State and Main

Rating:
Summary: Go Huskies!
Review: The marketing of "State and Main" did it little justice. I stayed away at first, fearful of another tired send-up of Hollywood and it's surreal machinations. Also, it appeared to be a wacky, zany, nutty comedy (three adjectives that should never -- NEVER! -- precede the word comedy). Thankfully, it's only a little of the former and relatively none of the latter.

What is it really? A David Mamet film. Silly me for thinking otherwise. Once again, Mamet's script huffs and puffs, trying desperately to blow down the pomposity of the filmmakers who land on a small Vermont town. And it tries its best to inflate the small town folk, imbuing them with homespun knowledge, wisdom, and most importantly, purity. And when it realizes that it can't do either -- that both manage to be the proverbial immovable object to its unstoppable force -- it settles down into a finely crafted character study.

Standouts in this respect include William H. Macy's cynical director, spouting platitudes into the ears of whomever needs calming, and ripping into his crew with deadpan glee. David Paymer is biting as the producer who has all the answers and damns anyone who gets in his way. Alec Baldwin and Sarah Jessica Parker play the lead actors in the film-within-the-film. He has a perilous predilection for young girls. She's found religion. The film never tells you which is worse. And Philip Seymour Hoffman, as the movie crew's token innocent (he's the writer, natch), finally gets to play a character who's both likable and *not* creepy. He even manages a series of near-miss love scenes.

And whom does Mr. Hoffman share his love scenes with. Why, it's Rebecca Pidgeon, of course. I quote from my review of Mamet's "The Spanish Prisoner", regarding her performance: "[She's] Horrible, horrible, horrible. Well, not really." True, she redeemed herself by the end of that movie, but not nearly enough to get another kick at the can in one of her husband's films. And yet here she is again. And you know what? She's astounding! Her bookish theatre director is (under-) played with just the right amount of simple wisdom and joyous wit. Whereas in "The Spanish Prisoner" I couldn't for the life of me figure out why Campbell Scott's character didn't haul off and push her into the sea, here I was rooting for Hoffman's character to wake up and see what a great woman he had right in front of his eyes. Bravo!

"State and Main" is not a traditional Mamet theatre/film piece, filled with non-sequiturs like "dog my cats" and prone to making grand and stately visions about the morality of man. It most definitely is about the search for purity. And it's set in a place where the truth, if heard by even the most cynical of ears, would make a lot of sense.

Rating:
Summary: More to it Than You Think
Review: People might think that there is nothing more than this film than a movie crew invading the quiet little town of Waterford, Vermont. Suprisingly, it does. Mamet leaves the suspense of his last movie, The Spanish Prisoner, and ops for a more comedic script. Phillip Seymour Hoffman and William H. Macy head this all-star cast. Hoffman plays a somewhat confused writer of a movie called "The Old Mill". Macy is the director, now a little angered that they once again have to move to another sleepy little town because of their lead actor played by William Baldwin. Amongst the romance and the brilliant dialouge that seem to just never stop is the quest for purity. Take a glance at this film, there's more to it than you'd think.

Rating:
Summary: Why is good mr. inspiration? ITS FUNNY QUIRKY AND COOL
Review: This is a great film. Its tie-ins of the web of characters are amazing and its one of the best resolved films I've seen in a long time. Screw gladiator, screw inspiration, sometimes you've just gotta laugh.

David Mamet lets his hair down for once and produces on of his best works. It is hilarious with a great array of gags, makes you feel good, and deals with the beauracracy of the movie-making business.

The script writer (in the film) is left with a difficult decision, and it is resolved in typical everybody's happy-how did that happen-david mamet sort of way.

But the real talent in this film is the real life script writer, because he wrote one of the funniest films in a long time.

Rating:
Summary: The State Street Made It To My Top 10
Review: Seven days of filming by a movie crew turns a small Vermont town upside-down and sideways, to film The Old Mill. All sorts of problems come up in this ensemble comedy, but the center is the sweet romance that sparks between the film's writer (Hoffman), and the owner of the local bookstore (Pidgeon).

Rating:
Summary: DON'T BOTHER
Review: This is a disappointing film from Mamet. The film has a cynical ending, but the cynicism is not deep and biting enough to be satisfying. It also has a romantic ending, but the romance is too cold to evoke warmth. Part of why the romance does not work is Rebecca Pidgeon. As in The Winslow Boy, she comes across as distant, condescending, and ironic. She would be good in the right type of roles, but she is far too cold and insincere as the small-town woman who opens the playwright's heart to love and makes him understand virtue. As for Philip Seymour Hoffman, he was great in The Talented Mr. Ripley, but here he mostly walks about looking as if he has indigestion or constipation.

