Lead actress Alicia Witt (Claire) is an accomplished concert pianist, and performs all of the piano-playing shown in the film.
The film was shot on location in San Francisco in the spring of 1999. Composed by Carlos Rodriguez, the film's score includes a variety of music - from contemporary songs to classical piano, salsa, and polka.
Playing Mona Lisa is a 2000 American comedy film directed by Matthew Huffman and starring Alicia Witt, Harvey Fierstein, Johnny Galecki, Elliott Gould, Marlo Thomas, Molly Hagan, and Brooke Langton. It is based on a play "Two Goldsteins on Acid" by Marni Freedman.
The film won the Audience Choice Award for Best Feature in 2000 at the Stony Brook Film Festival. It also won the Film Discovery Jury Award for Best Actor Alicia Witt in 2000 at U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado.