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State and Main

Two completely different worlds collide when a Hollywood filmmaking crew comes to the small town of Waterford, Vermont to film a movie amid the simple townsfolk. Some of the people flocking from Hollywood include William H. Macy (director), David Paymer (producer), Philip Seymour Hoffman (writer), and Alec Baldwin (star actor). Within the town community are Julia Stiles, Charles Durning, and Rebecca Pidgeon.

State and Main spoofs some of the stereotypes we hear through the grapevine of people in the movie industry. Baldwin has a hobby of lusting after underage girls, Paymer is a bossed around producer who scours for money, and Macy could care less about the townspeople. But within its spoofs, the characters’ interactions with one another are memorable. When Hoffman and Pidgeon form a bond that could shape the mold of a romantic relationship, it’s done in a very quaint and peculiar way as you find that this Waterford town is a very strange world.

This is a personal favorite for me with its simple and wise comedy. State and Main, I think, falls into the collection of great work put out by David Mamet. Personally, I think it’s one of his best, behind Glengarry Glen Ross, as to the majority of people who pay attention to movies, State and Main flew under the radar. It was a small budget project about a film within a film that has a great ensemble. Sometimes films fail with large casting of notable stars, but State and Main follows through strongly.

This extensive cast falls under the spell of David Mamet’s witty and ingenious dialogue. The humor is very subtle and could be described as an acquired taste. The culture clash is mind-blowing as the acting is superb and features a refreshing originality to it. It’s an unusual lighthearted comedy that soothes the soul.

Written by: John Berkowitz

Reviewers Rating: 8.5
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