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The Competition

Play trailer Poster for The Competition PG,  1980,  2h 6m,  Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist 67% 9 Reviews Tomatometer 63% 250+ Ratings Popcornmeter
67% Tomatometer 9 Reviews 63% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
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.

Critics Reviews

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Joe Pollack St. Louis Post-Dispatch Jun 16, 2022
Writer-director Joel Oliansky has merely collected a group of cliché characters, inserted some Cold War nonsense and a silly love story and hired a group of pianists to dub in the competitive concertos. Go to Full Review
Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Oct 23, 2004
3/4
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. Go to Full Review
Larry Vitacco Philadelphia Gay News May 27, 2020
3.5/4
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. Go to Full Review
Bernard Drew Gannett News Service Sep 20, 2019
A pat, predictable romantic drama set against the background of the classical music world. Go to Full Review
Lawrence O'Toole Maclean's Magazine Jul 19, 2019
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. Go to Full Review
Chuck O'Leary Fantastica Daily Oct 27, 2005
3/5
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The Competition

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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Joel Oliansky

Director

Richard Dreyfuss

Paul Dietrich

Amy Irving

Heidi Joan Schoonover

Lee Remick

Greta Vandemann

Sam Wanamaker

Andrew Erskine

Joseph Cali

Jerry DiSalvo

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The Competition

The Competition (1980) The Competition (1980) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis 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.
Director
Joel Oliansky
Producer
William Sackheim
Screenwriter
Joel Oliansky
Distributor
Columbia Pictures
Production Co
Rastar Films
Rating
PG
Genre
Romance
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 3, 1980, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 18, 2015
Runtime
2h 6m
Sound Mix
Stereo, Surround
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