STATE AND MAIN
State and Main is the
newest movie from David Mamet, writer/director whose film credits
include "Glengarry Glen Ross," and "The Spanish Prisoner." An acclaimed
playwrite, Mamet's distinct style of dialogue has made some of his
movies jumpy and difficult to follow at points, making his drama (like
"The Edge") somewhat unenjoyable to watch. However, this signature
style adapts well to comedy, and is partially why this movie is
uproariously hilarious. Fans of his comedy, "Wag the Dog" should enjoy
this one as the styles are quite similar. His directing style is clean,
direct and straight to-the-point, coloring the screen with the
performances of the well-assembled cast members. Phillip Seymour
Hoffman is great as usual as are William H. Macy and Sarah Jessica
Parker. While I usually do not care for any of the Baldwins, especially
Alec, his role as a pretentious movie star suits him quite well.
Plotwise, the story is simple but works well: the cast and crew of a
movie, "The Old Mill," for reasons unknown had to relocate the shooting
of the film from a quaint New Hampshire town to an even more peculiar
Vermont village. The rest is a combination of great comedic twists and
irony. "State and Main" is a must see for comedy fans tired of
unintelligent formulaic Hollywood Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler trash.