Reviews
CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

February 5, 2025
7.0
Luckily for “Manek” (Navin Chowdhry), he has a school teacher who knows a prodigy when she sees one, and so recommends to his recently single-mother “Sushila” (Shabana Azmi) that she send him to the eponymous piano teacher (Shirley MacLaine). She’s rather an eccentric woman but she instantly recognises that this lad has skills - and, that he has a few issues too. As his home life becomes more strained and his mum’s business goes down the tubes he begins to lose focus. That’s only made worse by her upstairs neighbour “Jenny” (Twiggy) with whom he becomes just a little bit obsessed. It may be that the rapport between teacher and pupil and a forthcoming chance to prove his mastery of the piano on a grand scale are the necessary steps “Manek” needs to take as he nears an adulthood he craves? It helps that there are some gorgeous piano solos from Chopin and Schumann here, and I thought that aside from turning in a solid effort as the young lad, Chowdhry also did a mean job on the piano-synch work too. Dame Peggy Ashcroft’s “Lady Emily” provides, sparingly, for a benign influence on the proceedings but it’s really all about a MacLaine who portrays her flawed, proud and frustrated character - and I think she does it with some skill. There’s that horrible adage about people who can do and people who can’t teach - and to an extent you see her character almost jealous of the potential of her young charge as he gradually, under her sometimes quite aggressive tutelage, begins to show his true potential! It’s quite an intricately knitted combination of the prolific with the obligatory melodrama, but that latter familial discord element is kept to manageable levels that leaves us with quite an engaging combo of veteran and newcomer and there’s even a ditty from Twiggy, too. The production design is classy, the dialogue doesn’t let the story hang about and though it does sag a little from time to time, is still worth a watch.

Recommendation Movies

7.3
Animation
View
7.3
Robin Hood
Robin Hood1973
5.4
Comedy
View
5.4
Used People
Used People1992
6.9
Drama
View
6.9
Passengers
Passengers2016
7.5
Horror
View
7.5
The Conjuring
The Conjuring2013
7.6
Science Fiction
View
7.6
Blade Runner 2049
Blade Runner 20492017
8
Crime
View
8
The Wolf of Wall Street
The Wolf of Wall Street2013
7.6
Action
View
7.6
Avatar
Avatar2009
6.8
Action
View
6.8
Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel2019
7.6
Action
View
7.6
Mad Max: Fury Road
Mad Max: Fury Road2015
6.3
Action
View
6.3
Men in Black II
Men in Black II2002
7.9
Drama
View
7.9
Titanic
Titanic1997
7.3
Family
View
7.3
Wreck-It Ralph
Wreck-It Ralph2012
8.6
Drama
View
8.6
The Godfather
The Godfather1972
7.7
Action
View
7.7
The Dark Knight Rises
The Dark Knight Rises2012
7.3
Fantasy
View
7.3
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them2016
6.9
Horror
View
6.9
Sinister
Sinister2012
8.4
Adventure
View
8.4
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring2001
8.7
Drama
View
8.7
The Shawshank Redemption
The Shawshank Redemption1994
6.8
Adventure
View
6.8
Iron Man 2
Iron Man 22010
7.4
Adventure
View
7.4
Life of Pi
Life of Pi2012
© 2025 MoovieTime. All rights reserved.Made with Nuxt