It's difficult to know how it's possible to go wrong making a film like this, especially considering there is no shortage of existing dot-to-dot templates (e.g. Spellbound) to work from, yet somehow director Rotaru manages to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. There is nothing egregiously terrible about the film per se, it's just that while watching it one can't help but get caught up in a stream of consciousness fantasy about how it ought to have been so much better. Strange artistic decisions abound - when Drew Mays is shown practicing at home we have to sit through several minutes of children dressed as fairies pirouetting in the foreground; capsule background biographies extend five to ten minutes longer than welcome; an absurd attempt is made to manufacture a heterosexual romance between an obviously closeted gay male performer and some random woman; but apparently no one makes any attempt to protect contestants from themselves and ensure they are dressed in a manner they won't be ashamed to watch on screen in years to come. Of course one could say that a documentarian's responsibility is simply to observe and present, but surely after 15 years of reality TV there's a pretty much universal understanding that story and character are components that are built and enhanced in the edit. There wasn't enough music, and what there was of it wasn't the right music. Weirdly we see two pianists performing Schumann's Toccata at different points in the film, but even more weirdly the exact same passage, not even representative of the piece as a whole, is used on both occasions. All the ingredients were there to make a fantastic, uplifting and energizing film about second chances, determination and the healing power of music, yet upon removal from the oven this soufflé fell flat as a pancake.

Here is a film that when you leave with friends you can actually sit down and have a conversation about it.The passion of the people in this exciting competition and the story each tells through the film offer many emotions. The music is wonderful.As the competition unfolds you find yourself involved and perhaps even wondering or rooting for one of these truly talented people who in their "spare time" just happen to have a passion for playing the piano. The director allows each of the stories to unfold without bias.Go see and listen -- you'll have a good time.

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.

I loved this movie, a documentary of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition for Amateurs. This is one of the best movies I've ever seen. It's a perfect combination of interesting men and women from around the world and some of the best music the world has ever known. That these great pianists are "ordinary" people only adds to the delight of the movie. And without trying to be funny, the movie is surprisingly funny.The stories of the players are fascinating: some were funny, some were poignant, one was downright sad. Each of the featured contestants gets just the right amount of time on camera. And as the movie progresses, you see and hear more of their wonderful talent. By the end of the movie, I found myself hoping so much that one especially intriguing contestant would win. If you like classical music, you'll love this movie. If you don't like classical music, you'll still love this movie.