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| State and Main |
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| 1/2 |
| Rating: Mixed Distributor: Fine Line Pictures MPAA Rating: R Running Length: 1 hour, 45 minutes Release Date: December 12th, 2000 (limited), January 12th, 2001 (wider). Genre: Comedy, Romance, Spoof, Film On Film Making Director: David Mamet Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, William H. Macy, Sarah Jessica Parker, Patti LuPone, Rebecca Pidgeon, Charles Durning, Julia Stiles, David Paymer, and Alec Baldwin. |
| picture above from www.stateandmain.com |
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| Plot: A quiet little town, Waterford, Vermont, is about to be host to the filming of a major motion picture. The director (William H. Macy) is a rude, often manipulative, and always dirty. This director, and his producer are very corrupt, and try to deal with the difficult cast and frustrated crew. Their biggest problem revolves around an actor's (Alec Baldwin) destructive taste for teenage girls. A writer (Philip Seymour Hoffman), making his first film, tries to deal with gigantic changes in the script due to budget problems. The town is at first enjoying the celebrities running around, but eventually becomes impatient when they wreak havoc on the town. |
| Critique: David Mamet has crafted a cliched, paper thin, unconvincing satire. Mamet directs often, but more frequently he is a writer, and his most prominent job at first was as a playwright. So it's not surprising that all the characters are crude and mean except for the screenwrier. He is so angelic and cute, that whatever point Mamet tries to make about Hollywood seems a bit hypocritical. He seems to be saying that Hollywood is dirty by trade, but not me, writers, or writers turned writer/directors in his case are fine. It's possible the character is only implemented for the audience to have someone to like and to root for. It is this white character that contrasts that dark ones. Still, he could have rounded all the characters, and given them some strengths, and dish out all the strengths to everyone. If he had shades of gray he wouldn't have to worry about his characters being totally unlikable. Anyway, to add to the cute screenwriting character's problems on paper, Philip Hoffman acts the character with painfully cutesy expressions and mannerisms. This may yet be the first bad performance of Hoffman's career. It isn't earth shattering bad, but's its under average by all standards. The rest of the actors don't have demanding roles so they do OK. Oliver Stapleton, who's cinematography is wonderful, performs well in an a job that is far from demanding, and with limited material. Mamet's dialogue is sometimes charming, but more often than not uninspiring. I am unfamiliar with Theodore Shapiro's musical abilities, he may be a fine man to score films. Here, however, he creates a simple, cliched score, that creates a mood that's a bit boring. Mamet also confuses himself with themes. His romantic theme blunders, and gets in the way of the satirical drama and comedy. Mamet, in what appears to be a half, light effort, supplies little in the way of classy dialogue between Hoffman and his romantic interest, as well as making an unconvincing spoof of film making. This film is alternately a light comedy stuck in the body of a dark comedy. His characters are very dark, but their actions are rarely severe. Nothing too interesting comes from the dialogue or storyline. Every important action and resolution is cliched, especially int the romantic department. State and Main is far from a failure, it has its moments. Still, it feels like a weak attempt at would could have been more. The screenplay is familiar, and uninvolving. Mamet's statements about the film industry fail to be effective due to the hypocrisy of his comments. He lets his screenwriter be angelic, a playwright turned screenwriter (and perhaps later director) like himself. I think Mamet's ego, and maybe even laziness prevented him from fully showcasing his usual intelligence. If you want a better film about the insides of film making please rent the superior Mamet effort Wag the Dog. review by supernothingman |