State and Main (2000)

You won't be disappointed!

SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

I wish I could give this flick a 10. It has much of what I want from a movie; colorful writing, great scenario work, and supercharged acting moxie.But... what does it lack? Hm. It's one of those things where the writing smells of the craft, and it's up to the direction/acting to cover that up. And it valiantly tries and does make some inroads. But, in the end, you can still smell the writing craftiness.Mamet is known for his knotty, gnarly complexity. Every now and again he gets the balance (of detail and myth) just right e.g., Glengarry. Here, it's a little detail top-heavy. But, yes, the myth is still there in all it's shining glory.It's still a fun flick to watch for all the positive attributes cited above, and highly recommended. It's also got a truckload of insider film patois and self-important preening.Loved the glancing ref to Mamet's old buddy, Jonathan Katz: "...and, P.S., pal: I put the word out of the street and Betty Boop can look for work in Squigglevision!" Not to mention Katz's cameo!Anyway... Yeah, I can recommend it. Not as taut as Glengarry, certainly not as gratuitously/ungratifiably complex as "The Spanish Prisoner". It's a rollicking cavalcade.

I usually find movies about the film industry to be somewhat tedious and self-indulgent; "Adaptation" comes to mind as an example. "State and Main" breaks the mold as it light-heartedly pokes fun at the film industry, small town life, and a half-dozen other sacred cows. It also has a sweet side, with charmingly bumbling script-writer Joseph Turner White (Philip Seymour Hoffman) finding both romance and a second lease on innocence. It's great to see the talented Mr. Hoffman cast as a romantic lead, even if his character is simultaneously made an object of sport. Spot-on (if necessarily caricatured) performances by William H. Macy, David Paymer, Alec Baldwin, Sarah Jessica Parker, Julia Stiles, Clark Gregg, and Michael Higgins multiply the laughs. It looks like the cast had fun making this film; I hope they did!

Clever, quotable, and funny David Mamet's dialogue is loved by performers because of its literate substance. "State and Main" like "Day for Night" is a look on the inside of the very crazy business of putting together a film and there are some real funny gems in this flic. Mamet's characters are always after something, and the reason he is so popular with actors is his ability to write very "playable" lines. The DVD of "State and Main" a rare comedy from the writer/director has a wonderful ensemble of actors presenting a wacky and at times cock-eyed version of the film-making world. Anyone who has ever worked on an independent film crew will find a rueful pleasure in the characterizations auteur Mamet gains from his actors. The story is about a film crew on location directed by Walt Price (William H. Macy) in the back woods of Waterford, Vermont having been run out of another town in New Hampshire for murky salacious reasons, but it is hinted that lead actor Bob Barrenger (Alex Baldwin) may have had some sort of personal tryst with a young (very young... below the age of consent) citizen. Walt Price has to find a location to fit the title of the film he's directing, "The Old Mill", and this town reportedly has such a landmark. After the film rents out the hotel and sets up shop, they find out that the old mill of the town that is listed in historic literature for the area was burned down in the 1970s as part of some rumored conspiracy, one that actually was responsible for the forming of the Waterford Huskies, the local fire department. The screenwriter Joseph Turner White (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) is brought in for rewrites. He is eclectic- only writes with an actual typewriter, and goes to the local resale shop to find one. There he meets Ann Black the owner of the shop and through their love for "theatre" (she has a copy of White's fist real stage play), they form an attraction for each other and begin to fall in love. Love in this world is a brittle thing, but not beyond the grasp of two kindred souls like Ann and Joseph, and amidst all the shenanigans, their relationship is something that weathers the test of any and all conflicts. This screwball comedy escalates to a fast and furious pace as Barrenger hooks up with youngster waitress Carla (Julia Stiles), and is ultimately arrested for child abuse by Ann's fiancée and local politician Doug McKenzie (Clark Gregg) seeking a trophy for his climb up the local political mountain. Added to this lead actress Claire Wellesley (Sarah Jessica Parker) refuses a nude scene that she agreed to do to make the film, and producer Mary Rossen (David Paymer) has to finagle some way to appease her and get his lead actor Barrenger out of jail, while also attempting to attach post-modern product placement into a period film dated in the 1800s. It all comes to a head, but happily for the pure of heart Ann Black and Joseph Turner White, and ultimately the film goes into production with the entire town turning our for extra work and emotional support for the crew and those involved. It's all tongue-in-cheek with many a laughable moments generated from the performances, the dialogue, and this ideas that Mamet generates about the film industry and an alternate culture to be reviled as well as honored for many of the same reasons. A few of the really good lines: (there are many more punctuated by sight gags!) - Walt Price: "It's not a lie. It's a gift for fiction." Joseph Turner White: "What's an associate producer credit?" Bill Smith: "It's what you give to your secretary instead of a raise." Bob Barrenger: "I know my lines. … I just don't know what order they come in." And a great line that gets tossed around by just about every character as an exclamation point to something they've just said – "Go you Huskies!" I would recommend that any film student see this as class assignment in their first year of film school, because it brings up many of the actual issues that a film company faces when making a movie, and pokes fun at them at the same time. Mamet has the unique ability to craft very quotable lines and this film has plenty of them and very well placed, interacting with visual cues. One of the best scenes is with William Macy and Sarah Jessica Parker in the director and actrees moment in the "Eleonora Duse" scene in the cramped bathroom.

This is a great and very fun film.The performances are great.The film is about a director and actors who go to a little town to shoot a movie.But shooting the movie will be very difficult.David Mamet made an excellent film.The script is brilliant,and some situations are really original.This is a great parody to the industry of the cinema.William H.Macy,Philip S.Hoffman and Alec Baldwin make the best performances on this movie.I totally recommend this movie to everyone,specially to fans of the cinema because on this movie you see that making a movie is something really difficult.Rating: 9