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The Competition Photos

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Movie Info

Paul Dietrich (Richard Dreyfuss), at almost 30 years old, is a fading piano prodigy. Heidi Schoonover (Amy Irving) is a talented young pianist with a promising future. When Paul hears of an upcoming competition that could make his career, he dedicates himself to winning. Heidi and Paul meet one day during practice and, though she is immediately drawn to him, Paul thinks romance will just be a distraction. Heidi's teacher, Greta (Lee Remick), is also wary of Heidi's newfound attraction.

Rating:

PG
Genre:

romance
Original Language:

English
Director:

Joel Oliansky
Producer:

William Sackheim
Writer:

Joel Oliansky
Release Date (Streaming):

Dec 18, 2015
Runtime:

2h 6m
Production Co:

Rastar Films
Sound Mix:

Stereo, Surround

Cast & Crew

Richard Dreyfuss
Paul Dietrich

Amy Irving
Heidi Joan Schoonover

Lee Remick
Greta Vandemann

Sam Wanamaker
Andrew Erskine

Joseph Cali
Jerry DiSalvo

Ty Henderson
Michael Humphries

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Critic Reviews for The Competition

All Critics (8) | Top Critics (1) | Fresh (6) | Rotten (2)

The Competition isn't a great movie, but it's a warm, entertaining one. It has the nerve to tell a story about serious, interesting, complicated people, who are full of surprises.

October 23, 2004 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Joel Oliansky's screenplay affords the viewer not only a richly emotional story of two people competing against and falling in love with each other, but a wealth of some of the most beautiful piano concertos ever composed.

May 27, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review…

Larry Vitacco
Philadelphia Gay News
A pat, predictable romantic drama set against the background of the classical music world.

September 20, 2019 | Full Review…

Bernard Drew
Gannett News Service
The director and screenwriter, Joel Oliansky, somehow manages to make San Francisco visually dull, and you can feel the plot turns arriving the way an arthritic can predict the weather.

July 19, 2019 | Full Review…

Lawrence O'Toole
Maclean's Magazine
Quote not available.

October 27, 2005 | Rating: 3/5

Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily
Quote not available.

June 6, 2005 | Rating: B-

Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Nasty little sports film. Lots of fun with pianoes

December 21, 2004 | Rating: 4/5

Eric Lurio
Greenwich Village Gazette
The Competition offers a winning examination of one person's struggle to come to terms with his understanding of personal achievement and his capacity to love.

January 29, 2004 | Full Review…

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality & Practice

View All Critic Reviews (8)

Audience Reviews for The Competition

Feb 02, 2014

Good drama with great music. Not an incisive examination of the cutthroat world of music competition although they do delve into it somewhat. More a drama of a selfish man letting down his defenses and a young girl who learns more than she bargains for when she lets down her guard. Excellent performances from the leads with Lee Remick adding her special brand of class but putting an icy edge to it as Amy's teacher. The only rough patch is when the two leads, who are remarkably free of rhythm for supposed musicans, dance to contemporary and quite awful music. They're gluefoots. For classical music lovers this will be a treat.

jay n Super Reviewer
Oct 10, 2008

Excellent classical music and that's it.A relic of the 1980 production is a forgettable small,semi-independent feature,carved with a trifle of characteristics penetrated in its protagonists.Mere information though,the duo of Dreyfuss-Irving can't hold much.Why oh why those "intellectual" romances always end up in a sappy,sugary manner?

Dimitris S Super Reviewer