Review: Pittsburgh (C)

Pittsburgh (2006)
Directed by Chris Bradley and Kyle LaBrache
Starring Jeff Goldblum, Ed Begley Jr., Illeana Douglas, Conan O'Brien and Moby
MPAA: UR
Grade: C

Review by Bobby Nashville

As most of our readers know, we here at the Confidential absolutely love Jeff Goldblum. He is one of the most underrated actors working in the biz today. Goldblum was fantastic in Igby Goes Down and Deep Cover, two of our recent faves. He's a darn good actor, and a very likeable guy. So we were psyched to attend the midwestern premiere of Pittsburgh, Goldblum's latest film, at the Waterfront Film Festival in Saugatuck. Unfortunately, the film left us a bit cold. It's charming at times, and has a light hearted tone, but the film meanders and frankly, could have used a good editor.

Pittsburgh tells the story of Jeff Goldblum's recent foray back to his hometown (Pittsburgh) to star in a regional theater production of The Music Man. Funny premise, right? Well, it is for about 20-30 minutes and then the joke starts to get a bit old. Cameos by Ed Begley Jr, Moby, Conan O'Brien and more can't really save this one, and the subplot involving Ed Begley Jr's product promotions don't add much. To make matters worse, there does not seem to be any on-screen chemistry between Goldblum and his girlfriend. The entire premise of the film hinges on the concept that Goldblum wants to be in Pittsburgh to be close to this gal, so when the chemistry does not exist, it punches a huge hole in the story.

Pittsburgh is a comedy with it's heart in the right place, and for fans of Jeff Goldblum, this may be worth a rental down the road. However, I can't recommend checking this one out in the theaters.