The premise of the film is promising: a self-absorbed Hollywood film crew invades a charming, old-fashioned small town in Vermont. The comic possibilities are endless. Take the plans for the film honchos to have dinner with the mayor (played by Charles Durning, who practically sleepwalks through this bit role) and his small-town socialite wife. This has great comic potential. So what does Mamet do? He has the film crew forget to show up! Again and again Mamet pulls so little comedy from a plot with so much potential.

I like William H. Macy, but he is miscast. He doesn't summon enough alternating menace and charm in his role as the Hollywood director. He would have been better cast as one of the Vermont yokels (just as he was brilliantly cast as a Fargo car salesman in Fargo and as a small-town conformist in Pleasantville).

There is a film within the film that is supposed to reflect the themes of State and Main. Yet Mamet scarcely explains what the film within the film is, so we're left guessing as to how everything relates. What's more, the screenwriter is supposed to be a brilliant playwright (David Mamet, anyone?), but the little dialogue we hear and scenes that we see of the film within the film are terrible (State and Main, anyone?)

Mamet is coasting. He recycles the idea from his Spanish Prisoner of someone who is fooled by a stage set. Mamet does not show us the creative process as the screenwriter reworks the script on the set. Instead, we see him acting depressed until a figurative light bulb goes off in his head (or in Pidgeon's head when she gets the ideas for him). What creative discoveries they make are explained only at the most general and abstract level (with dialogue such as "I know! This film is about purity and second-chances!"). This is not an exploration of the creative process - it is the illusion of an exploration. It is the difference between thinking and merely scrunching up your face as if you were thinking.

Rating:
Summary: State and Main
Review: Hollywood has a long tradition of movies about movie-making, which range from the sublime (Sullivan's Travels, The Bad and the Beautiful) to the horrifying (Sweet Liberty). Thankfully, David Mamet's new film belongs with the former rather than the latter. Although known more for his gritty dramas than comedy, there is no doubt that Mamet has a genius for dialogue, and never has he put this genius to better use than he does in "State and Main." The movie also features one of the great ensemble casts in recent memory. In addition to Mamet regulars William H. Macy, Rebecca Pidgeon, and Ricky Jay, the cast of this Hollywood-film-crew-comes-to-small-town-New-England comedy features Alec Baldwin,Philip Seymour Hoffman, Sarah Jessica Parker, Charles Durning, and Julia Stiles.

If there is any justice at all in Hollywood, the Academy voters will be able enough to laugh at their industry, and this movie will get a Best Picture nomination.

Rating:
Summary: Five Stars Just Isn't Enough
Review: It's difficult to write an objective review about a film that I'm so enthusiastic about, but there's no getting around it-- I haven't been this excited about a movie in a long time, so I'll just forge ahead. The film is "State and Main," written and directed by David Mamet, and arguably his best effort since 1987's "House Of Games." When a movie company invades the sleepy hamlet of Waterford, Vermont, for a location shoot, complete with big name stars Bob Barrenger (Alec Baldwin) and Claire Wellesley (Sarah Jessica Parker) in tow, it creates quite a stir; and before it's over many of the townsfolk, as well as a few of those connected with the film, have learned some things about themselves-- and others-- they never knew before. Things about honesty, purity and the moral flexibility inherent in many of those who reside here on planet Earth. As a setting for the making of the film within the film-- which is about purity and second chances-- Mamet takes a page right out of Americana, complete with a Main Street, an historic firehouse, a quaint hostelry and even-- "maybe"-- an old mill on a stream. And in making a film about making a film about purity and second chances, he's made a film about purity and, well, second chances; a terrific character study that is forthright and sincere, and which rings with truth from beginning to end. It's as honest as it is real, and so accessible that it makes an instant connection with the audience. There are characters and situations here with which everyone will be able to identify in one way or another, all presented refreshingly and quite unpredictably. Just when you think you see something coming from a mile away, you're treated to one of those famous Mamet "twists" that take you exactly where you didn't think you were going. And Mamet does it so well that it's not only highly entertaining, but invigorating as well. The cast he put together for this film is superlative, beginning with William H. Macy as Walt Price, the director of the movie. A Mamet regular, Macy creates a character infused with that magic Mamet realism that helps establish the credibility of the film from the outset. Baldwin is perfectly cast as the "star" with certain insatiable appetites and recreational needs, as is Parker, as the actress with a sudden case of "issues" regarding her contractual obligations. And David Paymer does a solid turn as Marty Rossen, the producer of the film. But the two actors who really make this movie tick are the charismatic Rebecca Pidgeon, and the versatile, multi-talented Philip Seymour Hoffman. Pidgeon is absolutely captivating as Ann Black, the local who runs the book shop and directs the town's drama group (which includes just about everybody in Waterford, it seems). She's winsome and charming, with a directness and vigor that is stunning; and she captures the very essence of Ann-- the intelligence and the compassion-- and conveys it convincingly to the audience. It's a memorable performance, and one of the strengths (among many) of the movie. The real star of the show, however, is Hoffman, as Joseph Turner White, the writer of the movie. He gives an introspective performance filled with nuance and subtlety that is so real-- so pure-- that he single-handedly takes the film to a whole new level. Like Meryl Streep, Hoffman has that chameleon-like ability that enables him to be anyone and everyone, yet always unique; it's a quality with which few actors are endowed, and he uses his gift to full advantage here, with his memorable portrayal of White. Simply put, it's a great performance by a great actor, and one that should earn him an Oscar nomination. The supporting cast includes Charles Durning (Mayor George Bailey), Clark Gregg (Doug), Patti LuPone (Sherry Bailey), Julia Stiles (Carla) and Ricky Jay (Jack). Mamet has a style that make his films uniquely his own, and "State and Main" is one of his best. Exceptionally well done and delivered, it's intelligent, funny and entertaining; an honest and succinct examination of human nature with an integrity at it's core that makes it a truly great film. This is a prime example of what the magic of the movies is all about; a film that absolutely should not be missed.

