Hospital workers get first viewing of new holiday movie
PITTSBURGH — About 350 Butler Health System employees are among the first people to see a feature film that shot several scenes in Butler Memorial Hospital.
“Love the Coopers,” made its Pittsburgh premiere Wednesday night at AMC Loews Waterfront Theater. The movie, produced by CBS Films, will have its release Nov. 13.
It was screened for an audience that included people from the region who appear in the movie and those who worked on it. That includes all those Butler Health System employees.
Though the cast was not on hand, director Jessie Nelson was there and answered questions from the audience.
The movie takes place on Christmas Eve and follows the Cooper family members as they prepare to meet for dinner.
The cast includes John Goodman, Diane Keaton, Marisa Tomei, and Alan Arkin.
Butler Memorial, called “First Butler Hospital” in the movie, is in the film’s final sequence of events after one of the family members has a medical emergency.
After the screening, BHS employee Dee Dee Edwards said that she enjoyed the film, both for the story and getting to see the finished product after witnessing some of the shooting.
“I felt every emotion that a person could possibly feel. I thought it was wonderful,” she said.
BHS president and CEO Ken DeFurio said having the movie crew around for a week in February was a positive experience.
“Everybody from the director, to the actors and the entire crew, they couldn’t have been more respectful. They did a great job of controlling traffic, it went very well,” he said.