Review of State and Main (2000) by Grant S — 09 Jan 2010

Big city players integrating with small-townies = disaster. A Hollywood director (William H. Macy) accompanied by a film crew including the brilliant, yet timid author of the film's screenplay (played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman), and pampered actors (played by Sarah Jessica Parker and Alec Baldwin) begin shooting a film 'The Old Mill' in a small town in Vermont populated by a close-knit community of crafty, overprotective, wholesome folk, without having all the film ducks in a row exactly, as there's no longer an existing, titular "Old Mill", there's not enough money budgeted for Sarah Jessica Parker to show her boobs on camera, and apparently no one can keep Alec Baldwin from sleeping with underage girls.

This is the story of 2001's 'State and Main'. David Mamet's signature, machine-gun dialogue of put-you-to-your-fucking-place insults and social references with snippets of sarcasm and cynicism once again carry a brilliant plot cycle exposing big city to small town integration, and the corruption which follows, while setting a heart-warming questioning of self-integrity and honesty amidst a false-friendly Hollywood environment.

Each actor play their roles as brilliantly as expected, especially William H. Macy, who, for once, gets the opportunity to step outside of the usual nerve-tingled, cowardly character, and into the shoes of a dick-headed, scum-sucking funny guy with a mouth full of put-downs and verbal injuries, as well as a Hollywood tongue for insincerely convincing and manipulating.

'State and Main' is the equivalent of watching an intelligently-written episode of 'Wings' as if directed by a more spotlight-on-character-driven Robert Altman, with some hilariously quotable moments galore.