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Poster for They Shot the Piano Player

They Shot the Piano Player

Seen it?

2023 | 104 min | Animation, Drama, History

Saturday Specialearly rating

Why it’s a Saturday Special

It earned strong reviews (74% on Rotten Tomatoes), despite a box office flop. A strong pick for the weekend.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Made for animation lovers and history buffs. If you loved Air or Loving Vincent, start here.
The mood
Feel-good.
The pace
Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 44 min.
What might put you off
Rated PG-13. Probably too much for younger kids.

New York, 2010. Jeff Harris, a music journalist, sets out to uncover the truth about Francisco Tenório Júnior, a young Brazilian samba-jazz pianist who disappeared in Buenos Aires on March 18, 1976.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsStrong

    74% on Rotten Tomatoes, 73 on Metacritic

  • AudiencesNot counted

    Not measured yet: not enough ratings

  • AwardsWeak

    0 wins and 4 nominations from smaller awards and festivals

  • Box office & staying powerWeak

    $337K worldwide

  • Buzz & cultural impactWeak

    About 12K people sought it out in the past year

Trailer

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Cast & crew

Directed by Fernando Trueba, Javier Mariscal

  • Jeff GoldblumJeff Harris (voice)
  • Tony RamosJoão (voice)
  • Abel AyalaClaudio Vellejos (voice)
  • Roberta WallachJessica (voice)
  • Vinicius de MoraesSelf (archive audio)
  • João GilbertoSelf (archive audio)
  • Gilberto GilSelf (voice)
  • Milton NascimentoSelf (voice)
  • Caetano VelosoSelf (voice)
  • Bebo ValdésSelf (archive audio)