The Mysteries of Pittsburgh (2008)

Based on Michael Chabon's novel, the film chronicles the defining summer of a recent college graduate who crosses his gangster father and explores love, sexuality, and the enigmas surrounding his life and his city.

Director:

Rawson Marshall Thurber

Writers:

Rawson Marshall Thurber (screenplay), Michael Chabon (novel)

Stars:

Jon Foster, Peter Sarsgaard, Sienna Miller

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jon Foster	...	Art Bechstein
Peter Sarsgaard	...	Cleveland Arning
Sienna Miller	...	Jane Bellwether
Nick Nolte	...	Joe Bechstein
Mena Suvari	...	Phlox Lombardi
Omid Abtahi	...	Mohammed
Keith Michael Gregory	...	Keith
Ali Reed	...	Female Book Barn Employee
James A. Harper	...	Teen Book Barn Employee
Don Wadsworth	...	Class Instructor
Christian Hand	...	Punk Rock Bathroom Patron
Jarid Faubel	...	Mohawk Man (as Jarid C. Faubel)
Tim Hartman	...	Restaurant Manager
Shannon Williams	...	Lurch
Seth Adams	...	Feldman

Storyline

Pittsburgh, coming of age in the 1980s. At the beginning of June, Art Beckstein calls this the last summer of his life - after which he'll work as a stock broker. Art's father is the city's mob boss, steering Art's life, judging his choices. At a party, Art sees Jane, smart, blond, lovely. They meet; she has a boyfriend. The next day, Cleveland, the boyfriend, pulls Art from work and the summer of adventures begins. Cleveland lives close to the edge; he's explosive, with hints of problems with local thugs. The triangle of friendship gets complicated when Cleveland disappears for a couple weeks. Can Art sort out his feelings as well as help Cleveland? Where does his father fit in this?

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Plot Keywords:

summer | gangster | bare chested male | sex | bisexuality | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes life leads you to the most mysterious places.

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site - 2009 Version

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 January 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ein verhängnisvoller Sommer

Filming Locations:

Mount Washington, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$32,783 (USA) (10 April 2009)

Gross:

$80,283 (USA) (8 May 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Groundswell Productions, Sherazade Film Development, Visitor Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Max Minghella was originally attached to play Art but dropped out due to school commitments.

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Quotes

Jane Bellwether: And what does he do? What does your father do?
Art Bechstein: He manipulates Swiss bank accounts with money that comes from numbers, whores, protection, and cigarette smuggling.
Jane Bellwether: Really?
Art Bechstein: No, he's in finance.

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Connections

Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Miss March/Race to Witch Mountain/Sunshine Cleaning (2009)

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Soundtracks

"Piano Experiment"
Written by Ryan Adams
Performed by Ryan Adams
Courtesy of Lost Highway Records/Universal Music
Published by Barland Music (BMI) administered by Bug Music, Inc.

User Reviews

Watch the Commentary Between Chabon and Thurber FIRST!

For those who find it difficult to appreciate the adaptation format of film making from a famous novel, THE MYSTERIES OF PITTSBURGH as now released on DVD should help explain the naysayers' opinions. In a very valuable session of conversations among Michael Chabon and Rawson Marshall Thurber (screenwriter and director) and the producer and cast, the transition of this complex novel into a very altered story is comfortably explained and the person most happy with the result seems to be the originator - Michael Chabon!

That being said this film stands well on its own terms. June and July in hot Pittsburgh generate mysteries among a variety of people, especially the young college graduate Art Bechstein (Jon Foster) who while working in a bookstore wastes time with a fling with the supervisor Phlox (Mena Suvari) with disinterested post grad classes dealing with becoming a broker and having monthly dinners with his mobster father Joe Bechstein (Nick Nolte), until he encounters an odd couple: bisexual biker and thief Cleveland (Peter Sarsgaard) and his female consort, the violinist Jane Bellwether (Sienna Miller). The bizarre interactions among these characters drive Art to make many decisions and discoveries - including his falling in love with both Cleveland and Jane. The summer winds down with Art finally discovering his own identity despite the clouds of mystery that have surrounded his life. It is a piece of life as lived by disparate characters whose direction in life seems at odds with the natural flow of finding happiness and success. But then the question is asked - what is happiness and what is success if not survival?

For this viewer the explanation by the makers of this film was interesting enough to encourage a repeat watching of the movie. A good movie not a great movie, but it still tastes strongly of Michael Chabon's genius. It deserves more attention than the critics have given it.....Grady Harp