''Playing Mona Lisa'' is a 2000

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by Matthew Huffman and starring Alicia Witt,

Harvey Fierstein Harvey Forbes Fierstein ( ; born June 6, 1952) is an American actor, playwright and screenwriter. He is best known for his theater work in '' Torch Song Trilogy'' and '' Hairspray'' and movie roles in '' Mrs. Doubtfire'', ''Independence Day'', an ...

, Johnny Galecki,

Elliott Gould Elliott Gould (; né Goldstein; born August 29, 1938) is an American actor. He began acting in Hollywood films during the 1960s. Elliott's breakthrough role was in the '' Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice'' (1969), for which he received a nomination ...

, Marlo Thomas, Molly Hagan and

Brooke Langton Brooke Langton (born November 27, 1970) is an American actress. She had significant guest roles on the NBC series '' Friday Night Lights'' and on ''Life'', in which Langton played a district attorney. She found early success on '' The Net'' (19 ...

. It is based on a play by Marni Freedman.

Plot

Everything goes wrong all at once in gifted 23-year-old pianist Claire Goldstein's life. San Francisco has an earthquake, she loses her apartment, her boyfriend Jeremy dumps her and she misses out on an important piano competition. Claire is forced to move home with her parents ( Marlo Thomas,

), where sister Jenine ( Molly Hagan) is busy planning a wedding. Claire's mom is into the occult, her teacher (

) tries to arrange auditions and friends try to hook her up with a new romantic prospect, Eddie, adding to the complications in her life.

Cast

Production

Development and writing

Based on Marni Freedman's play ''Two Goldsteins on Acid''.

Filming

Shot in San Francisco in the spring of 1999.

Musical score

Composed by Carlos Rodriguez the film's score includes a variety of music. From contemporary songs to classical piano, salsa, and polka.

Release

Released in San Francisco October 27, 2000.

Marketing

Shown at

Gen Art Film Festival Gen Art is an arts and entertainment organization that showcases emerging fashion designers, filmmakers, musicians and visual artists. It has produced over 100 events annually, which included fashion shows, film premieres and screenings, live music ...

in New York City April 26 - May 2, 2000. Shown at Stony Brook Film Festival July 19–29, 2000. Shown at

U.S. Comedy Arts Festival The Comedy Festival, formerly known as the US Comedy Arts Festival, was a comedy festival that ran from 1995 to 2008. The festival included stand-up comedy performances, appearances by the casts of television shows, and has a film component call ...

in Aspen, Colorado February 9–13, 2000.

Reception

Fresh rating of 62% from Rotten Tomatoes.

Awards

Won Audience Choice Award for Best Feature in 2000 at the Stony Brook Film Festival. Won Film Discovery Jury Award for Best Actor Alicia Witt in 2000 at U.S. Comedy Arts Festival.

Home media

The DVD for the film was released on April 17, 2001.

Notes

External links

* * * {{Rotten-tomatoes 2000 films 2000 comedy films Films set in San Francisco American comedy films Touchstone Pictures films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films