fail to plumb their subject's frustrations or any other insightful biographical details. Read more