Pittsburgh

When watching this movie, I kept clicking on the DVD menu to see if I was stuck in a "Making of this movie" extra on the disc. It soon becomes quite tiresome watching the "how to" rather than the "real" movie. It is certainly a shame that this film takes the avenue it does because the premise contains the promise of what could be an entertainingly funny experience. I suppose the acting is good, yet one cannot sit through it constantly anticipating the movie to begin. Laborious is the one word that describes this movie. We see nothing of the city of Pittsburgh. The movie's location could have been Needles CA for all the reference it gives its title. I admit that I fully expected to watch a movie that was entertaining in the way it portrayed the relationships involved when a well known Hollywood personality joined a cast of characters in a community theater production of a well known musical. The promise that the synopsis of this movie makes leaves one frustrated when the reality of the actual plot is realized. Save yourself some disappointment and skip this one.

Filmed in the style of Christopher Guest...kinda...this is a mock documentary (known as a "mocumentary" or "mockumentary") wherein Jeff Goldblum puts his film career (and his manager) on hold for a few months so that he can star in a live stage performance in Pittsburgh, his home town. Added into the mix are his "girlfriend," who needs a green card and thinks Jeff's presence on stage with her will guarantee her for the job and therein guarantee her green card, and Ed Begley, Jr. who seems to need small (but regular) pletoratic doses of anti-psychotics.

It is not funny, but it is witty, and actually pretends to attempt to document an actual event, at least insofar as Jeff Goldblum DID do a live stage play in Pittsburgh with the girl mentioned, and Pittsburgh IS his home town. It is not genius on film, but it does entertain and amuse. Not bad for what it is, but like Goldblum, it is an acquired taste.

It rates a 6.6/10 from...

the Fiend :.

This was a huge misfire--and the outtakes on the DVD show that it could have easily been a lot better! Pittsburg is a mockumentary in the Christopher Guest mold--and that's not a compliment these days. Though Guest's early mocks, like "Waiting for Guffman" and "Best in Show" were classics, his more recent forays into the form have been virtually laughless exercises. Guest's excuse for cutting out the more absurd funny stuff in his later films was that the material didn't fit the reality he'd created--in other words, he fell in love with mediocrity. Well, this Guest-wannabe falls into the latter-day Guestomentary category. The concept is mildly clever--what would happen if the singularly weird, very ethnic Jeff Goldblum was convinced to play the very whitebread lead in a community theater production of the happyface 50s musical, The Music Man? Well, the filmmakers take that promising concept and suck all the humor and life right out of it. There is simply NOTHING funny OR interesting here! The film wouldn't even be interesting if it were actually a true documentary! But--and here's the weird part--if you watch the deleted scenes on the DVD, you get to see all kinds of stuff that was actually kind of funny, and was purposely cut out! It's incredible! You listen to the directors' commentary during the deleted scenes and every time something funny happens they say they had to cut it out either because (1) it didn't fit the "tone" of the piece or (2) it didn't advance the story. I have news for them about the film as it was released: (1) the "tone" they achieved in the film was one of torpor, repetition, and boredom and (2) there is no story being advanced. The stuff they cut out wasn't brilliant--but it was at least SOMETHING. As it is, Pittsburg, the film, is as close to NOTHING as you can get.

It helps if you know the play or the film "The Music Man" to appreciate this film and how terribly miscast Jeff Goldblum is in the lead role. Trying to shoehorn his personality (or "acting choices") into the part of Professor Harold Hill gives this movie its wonderful comedy edge.

Given Jeff Goldblum's persona as an actor, he isn't the ideal candidate to star in "The Music Man", but he is a professional actor so you figure that he can pull off the role. Unfortunately (or fortunately), he can't which makes for a very funny film.

This "behind the scenes/pseudo-documentary/improvisational" film places loose with some of the facts which helps it to achieve its off-the-wall humor. Ed Begley Jr. gives a terrific, naturalistic performance which would fit easily into any of Robert Altman's best films. His spoofing of his environmentally-concerned self is a brilliant piece of comedy. Also, very good is Richard Sabellico who is directing "The Music Man." (Part of the credit should go to the filmmakers for getting just the right moments and shots of Richard as he "suffers" working with Jeff on the actual play production.) The whole film moves quickly and is a brief eight-four minutes, but the DVD has many deleted scenes which are also enjoyable. Maybe we'll see an extended Director's Cut someday. (Probably not--those extended director's cut films are usually made for the bloated blockbusters.)

I had to look up this movie, just to make sure it wasn't a documentary. As one description said, it really tightropes the line between mockumentary and movie. At some points, you think the stars are being very self absorbed, as opposed to being self-effacing. And you start to wonder if it is funny or sad, in a Hollywood "out of touch with reality" sort of way. All you have to do is pay attention to the Ed Begley Jr. segments to see that this is at once, a vehicle for the actors to promote their true feelings, and a way to promote them in a mockumentary format.

It is very much is the improv style of "Curb Your Enthusiasm". As a viewer, if you put yourself in this mode, I think you will find this movie very funny,.