Since a lot of opinions of this movie are so bad I was wondering if any locals had watched it and if there were a lot of local landmarks in the film. I'm in the military and don't get home often. I could sit through a crap movie if it was full of places that I miss.
"A man must test his mettle in the crooked old world" - TW
There are a lot of shots downtown--the skyline, the Roberto Clemente Bridge, things like that. "The Music Man" takes place at the Benedum Theater, and there is a scene near the end at Kennywood. I couldn't quite place the house where Goldblum's mom lived. My wife said it looks like Upper St. Clair or Mt. Lebanon.
I didn't think it was that bad. Amusing in the vein of "Spinal Tap" and other mockumentaries.
Thanks for the feedback
"A man must test his mettle in the crooked old world" - TW
I'm like you, I rented the movie because it took place in Pittsburgh, but I regretted it halfway through. I'd say you see Pittsburgh for maybe 15 minutes of the movie. And most of it was things you would see watching a Steelers or Pirates game. I was very disappointed that a movie called "Pittsburgh" had very little to do with Pittsburgh.
----- Quo Vadimus ----
Are you also living out of the area?
I'm taking the family back for Christmas this year and hopefully I can scalp some Steelers tickets for the Jacksonville game.
"A man must test his mettle in the crooked old world" - TW
No, I'm still living in the area but I love seeing movies that are filmed in Pittsburgh.
good luck trying to get Steeler tickets. It should be a great game.
----- Quo Vadimus ----
He grew up in West mifflin
shareI'm from Pittsburgh(Whitehall actually), but I for one loved the film. I mean it does only show the city for last last 20 minutes or so, but I thought the film was very funny and unique. I liked the whole 'idea' of the film being that Jeff Goldblum would pass on making a big-budget movie to do a regional musical. Plus the film alot of heart in it.
shareActually, he grew up in West Homestead..... His father was our family doctor.
shareLifelong Pittsburgher here. I just watched this film and must say, I was extremely disappointed. Very little actual 'Burgh, and the movie itself started to feel like a collection of random kibbles and bits from a cutting room floor. By the end, I was asking my husband if it seemed to him that Jeff got all his buds to join in this production of The Music Man just for the purpose of making this film. It was weird, I tell you.
The Netflix description said that the director was "blurring the line between reality and fiction". I'm a reasonably intelligent person from sound parentage, and I couldn't figure out where the line was. It got so that TRYING to find the line was just plain tedious. I didn't care.
Finally, I like Jeff Goldblum. I do, I guess. Or whatever. The Tall Guy is one of my favorite movies, so that's something. But I REALLY did not want to hear him speak of "elevating the production" one more time. As if Ed Begley Jr. is Pittsburgh's thespian savior. Uh, please. Saving us from our congenital Begleylessness, I guess? The void that only a heapin' helpin' of Begley can fill? Yeah, thanks so much, Ed, for slumming in Pittsburgh. It means the world to us. Pittsburgh theatre is forever altered by all yinz's greatness.
But they did show Kennywood!
I'm from near Pittsburgh (Penn Hills) and even though I didn't see a lot of Pittsburgh in this movie, there was enough of the city shown in it to enjoy it. One thing I wanted to say was that although I don't agree with Jeff Goldblum's ideals (actually, I consider them backward and a bit wacky), I've always enjoyed his movies (except The Fly, but not because of him). However, I found a new respect for Jeff in this because he stuck to his guns and made up his mind to do the play, even after his manager beat him over the head about the big movie and 4-mil paycheck. And what's more, he didn't have to think about it. So I admire his decision to not play the Hollywood prima-donna and flake out on the play's producers.
It was nice to see the human side of Jeff. His modesty is very sincere, not the plastic Hollywood bit that actors play just so they look human to the public.
I'm no expert, but he seemed to do quite well in the play, too.
Note to Illeana: Moby is a huge loser. I mean huge. Really huge. Just huge.
It was neat seeing Kennywood. By the way, non-Pittsburgh guys, if a total stranger approaches you and says "Kennywood's open", check your fly.
Anyway, great job, Jeff.
I'm very familiar with "Kennywood's open" (and the park itself)...since I went to Washington and Jefferson College. I'm from Massachusetts and live there now, but I had some of the best times of my life in western PA, and met the best friends I've ever had. Good, good people.
But man, how could you not like The Fly? That film is GREAT...better than the original, even. David Cronenberg is a genius, but his stuff isn't for everyone. Check out Videodrome and see what I mean...it's my personal favorite Cronenberg film. Hopefully it'll convince you to give his work another shot. You're missing out on some great movies!
