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37 out of 51 people found the following review useful: PLEASE PAY ATTENTION BEFORE POSTING, 18 September 2002 Author: Dave-330 from Chicago, IL
The reviews of this film seem to be mixed and I am confused on how that can be? This is one of my favorite movies ever and may be the best (not slapstick, Chris Farley-esque comedy, but smart) comedy. You must pay attention to this movie to get the jokes, because most of them are running (as in recurring) jokes that pick up on items that may have been just mentioned once ("Go you Huskies!") and again and again and again and then are explained later as a tag-on in the dialogue. This basic comedy technique works on an early Mel Brooks type level and makes for a movie that should be watched many times in order to pick up everything, but is still (maybe even more) enjoyable after each viewing.The writing is unquestionably the best comedy screenplay since those early Brooks films. It's just funny, but you have to pay attention. If you aren't listening to every line of dialogue, you will miss jokes, it is that simple. Each line is crucial to the script either as a story/plot building device or as a joke building device or both. There is not one wasted word in the script.The cast is classic. Rebecca Pidgeon, Mamet's wife, plays the matter-of-fact-talking girl perfectly. She is the heart of the film and deserves praise for being able to perform that well. The other person that deserves high praise is William H. Macy. His performance is on par with his Fargo performance. He emits this sense of control as everything falls apart around him and delivers some excellent lines.Baldwin gives a better than average performance, as does Durning and Hoffman and the rest of the cast is quite good.The direction is great. The movie seems to last 15 minutes because it is that interesting and fast paced. The perceived fast pace is created by the actors saying their lines so quickly and crisply. This can only occur with a director that knows the script but since the script was written by the director, the point becomes moot. Everything else also flows so well and the credit for that has to be given to Mamet's directing and writing ability.I really like this film. I like the way "The Old Mill" mirrors the actions of the actual film and how deep the film goes. This is like one of those classic novels that can be dissected in every way for symbolism and thought, which is quite rare in today's cinema. The film may be too smart for it's own good and may have overshot the general movie audience, but makes for a gem of a movie to watch. Mamet pulls no punches making fun of Hollywood by comparing it to small town America or more importantly Hollywood "values" to small town American values. Watch this movie if you want to think and be entertained, and if that doesn't sound appealing, please go find another movie to watch.
12 out of 14 people found the following review useful: State and Main, , The Old Water Mill or Without Title, 22 March 2005 Author: lakipappy from Canada
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
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 colors 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 color 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 spoiled 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 Pigeon) in the town who is engaged or semi-engaged to the local bad man and town councilor.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 well-known movies such as "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. 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 melodrama will become a cine buff's classic one day
13 out of 16 people found the following review useful: David Mamet takes a change of pace, 23 December 2000 Author: MisterWhiplash from United States
If you know Mamet's film history, you'll realize often, he writes about lowlifes and depressing (though good) subject matter such as the Untouchables, Glengarry Glen Ross and The Winslow Boy. But now, Mamet turns to light comedy and succeeds, even if as times it's a little too light. The film is mainly supported (besides a clever script) by it's cast including William H. Macy delivering some good laughs as a director who comes off like he did in Fargo, only more like you would see a director. Phillip Seymour Hoffman makes good as a writer, Alec Baldwin brings some sly humor as a big movie star who can't get away from 14 year old girls (though Julia Stiles doesn't look 14), Sarah Jessica Parker is actually sexy here, and David Paymer is stunningly funny as a go for broke producer. At points, one could compare this movie to the brilliant Bowfinger from last year and they might be right, but Mamet also adds in stuff about small towns as well. Enjoyable to say the least. B+
15 out of 20 people found the following review useful: Rebecca's Valentine, 22 January 2001 Author: tedg (tedg@FilmsFolded.com) from Virginia Beach
Spoilers herein.Mamet is the best writer in the business, and here is another of his films about films. There are dozens this year already by others (and about writing too) and this is an incredibly tight and multilayered edition, but the layers are different than usual.Once again, we get relatively deep ruminations on the nature of art. Here, the mirror of film and film-within is reflected in Hollywood and a `real' town. Lots of smaller reflections too -- for instance in the external film, breasts are shown to the lead but not the audience, while this same issue is manipulated in the internal film. Lots of plot turns, including some unconsummated starts: who burned stuff down? why did it inspire the Huskies? what happened to 1975? Some truly great acting on the part of Hoffman and Macy. And the whole thing is funny as hell.But what's truly fascinating is how Mamet layered the meanings and how he placed his wife in the center. His past few films -- the ones he directed plus `Vanya' -- were incredibly multilayered. He creates parallel worlds which the actors jump among, sometimes chasing, or annotating, or fighting. Very rich, very jazz. But in the last two films Rebecca has been lost as an actress. She's really quite accomplished, but as a straight ahead sort of actor. Hoffman can play several roles at once -- Pidgeon only one.One can see that Mamet loves his levels -- it's the core of his achievement. But he loves his wife more. So here he has flattened his levels of abstraction so that they are not indirectly referenced but intrinsic in the story. That way, his wife can work with her role without being swamped. He even builds the entire creation of both films around her (she writes them both). And he adds a half-film of sorts where she creates her own, by mobilizing townspeople to fool Hoffman's character. More. With Hoffman as his surrogate he even makes the story about this bending of the story for her, about sacrificing artifice for love. What a valentine! How enobling a love! I'll bet his next writing/directing effort (`The Heist,' now in production) is similarly built on her.My only complaint continues to be his use of the camera, which is strictly mundane. His films are plays, all about the writing and acting, not at all about the filming in the filming. What will happen when Mamet's writing is seen through Ridley Scott's eye? We'll soon see.
