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Yar, you be here: State and Main > Customer Reviews State and Main Customer Reviews (1 - 3 of 21 Reviews)Wonderful and Hilarious
"State and Main" is a throwback to the often gentle but hilarious satires of the 50s and 60s--you know the ones where the bucolic splendor of small-town America is thrust into chaos by the arrival of out-of-towners. Like "The Music Man" and "The Russians are Coming! The Russians are Coming!", David Mamet's sendup is witty and affecting, though many of his famous four-letter-word sensibilities still pepper the mix. The terrific ensemble cast includes Alec Baldwin, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rebecca Pidgeon, William H. Macy, and Sarah Jessica Parker, and the story revolves around a frenetic movie crew struggling to turn a dramatic disaster into a box-office winner. Along the way, they brave graft from the locals, the Machiavellian efforts of a producer, and the peccadilloes of a star that deserves to be locked up. Despite some raunch and cynicism, Mamet somehow manages to splash a sweet gloss on it all, particularly with a refreshingly watchable romance between Hoffman and Pidgeon. Look for some great sight gags, too, and, of course, Mamet's penchant for rip-snortin' dialogue. About the only complaint I have is that Ricky Jay didn't have more to do. State and Main, , The Old Water Mill or Without Title
This gem of a movie was probably not a blockbuster when released. The storyline is thin and almost non-existent, it could be summed up as "Everyone gets the chance to screw up a second time". Nevertheless, there are enough twists and turns to make what story there is interesting. This must be the sort of movie that every good actor and actress would love to have a role in as the screenplay has been written by an accomplished playwright. It is a farcical melodrama rather than a comedy but nonetheless highly enjoyable. A film-making team, hard up on critical funds, has just been thrown out of a small town in New Hampshire. Their movie's plot necessitates the choice of a small town New England locale and a water mill (one reason why they are short of funds is that they had to build an old water mill replica in the New Hampshire town). As the movie begins The Director and his crew find themselves in a small town in Vermont (actually most of the scenes are shot in Connecticut or Massachusetts). The beauty of the location is well-captured by excellent photography. The makers of "State and Main" did not fall into the trap of shooting the film during the Fall. New England fall colours would be a major distraction although Alfred Hitchcock's black comedy "The Trouble With Harry" succeeded despite being shot in Vermont at the peak of the fall leaf colour season, but then Hitchcock was an exceptional genius. The small town has being going on in its leisurely way until the film crew arrive. The obvious star of "State and Main" is Philip Seymour Hoffman a previously little known Hollywood actor whose first appeared on the screen as the spoilt rich Daddy supported George Willis Jr. In that memorable Al Pacino film, "Scent of a Woman". Hoffman's key role in "State and Main" is as the author and screen play writer for the movie within the movie. The better known Hollywood star Alec Baldwin plays the lesser role of the film-in making's male star. He is portrayed as a lustful male whose sexual preference is of under age nubile girls. The Director is played by William H. Macy, who is completely unflappable no matter what. The producer arrives after the crew has settled in. The role is played by droopy-eyed David Paymer, who is completely obsessed with money and will bribe anyone to get things moving. The male star lead is almost fatally distracted by a young teenager (Julia Stiles). The female lead and siren, Sarah Jessica Parker, demands substantial extra money for appearing naked in a scene claiming that she has found religion. Hoffman is smitten in the heart by an attractive young woman (Rebecca Pidgeon) in the town who is engaged or semi-engaged to the local bad man and town councillor. I will leave it to the reader's imagination to find out if the film crew gets the second chance to screw up again. The movie is directed by David Mamet, a leading American playwright. Mamet wrote the screen plays for "The Postman Always Rings Twice", "The Untouchables" , and had a minor role as a performer in the 1986 thriller "Black Widow". He has directed several movies aside from this one in the past 17 years. It is evident that Mamet , who also wrote the screen play for this charming melodrama, was at a loss for a suitable title for the film, just like the director in the play, who wanted to call his movie "The Old Mill", only to find out, upon arrival in the Vermont town, that the much advertised "Old Mill" had burnt down in 1960. So Mamet settled on the uninspiring title "State and Main"" from the intersection where the town's brand new traffic lights still stand at the start of the movie. Interestingly enough the title for the DVD version of "State and Main" circulating in Greece is translated as "Without Title". I am fairly confident that this little known 102 minute movie will become a movie buff's classic one day. Good, But Not For Everybody
State And Main is a well crafted, wonderfully put together satire on Hollywood. It has a great cast and direction. But, is not for everyone. This movie is very in your face. It can be sorta crude and annoying as well. But that's what these characters need to be. There is not one likeable character in this movie. That's a nice change of pace. Some of the dialogue and jokes are so different that it might be hard for some people to really get into. It's a thinking comedy. It's not really a laugh out loud type of film. Anyways, the storyline has a film crew, headed by temperamental director William H. Macy, setting up shop in a very Norman Rockwell-ish town to make a movie. And, needless to say, the cultures between hollywood filmmakers and small town people, clash. Clash horribly. The wonderful supporting cast includes : Alec Baldwin, Sarah Jessica Parker, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Julia Stiles, Charles Durning, Patti LuPone, and Rebecca Pidgeon(Mamet's wife). This is a good movie that is just not easily enjoyable. Does that make any sense?. Oh well. State And Main is a nice effort.
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