The Mysteries of Pittsburgh Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		2.5

The Mysteries of Pittsburgh Blu-ray Movie Review

Fans of the novel may be disappointed in the shortcomings of the film.

Reviewed by Dustin Somner August 19, 2009

For anyone unfamiliar with The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, a brief primer is necessary. The film is based on a master’s thesis completed by Michael Chabon at the age of 25. His professor submitted the novel to a literary agent, who had the thesis published in 1988, landing Chabon tremendous critical praise. Over the years, he’s gone on to write other novels and short story collections that furthered his success and eventually led to his second novel (Wonder Boys) receiving a film adaptation. Chabon reportedly hoped to turn his first novel into a film someday and even completed more than one script before deciding his efforts were futile. Then in 2007, Chabon was approached by Rawson Marshall Thurber, a young writer/director (with the film Dodgeball under his belt), who had his own ideas of how a screenplay could work for the beloved novel. Chabon appreciated what Thurber was able to do with the story, and the film eventually took shape as a hybrid version of the original concept. Unfortunately, upon the film’s Sundance release in January of 2008, most critics slammed the production for its inability to convey the same message and story as Chabon’s novel. Shelved for over a year, we’re now able to reach our own conclusions about the effectiveness of Thurber’s screenplay, with the recent high-definition release of The Mysteries of Pittsburgh.

Jon Foster asks himself where this film went wrong...

Having recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics, Art Bechstein (Jon Foster) is coming to the realization that life as he knew it is ending. Knowing he has one summer left before diving into a career of ambivalence, Art accepts a low-paying job in a used book store and begins a recreational romance with his clingy supervisor. To make matters worse, he also happens to be the son of a well-known mobster (Nick Nolte) with a judgmental eye on the activities his son engages in. Fortunately, Art soon discovers a life of non-conformity when he strikes up a newfound friendship with two free spirits named Jane (Sienna Miller) and Cleveland (Peter Sarsgaard). At first it’s apparent Art is quite taken with Jane, as sparks begin to fly like fireworks on the fourth of July, but he’s forced to temper his attraction in order to maintain a rocky relationship with her bisexual boyfriend Cleveland. After spending more and more time with the couple, the lines of attraction begin to blur, and Art finds himself emotionally and physically linked to both of his close friends. As the summer wears on, new challenges will test the link that holds the trio together,forcing Art to face his feelings and decide what he truly desires out of life.

There’s no point in mincing words, so I’m just going to come out and say that this film version is a let-down on a number of levels. From a writing standpoint, I never felt a sufficient connection between the three lead roles in the film, which can primarily be attributed to the lack of proper character development and interaction in the first half of the film. If we’d been exposed to a blossoming relationship between Art, Cleveland and Jane, we may feel an emotional impact in the loss and tragedy of the final act, but so much time is spent focusing on Art’s disappointment in his own life, that the introduction of Jane and Cleveland seem like more of an afterthought. This is especially true as we witness the constant waves of passion and anger that encompass the relationship between Cleveland and Jane, leaving Art acting as little more than a fly on the wall, observing their oddly destructive behavior. I also have a problem with the careless fact that Cleveland’s bisexuality is revealed within the first few minutes we’re introduced to his character. Any facet of mystery in his relationship with Art is lost with that early reveal, since it paints a clear roadmap for where the film is about to go. From that point forward, I kept waiting for the obvious connection to take shape, despite Art’s continual fascination with Jane.

From an acting standpoint, Jon Foster does a commendable job in the role of Art, though it eventually became tiresome to watch his dumbfounded reaction to Cleveland’s unstable nature. It may have been sold to him as part of his role, but any person with a shred of common sense would soon learn not to engage in any activities (voyeuristic or verbal) that could set off a person with bipolar tendencies (yet Foster still stands wide-eyed with his jaw on the floor, taking his repeated verbal lashing with noticeable surprise). Peter Sarsgaard is no slouch when it comes to the bad boy role, but I was pleased with his ability to mold himself into the softer side of his role. He still comes across a bit to smarmy and uncomfortable in the last act of the film, but his charming characterization in the first hour helps redeem some of the lost luster. Any heterosexual male is no stranger to the beauty of Sienna Miller, so it would be easy to simply label her as a pretty face without much acting talent. Surprisingly, she turns in an effective performance that slightly pales next to her counterparts, but still fits within the mold of her role. Winning honorable mention for scene-thief of the year is the formidable Nick Nolte, who plays Joe Bechstein, Art’s mobster father. Nolte doesn’t have an extensive number of scenes in the film, but his seething intensity overshadows all other performances in the production and demonstrates the length his younger co-stars will have to go to if they hope to achieve the iconic status of Hollywood’s acting greats.

The Mysteries of Pittsburgh Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in 1080p utilizing the AVC codec (at an average bitrate of 19Mbps), The Mysteries of Pittsburgh has a smooth, filmlike transfer that encompasses a wide variety of visual tones throughout the various shooting locations in and around Pittsburgh. Fine object detail is clearly not the best we've seen from the format, but I noticed obscure lines rendered with a level of precision that appears crisp, but not overly digital. On the same level, the color palette of the film is bright and natural, but never garish or overly saturated. One of the highlights from a visual standpoint is a roadtrip across the Pittsburgh countryside that contains some beautiful landscape shots of lush green fields with low-lying trees sparsely distributed along the road. Equally impressive is the depth of black levels and contrast consistency during daytime or low-light sequences. There was one sequence later in the film (with Art and Cleveland on the run from the police) where contrast was a little less pronounced, but aside from that scene, I was pleased with the differentiation between the light and dark features of the picture. The only real complaint I have with the transfer, is the waxy appearance of facial textures and a complete lack of fllm grain. Both of these elements suggest the application of DNR, causing the finest textures to lose a touch of definition. It's not a dealbreaker in the enjoyment of the film, but does present a roadbump on what is otherwise an enjoyable visual presentation.

The Mysteries of Pittsburgh Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The primary audio offering on the disc is a DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix in the native language of English. Considering the dramatic nature of the film, there isn't an extensive use of the surrounds with the exception of a chase scene in the final act of the film and a punk concert that lays the groundwork for Art's friendship with Cleveland and Jane. However, despite the lack of bombastic elements in the mix, the clarity of the dialogue and disbursement of environmental sounds is handled with noticeable care by the sound engineers. Another fine element in the mix is the music, which I'd liken to other successful (yet quirky) soundtracks such as Garden State. Despite the film's flaws, the music is something I'd consider a clear highlight, with it's ability to draw the viewer into Art's ever-evolving world. Taken as a whole, the audio track is substantially better than I was expecting and adds at least a slight degree of positive value to an otherwise flawed production.

The Mysteries of Pittsburgh Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Behind-the-Scenes (480p, Dolby Digital 2.0, 5:28 min): Thurber is given the opportunity to candidly discuss the shooting of the film's final scene while throwing around a football. Meanwhile, footage from the set is mixed in, showing rough takes from the sparse selection of action-oriented sequences in the film.

Based Upon the Novel by Michael Chabon (480p, Dolby Digital 2.0, 10:04 min): This topical supplement consists of interviews with Chabon, Thurber, producer Michael London, and three of the main actors as they discuss the process of bringing the original novel into the film medium (often considered an impossible task). It's surprising Chabon's so happy with the end result, but he clearly understands the true intentions of his own story better than the general public. I'm not sure if there was a problem with my Blu-ray edition, but I had several momentary audio cut-outs throughout the featurette.

Rounding out the extras, we have a high- definition trailer for The Mysteries of Pittsburgh.

The Mysteries of Pittsburgh Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Although I was disappointed in the film version of The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, there are enough intriguing elements in the plot to pique my interest in one day sitting down to read the novel. Perhaps this was a perfect example of an unfilmable story (as evidenced by Chabon's failed attempts to generate a screenplay), but it felt far too rushed and unconvincing as a character study. If you're truly interested in Chabon's novels, but not a huge fan of reading lengthy stories (or simply don't have the time), I'd recommend you consider watching the superior film adaptation Wonder Boys when it eventually lands on the Blu-ray format.