Rating:
Summary: VERY WITTY SATIRE
Review: I was fortunate enough to see the world premiere of this film at the Montreal World Film Festival and it was a riot. I laughed along with everyone else when I heard the spectacular cast shoot out very funny one-liners. But, maybe, if I had just seen this movie when it was released, I wouldn't have liked it as much. Maybe the rest of the crowd manipulated me into laughing... who knows. Still, William H. Macy delivers a performance that will have you rolling on the floor in tears, if your in the mood for a very humorous, dry satire about Hollywood taking over a small town. I've never been a fan of either Alec Baldwin or Sarah Jessica Parker, but I do gain respect for them, because they pull their roles off very well. So, if your in the mood for a light hearted satire about Hollywood, and are in the mood for a very well written screenplay, go see this little gem with epic performances.

Rating:
Summary: Side-splittingly funny Hollywood satire
Review: A film crew goes to a small town in Vermont (they were previously in a small town in New Hampshire, but had to move due to the male star's penchant for underage girls) to film a movie called "The Old Mill". The problem is that the old mill burned down in 1960, part of a spate of "unexplained fires". And that's just one of the funny set pieces of David Mamet's latest movie.

There is the overly tense, carbohydrate-hating director, played to perfection by William H. Macy. The male star, played with swagger by Alec Baldwin. The female star, who refuses to go topless (despite having committed to it in her contract) unless the production company pays her additional money, played by Sarah Jessica Parker. And the hapless writer, who now must find a substitute for the mill, played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

Unlike most Mamet-written or -directed films, this is a gentle comedy, without most of the raw language of his plays. But the dialogue is no less sharp and no less funny. There isn't a weak link in the cast, and the laughs keep coming as Bob (Baldwin) gets into trouble with yet another teenage girl (Julia Stiles, who makes it unclear whether she is the seducer or the seducee), Joseph (Hoffman) struggles to keep up with the demanded rewrites, and a town prosecutor vindictively (and then justifiably) goes after the film company for what is happening to the town.

Filmed in a picturesque little hamlet, the complications of the plot seem all the funnier for occurring in this bucolic atmosphere.

Very, very funny and highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Mainly Funny
Review: Phillip Hoffman is searching for purity. Unfortunately his play has been purchased by a wild Hollywood movie crew, and they're off and shooting in Waterford, Vermont because Main Street is already there. It's cheaper than building a set. Then the town's folks, New Englanders, dry and pragmatic, mingle with Hollywood slime balls, daft, smooth-talking director, William H. Macy and screen idol, young girl chasing, Alex Baldwin. Sarah J. Parker of Sex in the City fame plays the nymphomaniac actress bedding everyone in sight. Small town smart girl Rebecca Pigeon and writer Hoffman make the necessary changes in the script and then they fall in love. A scandal threatens the shoot and somebody forgets the mayor's dinner party. There's plenty of manic fun here. I recommend for a good laugh. Also, is it just I or is William H. Macy the best actor in the world.