Tuner

Grade: A

I used to say I have perfect pitch, but I’m not sure. I at least have really excellent relative pitch, and a memory/ear for notes and keys. Whatever I have, I don’t think I was born with it. It can be learned. Ears can be trained. When I was 12 and 13, I used to take my pitch pipe into the shower with me. I memorized the starting notes of my favorite songs, and I wanted to be in the right key when I sang them – hence the pitch pipe. While many 12-13 year old boys were doing something else in the shower, I was singing with the aid of my pitch pipe.

The title character in Tuner does have perfect pitch. When he’s tuning at a college campus, a student plays a variety of notes and complicated chords to see if she can stump him. He accurately names every last one. She is Ruthie, played by Havana Rose Liu – from Afraid, Bottoms, and the upcoming Power Ballad. Leo Woodall is Niki, the titular character. He has a condition that makes him over-sensitive to loud sounds, so he is always wearing earpieces that look like IEMs. You will think of Baby Driver.

His perfect pitch and so-called ailment are used to his advantage, as he is an extremely talented and precise piano tuner. He travels around as an apprentice, working under the tutelage of veteran tuner Harry Horowitz (Dustin Hoffman). Niki’s ability to “hear too well,” it turns out, makes him adept at figuring out combinations to safes – the kind with a dial. One night, when he is working solo at a mansion, he helps out a group of men who he thought were just installing a new security system. They are very happy that he got them into the safe so quickly. No more loud drilling for hours.

Niki gets recruited to be their regular safe opener, and makes some serious money. Up until this point, Tuner was a perfectly charming movie about adopted family, new love (by way of Liu as Ruthie), and the world of music and tuning. When it takes on the crime subplot, it – for the most part – manages to be equally as effective and compelling. I bet it goes without saying that the sound design is top notch. You will hear some of the best piano music you’ve ever heard, in both familiar and original compositions. The movie isn’t afraid to get nerdy with dialogue about music theory – which, of course, I ate up. One of the most violent parts involves an air horn. You can imagine how detrimental that could be for Niki.

The backstory and exposition is laid out for us naturally and incrementally, in a way that never feels like a forced cinematic information dump. Niki’s late father was good friends with Harry, who has treated Niki like an honorary nephew. When unexpected expenses build up for the Horowitzes, and Niki is suddenly able to put a significant dent in their bills, Harry’s wife Marla (Tovah Feldshuh) is grateful but suspicious. She tells him she probably doesn’t want to know how he got all this money, but just be careful. The deep dive into music coupled with the romance/thriller angle puts Tuner up the same alley as Whiplash. If it somewhat falters towards the end, by then, I was so invested in everything that it was easy to forgive. I’d rather have a slightly messy movie that has balls and strives for something than see a safe one that lacks the courage to waver from its lane. Tuner is one of the best movies of the year.

The 77-year-old Moroccan actor Jean Reno shows up with less than 30 minutes to go. He is famous for playing bad guys and crime bosses (when I heard he was in this, I assumed he would have something to do with the safe-hacking subplot), but his role here is an innocent civilian. The final plot point that involves him is a huge coincidence, but hey, the main storyline in Juror #2 was a doozy of one, and it made my top ten list.

19 years ago, my then-new-wife and I were talking about how I should go into piano tuning school, and make a career out of it. We even came up with a name for the company. I won’t say it here, so nobody steals it. Life happened, and the idea fell by the wayside, but maybe I’ll still do that. Never too late.

Grade: A