Review of The Mysteries of Pittsburgh (2008) by Dave S — 05 Aug 2009

Not a poorly-made film - in particular, it's well-shot with some really rich colors. But there seems to be script problems here; I don't mind changing things from the book if it still works well, but the movie has a hard time establishing any sort of depth.

There's an arbitrariness to the characters' actions, a lack of development that makes it hard to get involved even when the narrative eventually tries to up the emotional stakes. That may sound like kind of a generic critique, but it's kind of a generic movie.

One where the characters spend too much time lazing about while spouting empty lines like "You'll never be able to change him" and "I was just thinking about the future". It's too bad, because I remember enjoying the novel, and the DVD features make it clear that this was kind of a personal project for Thurber, but the end result isn't very memorable.