|
|
Spent part of my President's Day holiday with a wonderful David Mamet film "State and Main". I have always been a big fan of the Hollywood movies about making Hollywood movies. Alan Alda's "Sweet Liberty" and Robert Altman's "The Player" being the best examples. "State and Main" has more in common with "Sweet Liberty", a film crew comes to a small New England town and wreaks it's brand of havoc with the locals. A wonderful ensemble cast includes William H Macy as the director, Alec Baldwin as the lead actor who has a penchant for teenage girls, Sarah Jessica Parker as the neurotic (aren't they always neurotic) lead actress, and the always brilliant Phillip Seymour Hoffman as the shy, screenwriter who wants to stay pure. The real find, however, is Rebecca Pidgeon as Ann the local bookstore owner and struggling community theater director. (Pidgeon is married to Mamet). While it's true the characters can become caricatures, but the Mamet script never allows this to happen. While this isn't his best script (that would be Glengarry Glenross) or his best directorial effort (House of Games is a must see), "State and Main" is a wonderfully funny look at small town America losing their heads for fleeting fame. The cast is rounded out by David Paymer playing the producer, Julia Styles as Baldwin's latest conquest, Charles Durning, Clark Gregg, and a Mamet favorite Ricky Jay.
Would you like to join soundstage?