10 out of 11 people found the following review useful: Brilliantly acted and refreshingly original!, 29 June 2001 Author: mattymatt4ever from Jersey City, NJ
I haven't been thoroughly following David Mamet's career, but just watching this film, "American Buffalo" and "Glengarry Glen Ross" I already get a feel of his unique style of writing. It's very witty, very original and he has certain trademarks, like quick exchanges of dialogue between actors and repeating of the same sentence of dialogue in a group of lines. Well, his uniqueness is quite evident in watching this movie and it works quite well.First I'll mention the vast array of talented actors. I don't think the casting could've been any better. Character actor William H. Macy is brilliant as the almost unscrupulous director, who will do ANYTHING--and I'm not exaggerating the least bit--to get his picture done. Fellow character actor/fellow PT Anderson regular Philip Seymour-Hoffman turns in another brilliant, yet subtle performance as the shy but appealing and wildly creative screenwriter who is the fuel of this cinematic project. As I said, he's made a significant--and extremely impressive--transition from playing the airhead jerk in "Scent of a Woman" and "Twister" to playing deep character roles like this. He ranks among the top in my list of Best Underrated Actors (along with Macy) and I hope one of these days he'll become a household name. David Peymer, I think, delivers the best performance of his career as the fast-talking, sniveling producer. I've always known he was a good actor, but he truly flaunts his knack for acting and taking risks in this role. It figures that playwright Mamet would assemble a group of fine character actors, instead of simply casting people who "look good on camera." That's one of the advantages of having a playwright as a director.The script is wildly original and kept me laughing. There are many interesting, memorable quotes. And this is just a fine adult comedy (Thank God!!). With the explosion of teen gross-out comedies, I'm sure audiences will cherish a comedy like this. It works in all aspects. Not only is it well-performed, but it's well-written (lots of comedies only contain one of those factors). And it's all done in good taste. So those of you expecting cheap sex jokes and low-brow gags involving bodily functions--sorry to disappoint you! There are no cliches. This movie is an explosion of Mamet's gift for creativity. Take for example, the relationship between Hoffman and the beautiful Rebecca Pidgeon. They don't have a sex scene. Most of their screen time is spent talking and getting to know each other, sharing their thoughts on writing, researching the town's history, finding out how much they have in common. Do we still see that in the movies? Character development in romance? In the scene where Hoffman is in the hotel room with Sarah Jessica Parker lying on the bed naked, and Pidgeon knocks on his door to greet him with a bouquet of flowers, there's no predictability. You would assume she would take one look at Parker's naked body and punch him in face. I'm not going to give away what happens, but that moment stuck in my mind, because it is the first film I've seen to go a different route with the whole "girlfriend catches you in bed with another girl" premise. "State and Main" is pleasant, light-hearted, funny, original comedy and it's one I'd definitely recommend. If you want to see great performances and laugh at good, tasteful humor--you can't go wrong!My score: 7 (out of 10)
16 out of 23 people found the following review useful: I guess that Hollywood and small-town America just don't mix!, 22 July 2005 Author: Lee Eisenberg (eisenberg.lee@gmail.com) from Portland, Oregon, USA
When Hollywood (with all its ruthlessness, immorality, and other R-rated-or-are-they characteristics) comes to an idealistic small town (with its farms, mom-and-pop stores, and other G-rated-or-are-they characteristics), what could possibly go wrong? The answer is, of course, everything. Director Walt Price (William H. Macy) is uptight, while star Bob Barrenger (Alec Baldwin) can't keep his zipper shut in the presence of local teenager Carla (Julia Stiles). Meanwhile, everyone in town wants a piece of the movie's action, and they won't easily be discouraged from getting it."State and Main" just might be David Mamet's funniest movie ever. Poking fun at both Tinseltown and the "ideal small town", he creates a story that's as biting as it is zany.I have a question, though. Charles Durning plays Mayor George Bailey. Was that name a reference to Jimmy Stewart's character in "It's a Wonderful Life"?
10 out of 15 people found the following review useful: Slight but colorful, 18 January 2004 Author: moonspinner55 from redlands, ca
The filmmakers who invade Vermont are patronizing, condescending and pig-headed...to the locals and to each other. Writer-director David Mamet gets in some good acerbic digs at show business and isn't afraid to make anyone and everyone look the fool. After all, it's only "just a movie" to us--to them, it's brain surgery at a cost. The cast seems to be having a great time, Alec Baldwin in particular. Philip Seymour Hoffman has never been so benign--and thats a good thing (what a nice change to see him relaxed, romantic and clean-cut). The picture isn't a barn-burner, it never crackles or builds comedic momentum like, say, "Tootsie", but it's a flip, funny, unfettered throwaway. **1/2 from ****
4 out of 4 people found the following review useful: One Of Mamet's Best, 24 January 2001 Author: jhclues from Salem, Oregon
It's difficult to write an objective review about a film that I'm so enthusiastic about, but there's no getting around it-- I haven't been this excited about a movie in a long time, so I'll just forge ahead. The film is `State and Main,' written and directed by David Mamet, and arguably his best effort since 1987's `House Of Games.' When a movie company invades the sleepy hamlet of Waterford, Vermont, for a location shoot, complete with big name stars Bob Barrenger (Alec Baldwin) and Claire Wellesley (Sarah Jessica Parker) in tow, it creates quite a stir; and before it's over many of the townsfolk, as well as a few of those connected with the film, have learned some things about themselves-- and others-- they never knew before. Things about honesty, purity and the moral flexibility inherent in many of those who reside here on planet Earth. As a setting for the making of the film within the film-- which is about purity and second chances-- Mamet takes a page right out of Americana, complete with a Main Street, an historic firehouse, a quaint hostelry and even-- `maybe'-- an old mill on a stream. And in making a film about making a film about purity and second chances, he's made a film about purity and, well, second chances; a terrific character study that is forthright and sincere, and which rings with truth from beginning to end. It's as honest as it is real, and so accessible that it makes an instant connection with the audience. There are characters and situations here with which everyone will be able to identify in one way or another, all presented refreshingly and quite unpredictably. Just when you think you see something coming from a mile away, you're treated to one of those famous Mamet `twists' that take you exactly where you didn't think you were going. And Mamet does it so well that it's not only highly entertaining, but invigorating as well. The cast he put together for this film is superlative, beginning with William H. Macy as Walt Price, the director of the movie. A Mamet regular, Macy creates a character infused with that magic Mamet realism that helps establish the credibility of the film from the outset. Baldwin is perfectly cast as the `star' with certain insatiable appetites and recreational needs, as is Parker, as the actress with a sudden case of `issues' regarding her contractual obligations. And David Paymer does a solid turn as Marty Rossen, the producer of the film. But the two actors who really make this movie tick are the charismatic Rebecca Pidgeon, and the versatile, multi-talented Philip Seymour Hoffman. Pidgeon is absolutely captivating as Ann Black, the local who runs the book shop and directs the town's drama group (which includes just about everybody in Waterford, it seems). She's winsome and charming, with a directness and vigor that is stunning; and she captures the very essence of Ann-- the intelligence and the compassion-- and conveys it convincingly to the audience. It's a memorable performance, and one of the strengths (among many) of the movie. The real star of the show, however, is Hoffman, as Joseph Turner White, the writer of the movie. He gives an introspective performance filled with nuance and subtlety that is so real-- so pure-- that he single-handedly takes the film to a whole new level. Like Meryl Streep, Hoffman has that chameleon-like ability that enables him to be anyone and everyone, yet always unique; it's a quality with which few actors are endowed, and he uses his gift to full advantage here, with his memorable portrayal of White. Simply put, it's a great performance by a great actor, and one that should earn him an Oscar nomination. The supporting cast includes Charles Durning (Mayor George Bailey), Clark Gregg (Doug), Patti LuPone (Sherry Bailey), Julia Stiles (Carla) and Ricky Jay (Jack). Mamet has a style that make his films uniquely his own, and `State and Main' is one of his best. Exceptionally well done and delivered, it's intelligent, funny and entertaining; an honest and succinct examination of human nature with an integrity at it's core that makes it a truly great film. This is a prime example of what the magic of the movies is all about; a film that absolutely should not be missed. I rate this one 10/10.
