‘The Accompanist’ Review: Susan Sarandon Shines as a Problematic Foster Parent in Zach Woods’ Unsteady Directorial Debut

A sharp-tongued foster parent and a sweet kid form an unlikely bond in a drama that uses bursts of comedy to lighten the load.

By Natalia Winkelman

Natalia Winkelman

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Hollywood loves a comedy about a plucky kid and an aging eccentric. It also loves a drama about a child in danger. Starring Susan Sarandon as Sylvia, a chain-smoking, sharp-tongued, first-time foster parent to spirited eight-year-old Emily (Everly Carganilla), “The Accompanist” tries to be both. It also tries to do a whole lot more, not always successfully. One of the miscalculations of this often appealing but ultimately disjointed dramedy — the feature directorial debut of “Silicon Valley” star Zach Woods — is that viewers will root for Sylvia and Emily to remain a family, even as the former reveals herself to be a less-than-suitable caretaker. Side by side, they make a fierce, somewhat madcap duo. We feel for them, laugh with them, and yearn for their happy endings, until Sylvia’s failings throw the movie off balance.

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