Pittsburgh on Video – 2007

Jeff Goldblum stars in Pittsburgh, a fly-on-the-wall comedy in which the Jurassic Park and Independence Day actor plays himself taking a career hit by playing Harold Hill in a regional theatre production of The Music Man. Despite the pleas of his agent to take a plum part in a new Michael Bay sci-fi epic, Goldblum locks himself into a two-week stint in his hometown of Pittsburgh in order to help his fiancée, actress Catherine Wreford (also playing herself)--cast in the musical as Hill's love interest, Marian--get a green card. The very idea of Goldblum taking on the larger-than-life role of con man Hill is hilarious, and he gamely plays up his absolute unsuitability for the job. While Golblum's anxiety goes up and up over botched rehearsals, other people in his life--especially good friend Ed Begley Jr. and Illeana Douglas--draw him into their own problems (Begley with a failed solar-power machine and Douglas with her ill-fated romance with Moby). Co-directed by Chris Bradley and Kyle LaBrache (Illeanarama), Pittsburgh is a remarkably energetic movie in which Goldblum appears to be working harder than he ever has before on screen, dancing and singing and throwing himself into a series of demanding scenes that often last no more than a few seconds. This is well worth a visit for fans of Goldblum or anyone who enjoyed the likes of Waiting for Guffman. --Tom Keogh