STATE AND MAIN
D: David Mamet; with Philip Seymour Hoffman, William H. Macy, Rebecca Pidgeon, Sarah Jessica Parker, Alec Baldwin, David Paymer, Charles Durning, Julia Stiles.
The corner of State and Main is the center of a sleepy little town in Vermont turned upside down by a visiting movie crew. As the cast and crew (a snarky assortment of L.A. types) rampage the town, Mamet does his own sly roasting of Hollywood. You don’t have to be industry-savvy to get the jokes, though; the same manipulations and maneuverings, prima donnas and power lunches that define Tinseltown apply to any other moneymaking venture (albeit, to the 10th power). And with a pitch-perfect cast at his side, Mamet nails it. Macy shines as the harried director in his usual, unobtrusive way; Baldwin and Parker excel as two preening movie stars (one with an uncomfortable “hobby” of seducing adolescent girls). But State and Main very much belongs to one man: the incomparable Philip Seymour Hoffman. Hoffman’s usually shunted to the side in yet another character actor role (Almost Famous, Boogie Nights, Happiness), and he steals the show every time. But not only does Hoffman get top billing this go-round, God love him, he gets to play the romantic lead. Hoffman stars as the film’s screenwriter — slightly bewildered, slightly tormented, and still untarnished by the spirit-crushing barnacles of the business. In between trying to rewrite his screenplay to cater to the (sometimes clashing) whims of the director, the producer, and the stars, he finds time to gently woo one of the locals (Pidgeon, Mamet’s real-life wife). Together, Hoffman and Pidgeon create a quirky little chemistry, and one of the sweeter renderings of new love I’ve seen in a long time. Underneath the Hollywood lampooning (which, in truth, is more playful than penetrating) is a sweetheart of a love story, and more than ample proof that the acid-tongued Mamet is really just a big, fat romantic.
This article appears in October 20 • 2000.
