“Beautifully executed…you can feel the joy and surprise that must have gone through the concert hall and the winner.”

— Neil Genzlinger, The New York Times

“Delightful and disarming”

— Ronnie Scheib, Variety

“…a wonderful and inspiring chronicle of amateur musicians with a lust for life that is truly infectious.”

— Bryant Manning, Chicago Sun Times

“.”..superior to the spate of recent documentaries about amateur competitions…fascinating”

— Bill White, Seattle PostGlobe

“A gem of a documentary…”

— Elias Savada, Film Threat

“A crowd-pleaser in the vein of Spellbound… You’ll be unprepared for the unexpected dramatic turns taken by They Came To Play.”

— Bill DeLapp, Syracuse New Times

“An upbeat and inspiring film. You’ll want to stand up and cheer.”

— Dan Trittle, Morning Edition Host, WCAI, Woods Hole, MA

“Bittersweet…”

— Michelle Orange, Village Voice

“The competitors in They Came To Play are a hellishy talented, charming, brainy and quirky bunch. These people have lived real lives, and in most cases, have decided to give the piano one more brave attempt for a shot of glory. Or heartache… buy your ticket now.”

— Mark Hinson, Tallahassee Democrat

“A delicious banquet of sound and image…”

— Brooks Robards, Martha’s Vineyard Times

“For moviegoers who love classical music, this is a great movie… for moviegoers who don’t love classical music, this is a great movie.”

— Tom Gallaher, Grants and Gov. Relations Seminole Tribe of Florida

“I fell in love with the brilliantly talented ‘amateurs’ I got to know in this movie; I was inspired by them and proud of them. No screenwriter could come up with a feeler-gooder movie than this one!.”

— David Pogue, The New York Times

“A documentary of outstanding merit…a brilliant multiple character study, an in-depth look at how music is made…”

— Janos Gereben, San Francisco Classical Voice

‘‘…what comes through in this award-winning documentary is an unabashed joy for music…”

— David Staber, The Oregonian

“As a lover of classical music, I found myself thrilled as I watched They Came To Play. The film serves as a testament to the idea that for some people, music is as essential as breathing, and that no matter who you are, no matter where you are in life, it is never too late to start following your dreams.”

— David Chen, SlashFilm

“…delightfully entertaining, heartfelt and inspirational. It will keep you at the edge of your seat while making you cheer, laugh and feel genuinely awestruck by the sheer beauty of each piano performance.”

— Avi Offer, NYC Movie Guru

“One of the best, most inspiring and uplifting documentaries.”

— Wade on Birmingham

“In this stirring and delightful documentary our ears and minds are feasted. This is a well spent time at the movies.”

— Jeremy Kagan, Aard-Winning Director

“Terrifically entertaining”

— Kristian Lin, Fort Worth Weekly

“They Came to Play is both entertaining and touching, with a marvelous quirky cast of characters that remind you why documentary films are so much more surprising than fictional ones.”

— Mark Harris, Oscar Winner, Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport