"State and Main" – A Lovable Place to Be by Homer Yen (c) 2001
Things can get somewhat bizarre when a cynical director, Walt Price (William H. Macy), experiences increasing frustration as the deadline to finish his movie approaches but all of his key personnel can't seem to jell. Top writer, Joseph White (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), is suffering from a bout of writer's block. Lead actress, Claire Wellesley (Sarah Jessica Parker) has major doubts about her nude scenes. Meanwhile, lead actor, Bob Barringer (Alec Baldwin), invariably halts production because he has a yen for teenage girls which leads to trouble with the law. "Everybody has to have a hobby," he tries to explain. His indiscretion has forced the movie company to relocate to a sleepy Vermont town to finish shooting their project. But wherever they go, havoc continues to ensue.
"State and Main" is a sharp satire about the moviemaking business and some of the strange politics and happenings that goes on offscreen. Some of what happens is the happy result of being in the world of show biz. Some of what happens is the diplomacy that must be exercised by the director to pamper the actors, soothe the townsfolk who are afraid of the encroachment of Hollywood power, and save the company from financial and public devastation. Meanwhile, some of what happens becomes fodder for tabloids.
This film's story touches upon all three of these themes with the most enjoyable being that of the writer who unexpectedly falls in love with one of the townsfolk, Ann Black (Rebecca Pidgeon). With similar backgrounds, they are like kindred spirits to one another. Unfortunately, she is already engaged to an ambitious politician who is very uneasy with the movie company's presence.
The darkest sequence involves Bob Barringer and his latest object of desire, Carla (Julia Stiles). He may have a weakness for young, beautiful girls, but the odd thing is that she is just as saucy as he is weak. Inevitably, scandal rears its ugly head, and the first one to jump at exposing any wrongdoing is the aforementioned politician.
Of course, all of these crises must be handled appropriately by the director. With emotions ranging from gentle coddling to unbridled hysteria, the beleaguered Walt Price does what he can to ensure that the production moves forward. He'll do and say just about anything to, for example, keep his lead actress happy even though she protests the nude scene; coax the easily wounded writer into massive rewrites; and persuade prosecutors to look the other way. "It's a gift for fiction," he says. And, when his actions are not enough, the producer (David Paymer) jumps in to verbally brawl with and intimidate anyone who jeopardizes the production.
This is an amiable comedy about big time people in a small town setting that showcases uniformly good performances from its ensemble cast. In particular, Macy does a fine job at anchoring the film as he tries desperately to keep the escalating production woes from spinning out of control. And while there is lots of silliness in its satire, the subplot between the writer and bookstore owner (amusingly named White and Black) is also engaging and endearing. You'll find lots to like grin about in small town America, and in particular, in a place called "State and Main."
Grade: B
S: 1 out of 3 L: 2 out of 3 V: 1 out of 3
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