MA 15+, 148 minutes
4 Stars
Review by © Jane Freebury
Every now and then we see a grand piano in long shot in this crime caper set in New York. Upright pianos are beside the point. It’s the grand variety that we’re talking about here. The big curvy ones that sit centre-stage for maestros in a large auditorium, or are a prestige fixture in a palatial home, rarely played but always in need of tuning.
Different worlds collide in this good-looking, pacey big city story where Niki (Leo Woodall) is a tuner apprenticed to Harry (Dustin Hoffman) who is close to retirement. As the pair do the rounds of clients, it is a treat to be inside their van as they chat about music on their way to the next assignment. It opens the way for a few bars of that lovely, postwar jazz ballad Tenderly, Harry’s favourite.
As always, Hoffman, now in his late eighties, fills the space effortlessly. Here the versatile actor is a kindly, befuddled mentor to a young man who has been inflicted with a disability that stops him from becoming the virtuoso pianist he was destined to be.
Different worlds collide in this assured, funny, big-city story
While piano tuners by trade, the two men each have hearing issues. There are buds firmly planted in Niki’s ears to block out the loud sounds that he finds intolerable due to his condition, known as hyperacusis. The intensity of his sensitivity and his sense of perfect pitch equip him so well, however, with the skills he needs for piano tuning. Harry, on the other hand, is hard of hearing.
Young English actor Woodall is a fine fit for the role of Niki, someone with talent to burn. In a scene with an ambitious advanced composition student Ruthie (Havana Rose Liu), who he meets while working at a music academy, she tests his pitch. It appears to be impeccable.
The duelling between them eventually turns into romantic attraction, though their relationship never loses its competitive dimension. As the attraction grows between these two opposite personalities and develops into romance it never quite loses this slightly awkward, duelling edge.
While helping Harry retrieve the hearing aids he had left in his safe then forgotten the code, Niki discovers that his hearing is so precise and acute that he can crack safes. It’s not the most conveniently transferable skill. One day, a gang of safe-cracking criminals, masquerading as security consultants, are working in the same apartment as Niki, making such a racket he can’t do his job properly. He solves the problem by chipping in with his newly acquired skill, and receives an unexpected job offer in return.
Both heist and romantic comedy, it’s a bet both ways
Harry and his wife Maria (Tovah Feldshuh) are like parents to young Niki, and he in turn feels responsible for them. When Harry has a heart event and must be rushed to emergency, Niki realises it will be impossible for the couple to pay the medical bills. Niki takes up the safe-cracking offer and things gets complicated.
With Harry gone, Niki needs protection. His vulnerable, subjective point-of-view is reflected in the quality of the sound design, another plus in this New York story, an assured piece of filmmaking.
It is also a pleasure to see Jean Reno make a brief appearance here, with slightly less screen time than Hoffman. As a renowned composer, Maessner, Reno has a kind of mentor role too, to aspiring composer Ruthie.
A doco about Russian dissident Navalny won an Oscar for Tuner director Daniel Roher a few years ago. His stylish change of pace here, co-written with Robert Ramsey, could have gone the way of either romantic comedy or heist movie. Deftly put together, this has a bet each way.
Published in the Canberra Times (12 June 2026) plus associated Australian Community Media outlets, and Rotten Tomatoes