The Mysteries of Pittsburgh Reviews

In "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh," at first glance, Art(Jon Foster) might seem to be committing career suicide by having sex with his supervisor Phlox(Mena Suvari) all over their workplace. But then this is just a summer job for Art at the Book Barn while he considers his next move, so where's the harm? His father(Nick Nolte), a gangster of ill-repute who he has dinner with once a month in a swanky restaurant, has his next five moves planned which include passing his stock trading exam and working in Baltimore. That's where his career comes in. Where Jane(Sienna Miller) comes in is at a party, after which they go eat pie. After that, Jane's boyfriend Cleveland(Peter Sarsgaard) takes Art for a ride.

"The Mysteries of Pittsburgh" is a disappointingly inert adaptation of Michael Chabon's novel(I don't remember that much about it except its ending and that I liked it). In its depiction of a transitional year of 1983, it is about a person caught between the respectability he dreads and the eccentric friends he loves. On the one hand, the movie keeps the central relationships intact, but also manages to lose a lot of the book's offbeat energy in its move to the screen which is best exemplified by the casting of non-entity Jon Foster in the lead. That's not to mention too much reliance on daddy issues and droning narration which does eventually disappear. The supporting cast is very, very good but even they cannot save a movie where there is no center.

It's A Home At the End of the World all over again - i.e., one of my most favorite books (which coincidentally also centres on, but is not limited to, a complicated love triangle) is simplified so much that not only are almost all sub-plots removed, but the main plot is so diluted that nothing much of any consequence seems to happen. Even though, in actuality, a lot does happen. Simply put, this is a mediocre adaptation of a superior novel. What elevates this slightly above A Home are some excellent performances. Peter Sarsgaard handles his ambisexual (my term) character with skill, and Jon Foster comes close to matching this, although his monotone delivery can be hard to follow. It's little wonder this failed to set the box-office on fire but it still remains a big disappointment, particularly since Michael Chabon's works lend themselves very well to adaptation (Wonder Boys is evidence of that).

I always have high expectations for movies involving or set in Pittsburgh because that's my hometown, but this one was highly disappointing. The storyline was weak, and it just seemed like there was no point to watching it. A waste of time...

There's nothing exceptionally rotten about this critically-panned adaptation of Michael Chabon's well-received novel; it simply translates into a pretty flat coming-of-age story in cinematic form. Director Rawson Marshall Thurber manages to get a few moments of genuine human emotion, most of them involving Peter Sarsgaard in an enigmatic and thoroughly engaging star turn, but other than that... let's just say he doesn't elevate a dull and obvious screenplay from mediocrity. Jon Foster is an okay choice for the role of Art, but his too-obvious narration gets tiresome rather fast. The women in the cast don't fare much better, with Mena Suvari barely having a character to inhabit and Sienna Miller showing a rather alarming lack of naturality.

The Mysteries of Pittsburgh is not a film I'd recommend to anybody, but then again, it isn't the type of film that's worth lamenting on. Just like Art Bechstein should... let's move on to something else, kids.

a mobster's son decides to have a meaningless summer as a means of escaping his directed fate, and learns things could get a lot worse.

The cast was brilliant in this. There may not have been much real life application to the plot, but it was a solid idea with a realistic ending.

watched it cuz i live in pittsburgh yo

mmm homoeroticism with peter sarsgaard never gets old

mmmmm boring movie

A well-acted, odd, off-beat coming-of-age movie based upon the Michael Chabon book. Parts feel undercooked, but overall this was engrossing and interesting, even when in some of the cliches of typically coming-of-age movies.

A very forgettable flick. The film has little substance and the acting is pretty flat. The story has the feel of "been there, done that... way too many times." A narration can be effective if used cleverly but it was utilized poorly. The setting could have taken place in any city. I'm sure there are lots of mysteries in Pittsburgh but this movie reveals none. Rent "Garden State" instead.

I have really had enough of the comedic dramas about a twenty something slacker that doesnt know what he wants to do with his life. This mvie is garbage, the only redeeming thing is the periodic shot of Pittsburgh landmarks.

Nicely acted, but the movie is just fair. It's well enough done, it has a polished and professional look to it. The story just didn't always hold my interest. Nice cinematography.

I really dig this movie. Peter Sarsgaard and Nick Nolte steal the show and this is really touching :)

Bechstein(Jon Foster) is a young man with many problems...His dad is a Gangster under investigation from the FBI..he's taken a crappy summer Job at a book store where he is also happens to be banging his boss(Mena Suvari)on a regular basis..and he's studying to be an accountant a job he really has no desire for...Until he meets Jane & Cleveland thats when things get exciting and complicated..I really like this movie..I thought it was one of the better coming of age stories to come out.

I allowed this movie to pull me in and was so confused and shocked by the ending that I stared at the credits for 10 minutes before turning off the TV. I at first found myself liking this movie very much but soon found myself looking at a confusing and depressing cinematic mess. The plot was flawed and did not do any justice to the book. The show had an interesting and likeable cast, but the performance was unimpressive. I regret that this movie was portrayed in the way that it was and think the filmmakers could have done a better job.

this film was a waste of time. It gave no sense or perspective of the time or place, it might as well have been in any average city in America circa 2010 and you would havase not noticed any diffference. I suspect as this was based on a first novel, the storyline was auto biographical for the boring parts with some drama thrown in. Same bullshit as 100 other coming of age stories. Get the hell out of wherever you are.

A movie that you never need to see....

Things I really liked were the complicated triangle relationship of the three characters as well as the exploration of the concept of sexuality as a fluid rather than strictly binary label. I loved the character of Cleveland.

Even with Peter Sarsgaard's sought out insecure interpretations of an actor not acting. i still found this to be a mess of a novel turned movie. It should have translated into a darkly personal story of choice and desire. Instead the film sloppily lumbers around in search of a consistent dramatic path.. the star studded cast could not save this movie from its 1am cable debut

The scenes of Pittsburgh are really lovely, but the movie is full of cliches and those phony fake pauses and sideways glances. It's crap.