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:

gangster | based on novel | summer | sex scene | blonde | 

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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 Bahrain

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 January 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Usina de Sonhos

Filming Locations:

Mount Washington, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$32,783, 12 April 2009, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$80,238, 10 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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Goofs

When Art and Phlox are fighting after his first meeting with Cleveland, she says that it is past midnight. But when Art puts his hand to his face, you can see his watch is showing 8:15 as the time.

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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

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

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Soundtracks

The Rescue Blues
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

If you liked the book - DON'T WATCH THIS

Wow. What a terrible adaptation of a beautiful novel. Here are just a few gripes. - The screenwriter eliminated two major characters from the book. - Plot has been grotesquely altered. - Voiceovers sound as if they were directly lifted from written passages (which may read well but are not the same when spoken, especially with Chabon's writing style). - The acting is more wooden than a log cabin. (Esp. Bechstein) - This is supposed to be set in 1983??? Feels more like 2003...

To be fair I couldn't bring myself to finish watching this movie, so it's possible that it redeemed itself... (sarcasm). I truly hope that no one paid to see this, or at least anyone who read the book hoping for something decent (a la Wonder Boys). I like Chabon as a writer but he should be ASHAMED of this adaptation.

No stars.