Well Deserved Praise

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

This is a "Spellbound" about music (for those you have seen this documentary about Spelling Bee competition). The film follows a group of pianists during a yearly Amateur Piano Competition held in Texas in the United States.The film is greatly edited, is entertaining and very witty. Moldovan housewife from the former USSR now living in California - Esfir is really touching, as well as an ophthalmologist from Alabama and many other contestants. There are software engineers, a TV producer, a flight attendant and a federal judge.They are all are over forty and have day jobs. And some of them have overcome something quite challenging in their lives - AIDS... heartbreak... political asylum...And, what is also important - the film celebrates great classical music: from Beethoven's The Tempest - to Rachmaninoff and Bach, Haydn and Chopin. A contestant or two will crash and burn on stage, but nobody's career will be ruined. In fact, there is nothing "amateur" about most of these pianists - some of them are brilliant - like Drew Mays - and they came to play for love, not for money.

As soon as this film is available on DVD I am going to buy twenty copies to keep on hand to give to my over 40 friends on their birthdays. The underlying message is "go for it!". In an age when many gifted people consider themselves failures if they don't reach the world fame level in their field, it's a refreshing reminder of the power and pleasure of art for art's sake. "They Came to Play" was a delightful peek, for a non-musician like myself, into the intriguing and whimsical minds of the musically gifted. It was also an extraordinary feat of editing. It would be interesting to know how many contestants the filmmaker followed in order to come up with the final set of featured individuals.

"They came to play" is as uplifting as it is inspiring, as funny as it is touching. The movie establishes a personal and intimate relationship with its characters – unique personalities indeed. Its flawless change of perspective from the main characters, everyday individuals with real-life problems, and a passion to play the piano at the highest level, to their families, and the awed audience of the Van Cliburn Classical piano competition for Amateurs creates a perfect pace for this documentary and involves the movie audience in this incredible experience of fulfilling dreams in spite of life's many obstacles. For music lovers, the performances and musical choices are an exquisite treat. Without giving away the stories that this movie tells so piercingly, the choice of characters and participants is beautifully varied, and any viewers may find a little bit of themselves in these incredible individuals. Doubtlessly, this movie is an inspiration for those afflicted with a life-long love for music, regardless of where life has taken them. Beyond filling musical hearts with joy, however, this labor of love is so caringly crafted that it also warms the souls of non-musicians. The message is clear, whatever your background, whatever your interest, live your dream. Enrich your life at home, in your family, at work, and the lives of those around you, by tenaciously pursuing that passion that is uniquely you; like a true lover would.

This movie is a joy to watch and clearly shows how to live life well no matter what we do for a living. It was well received at both Lincoln Center at Juilliard and at Rockefeller University.The film brings explores the blessings that music brings us and it lifts us up in unexpected ways. It shows us how the spirit inside of each of us can be reborn and filled with love and passion even when we are in our darkest moment addicted to drugs and having lost everything. And through the human spirit of triumph, music can bring people together and become married and it can even drive them away from each other as result of their differing passion for the subject.The film also shows us how music brings joy to a man afflicted by aids who soul searches for why he is different. And yet his message is deep for why he is alive while his partner had passed on. The film shows the goodness of this man and how special he is. The film also shows how the love of music triumphs becoming a fearless force so that nothing can kill the hope, the dreams that one has even if we struggle with our hearing because of cancer. I, also personally witnessed how the film inspired the audience. When watching the film, I sat next to a former Van Cliburn professional contestant from 40 years ago and the film made him contemplate the thought of playing again after putting down a deep love and career many years ago. So this film is a passion that does not leave us no matter how life gets in the way. It brings people together the way music does. Its nature is that of music and it inspires us to live life well.