Remember what I said last year [man, has it been that long already?] about that horrid waste of actors and celluloid, Supernova? Well, raise that notion to the nth degree, and you'll know the Pain I felt in watching the disaster called State And Main. My god, did that hurt. The Story (WARNING: **spoilers contained below**) The cast and crew of the late 19-century period piece, "The Old Mill", look for a new location in which to film their flick; it seems like the antics of its horny star, Bob Barrenger (Alec Baldwin), led to the production leaving its first location set in New Hampshire, in a bit of a hurry. This causes big problems for the movie's put-upon director, Walt Price (William H. Macy), who has to clean up behind Bob again when Bob casts his eyes upon Carla (Julia Stiles), a local teenager who lives in the movie's new location - Waterford, Vermont. But Bob's big and little heads are just the tip of Walt's problems; he also has to contend with a cantankerous producer, Marty Rossen (David Paymer); the town's Mayor (Charles Durning) and his wife (Patti LuPone); Bob's leading lady Claire Wellesley (Sarah Jessica Parker), who chickens out of a key scene after she overhears Walt's assistant, Tommy (Jim Frangione); and Joseph Turner White (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a somewhat naive writer who falls for local playwright Annie Black (Rebecca Pidgeon), much to the chagrin of Annie's politician fiance and movie hater, Doug Mackenzie (Clark Gregg). [This is supposed to be the part where I say "And, Wackiness Ensues" - but there's this Truth In Advertising thingy...] The Upshot January, movie-wise, is starting to look like That Time Of The Month for Hollywood. That's the only explanation I can think of why films like last January's Stupornova and this year's State And Main, would abuse such talented casts as they both did, with the wretchedness that spilled forth from their reels. The wretchedness of State And Main upsets me mightily [couldn't tell, could ya? I Mask so well.], because I've been dying to see this cast in what should have been a Witty Comedy. Instead, I got to witness a train wreck, saved only by a charming, unknown (to me, anyway) actress by the name of Rebecca Pidgeon (Annie), a few great lines (especially the final, mumbled bit by Alec Baldwin), and a fairly decent end scene: alas, all a day late and a dollar short. Hell, way before the halfway mark, I was looking for a blunt instrument to throw at the screen... The most painful waste of all for me was that William H. Macy - the actor I'd most love to thank for his brilliance to date - got suckered...uh, convinced...to participate in this film. But I reckon I shouldn't be too harsh. "State" didn't earn my complete wrath, as witnessed by my not giving it a full redlight, because, taken individually, the performances weren't really all that bad. Macy, who seemingly got the lion's share of the movie's lines, worked hard at his craft; were he an unknown, auditioning for a one-man play, I'd certainly cast him on the strength of his performance here. Similarly, David Paymer (strangely cast against type as an in-your-face producer), and Philip Seymour Hoffman - two actors I also look forward to watching - bit deep into their juicy roles. Thankfully, Alec Baldwin and Sarah Jessica Parker were reduced to second-string parts (ironic, since the movie-within-a-movie had them playing the stars of the show they were filming), and Charles Durning (Mayor Bailey) wasn't called on to play the Wacky Backwoods Politician again (c.f. O Brother, Where Art Thou? for the latest in a long line of his irritating Wacky Backwoods Politician roles). And, except for a few hokey bits, writer/director David Mamet pretty much laid off the Wise Local Yokels routine; I guess this was A Good Thing, though not hearing much of a Vermont dialect in the locals' speech, left something to be desired. No, the individual parts were fairly harmless; it's when they were made into a whole, that State And Main became unbearable to watch. It seemed full of aborted plotlines [uh, did somebody forget about Uberto and the window?], devoid of anything remotely Funny [did I laugh once? I can't remember], and wrapped itself up with one of the most ludicrous payoffs I've ever seen in a movie (ironic, again, because the final scene was the best part of the flick for me. Probably because I was so anxious for it to end). And nothing was more egregious than that godawful background music. I swear, I could feel the bile rise in my gullet everytime I heard that ugly melody start up. No, I take that back. It never had a chance to "start up": it seemed to drone on endlessly throughout the movie, driving me mad with every note. Ooh, I said I wouldn't be Harsh, didn't I? My bad. Uh...did I mention that I liked Rebecca Pidgeon? Bammer's Bottom Line Was State And Main supposed to be a cautionary tale about the soullessness of show business folk? or the importance of being Pure and True? or a statement about second chances? Sorry, I was too busy praying for an end to the Pain to notice. Or care. Mr. Macy, I Weep for you. You deserve much, much better. "State And Main": State And Main served as a tedious reminder of why I don't really give a rats ass about the Lifestyles Of The Sick And Shameless (Hollywood edition). back to top And that's the way I see it. Rose "Bams" Cooper 3BlackChicks Enterprises™ Copyright Rose Cooper, 2001 EMAIL: bams@3blackchicks.com    ICQ: 7760005 http://www.3blackchicks.com/ http://www.evenbetter.com/?partner=1987

Use the feedback form below to send your comments to Bams