Themes: Culture Clash, Filmmaking, Small-Town Life
Main Cast: Alec Baldwin, Charles Durning, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Patti LuPone, William H. Macy, Rebecca Pidgeon
Release Year: 2000
Country: US
Run Time: 106 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Echoing the themes of Living in Oblivion and Irma Vep, David Mamet's seventh feature centers on the havoc wrought on the inhabitants of a small town by a troubled film production. After its leading man's propensity for teenage girls gets them banished from their New Hampshire location, a film crew relocates to the small town of Waterford, VT, to finish shooting "The Old Mill." As its title suggests, the film depends on the presence of a genuine mill, something the town is reported to possess. Unfortunately, with only days before principal photography begins, it becomes apparent that the mill in fact burned down decades ago. Unfazed, the film's director, Walt Price (William H. Macy), places his faith in the ability of first-time screenwriter Joseph Turner White (Philip Seymour Hoffman) to alter the script; what he doesn't count on is White's apparently bottomless reserve of angst-fueled writer's block. The film's leading lady (Sarah Jessica Parker) refuses to do her contracted nude scene unless she's give an ungodly sum of cash, while a foreign cinematographer offends the locals by messing with an historic firehouse, and the leading man, Bob Barrenger (Alec Baldwin), dallies with Carla (Julia Stiles), a crafty local teen. Everything comes to a head after Barrenger and Carla are injured in a car accident, which leads White to another emotional quandary and into the arms of Ann Black (Rebecca Pidgeon). ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
Review
A rare screen comedy from David Mamet, State and Main effectively skewers the Hollywood elite in this breezy Tinseltown satire that will probably play best to the inside denizens it is spoofing. Mamet's directorial style still needs some polish (many scenes hang on well after their peak has been reached), and the film is eventually done in by its own cleverness, but his instincts as a writer remain sharp as ever. The screenplay has a wondrous attention to detail, and the power-talk employed by many of the characters is stinging and observant. The cast is also perfectly appointed, with Alec Baldwin and David Paymer particularly funny and Philip Seymour Hoffman finally getting to play a romantic lead, something he pulls off with charming ease. The film lacks the bite of something like Robert Altman's The Player -- which was truly haunting beneath its savage humor -- but provides much entertainment value, particularly for those fascinated by the politics of the film biz. State and Main premiered at the 2000 Toronto Film Festival to very enthusiastic notices, prompting many to compare Mamet's work to legendary director Preston Sturges. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide
Mark Ordesky - Co-producer, Rachel Horovitz - Co-producer, Alan Mruvka - Co-producer, Susan Lyall - Costume Designer, Cas Donovan - First Assistant Director, David Mamet - Director, Barbara Tulliver - Editor, Alec Baldwin - Executive Producer, Jon Cornick - Executive Producer, Dorothy Aufiero - Line Producer, Theodore Shapiro - Composer (Music Score), Gemma Jackson - Production Designer, Oliver Stapleton - Cinematographer, Sarah Green - Producer, David Mamet - Screenwriter