8 out of 12 people found the following review useful: Goodhearted, light fun, 23 June 2004 Author: (rcraig62@comcast.net) from Brick, NJ
In the pantheon of David Mamet's films, I'd say State and Main ranks somewhere in the middle, but it's a good middle. The rhythm and pace is more like a sitcom than a feature film, sharply edited and light on its feet and with a sort of whitebread jazz motif loitering in the background, but the cast is certainly above average, and Mamet's screenplay is very charming punctuated with some funny sub-plots and a few very good (maybe even great) one-liners.The story concerns a film production crew, running out of money, who blows into the quaint provincial town of Waterford, Vermont on a location shoot after getting run out of New Hampshire (for reasons that are very hush-hush). The wellspring of much of the humor is in the byplay between the corruptness of the film people and the "purity" of the locals, who turn out to be as rotten as some of the Hollywood crowd. There are also some hilarious insides on the world of show-biz and film-making (i.e. the associate producer's credit, the product placement for a dot.com in a movie set in the 1800's, the cinematographer who can't get the shot he wants, Sarah Jessica Parker's character who finds religion and won't show her breasts in the film - unless the producers pay her an additional 800 grand).Mamet is not quite in the Woody Allen class of gagwriting, but he proves to be assured and witty without being too self-consciously clever (as he is in "Heist"). Some favorite lines: "I remember my lines. I just don't remember which order they come in."; "You don't like children, do you?" "Never saw the point of 'em."; and, of course "Whatever happened to 1975?"William H. Macy gives a good funny performance as the wheeler-dealer director (as good as his work in "Fargo" or "The Cooler"), and Philip Seymour Hoffman and Rebecca Pidgeon are wonderful as the would-be lovers. This is a not great, but a good middlebrow satire of different worlds, very pleasant and expertly written, though just not savage enough to be brutally memorable. 3 *** out of 4
1 out of 1 people found the following review useful: A good first hour is followed by a ridiculous conclusion., 15 January 2007 Author: fedor8 (fedor8@yahoo.com) from Serbia
The first hour is quite entertaining so it's quite a pity that Mamet chose to ruin the movie with the totally lame last third. (He also half-ruined "Homicide" with an illogical ending.) Instead of continuing the movie with the sort of fun satiric tone established by that point, he tries to moralize in a most pathetic old-school-Hollywood way.Hoffman is having second thoughts about how he will testify, just because he cares so much about the truth and because a sudden rush of patriotism devours him! Even worse: Hoffman is supposed to be a likable character, but in fact he loses all MY sympathy when he decides to betray the entire film crew for some very skewed moral Americana reasons. Mamet has his morality all wrong, to say the least: he expects the viewer to identify with Hoffman's childish impulse to "be honest" and "tell the truth" even if doing so would only serve to ruin a whole bunch of people who are simply trying to get a film made, while at the same time promoting the career of a jealous, unsympathetic, ambitious politician! Of course, doing so would also ruin his own career, making him some kind of super-principled, likable martyr. Yeah, right... Pidgeon, who once again plays in a Mamet movie because no one else besides her husband would hire her (for obvious lack of talent), even encourages her boyfriend Hoffman to tell the truth; this makes HER unsympathetic, as well. So what have we got? The movie's love-couple is made up of two unlikable characters and the viewer is supposed to feel good about their happiness. Mamet also employs too many plot-devices that rely on coincidences, so much so that they eventually get annoying.The first hour is fun. The characters of the director, the producer, the main male star, and the main female star, are all well thought-out and amusing. Baldwin plays the typical male moron star who thinks with his penis, and it is a very amusing, clever premise that he has a weakness for under-aged girls. (Though, as I find out later, Mamet used it only because he wanted to create that legal nonsense in the last part of the movie.) Parker plays the typical, over-sensitive, spoiled bimbo actress who causes a ruckus about showing her breasts in a scene. In fact, the best scene in the movie is when the producer (a very likable character) roasts Parker about her contractual obligations. Then again, maybe Mamet - in his infinite lack of moral vision - expects us to dislike the producer and the director, who are, ironically, presented more sympathetically than probably 95% of all real-life producers and directors.This is no "Living In Oblivion". Well, apart from the fact that Mamet seems to live in a moral oblivion. Instead of finishing the movie the way he started it, Mamet opts for trite plot-twists that offer little comedy and make little sense. The casting is also a problem to an extent. Hoffman is far too unsympathetic and uncharismatic to play a likable lead character - especially when the character ironically isn't even likable thanks to Mamet's idiotic sense of what is morally right - and his love-interest is played by a Pidgeon who, though having improved on her acting somewhat, hasn't got much charisma. (She was far worse in "The Spanish Prisoner".) Parker, though a solid actress, is simply too unattractive to play a Hollywood star. (Then again, considering how many female 90s stars are ugly (Diaz, Barrymore, Roberts) maybe she isn't that ugly, after all.) The rest of the casting is good. In the end-titles the voice behind "Dr.Katz" can be heard (David Mamet was a guest on the show in an episode).
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