That's where I was born and raised (w&j college, same town)
My wife is from Pittsburgh, and worked with Jeff's mother in the 70's. She was disappointed that they didn't mention she was a social worker. Well, she wasn't reading her resume...
The movie was tedious, but it was good to see Illeana - and the 'Burgh.
Jeff always keeps you on edge, and for us, it didn't go anywhere.
I thought it was a very interesting film/documentary. Even though I bought it as a pre-viewed DVD, I definitely thought it was worth it. It shows the great city of Pittsburgh in a very positive light. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, It definitely tapped into my pride in my hometown.
sharePerhaps we were watching two different films? "It shows the great city of Pittsburgh in a very positive light"? Surely you jest. I thought it was very denigrating to Pittsburgh.
For instance, the scene where his girlfriend says that people coming to Pittsburgh get pneumonia from the bad air. And this is from people who routinely live in NYC and L.A.?
Or the scene showing the Gateway Partyliner going by where you supposedly hear the tour guide on the boat describing Point State Park as "There used to be an industrial slum there, now there's a fountain."
And then there's this whole idea that the Pittsburgh CLO is some backwater "regional theater" and not the venue for professional stage productions, featuring top-of-the-line musical actors (Goldblum being the exception) that it is.
As far as I'm concerned, Pittsburgh is better off without Jeff Goldblum "promoting" it in film.
He should have named the film "Jeff Goldblum's Ego Trip" and left Pittsburgh out of it.
lmao, more pittsburghers. Sweet. I too, come from the South Hills area( carrick). I read previous posts saying people are from Whitehall and West Mifflin. Kick-ass. I just dont get it when people say there from Pitstburgh and there from Cranberry, or Beaver County THATS NOT EVEN ALLEGHENY COUNTY. I may be wrong, but I also dont see how Monroeville and Penn Hills is considered Pittsburgh, cuz its kinda far from the 'burgh.
Willst Du, bis der Tod Euch scheide
treu ihr sein fur alle Tagen?
Nein!
Nein!
Hmmm....
To people I meet that aren't from the area, I just say I'm from Pittsburgh because I don't feel the need to sit there and describe that I'm from a small town just outside of Pittsburgh that they've probably never heard of. Of course if I get to know the person better, I eventually describe more specifically where I'm from.
To people I meet that are actually from or are familiar with the area, I tell them the actual town I'm from.
It just makes sense to do it that way.
The culture (you know, psychotic Steeler obsession) and accent is basically the same in a lot of southwestern PA anyways, even if you are not specifically located within the city limits of Pittsburgh.
If it makes you feel better though, from now on I will just say that I hail from the greater-Pittsburgh metropolitan area instead of just Pittsburgh, being as though I didn't live within the city limits.
I am not from Pittsburgh, or even Allegheny County, but I'm less that an hour away, so I don't know if this "qualifies" me or not, ha ha. Anyway, I just got this from Netflix and I was disappointed. I thought it would be more about doing the play itself and not juxtaposed with all the randomness that is Ed Begley, Jr.
Once they actually got into the Pittsburgh scenes, yes it was nice to see landmarks I knew, but the PP who mentioned you see them during Steeler game broadcasts was correct. I was happy to see that they filmed a bit at Kennywood, because my husband and I had our first date there and he also proposed by the carousel. That reminds me of a funny incident - we were bored one morning, trying to decide what to do with our mutual day off when I said, "Well, Kennywood's open." Hubs immediately looked down and said, "No it's not!" Good times, good times.
I once tried a dessert called "Death By Chocolate", but it only made me stronger.
I prefer Adventureland as a Nostalgic piece, being from Pittsburgh myself. If you frequented Kennywood then you know that movie was pretty true to the park. They even went as far as keeping MOST of the names of the rides as their original names ala Music Express, etc..
If you've never seen Striking Distance, I would watch that. I always got a kick out of the car chase at the beginning, which starts in Duquesne and somehow a right turn gets them on Blvd. of the Allies and off to the South Side lol. If that was actually true it would probably shave a half hour off my travel time to work.
LOL @ the time/road traveling chase scene. Striking Distance is an awesome movie.
Pittsburgher here from Bethel Park and Striking distance definitely gives Pittsburgh justice over this one. Like a previous poster, I found this movie to be a little against Pittsburgh for the same scenes - particularly the quip about people getting pneumonia. Whoever came up with that line is clearly immune to the smog in whatever large city they probably live in.
I loved Moby in this movie tho, he and the woman who played his girlfriend kinda made the movie for me.