Review of State and Main (2000) by Ben L — 17 Sep 2017

The basic premise of State and Main is one that always speaks to me. I find the idea of a big movie being made in a small town to be so humorous. It creates some hilarious juxtaposition when you see the two different styles slammed together. There were a lot of funny little moments because of this mix of personalities, particularly because the Hollywood people have such strange quirks that don?t make a lot of sense to people in Middle America. Also the film crew clashes with one another frequently, which just adds to the silliness of it all. I thought the plot of the film was great, and if it were handled a little differently then this would have been one I rated highly.

But then there?s David Mamet. Anyone who knows David Mamet knows exactly what I will say next, because it is the one thing that stands out in every one of his films. I can?t take the Mamet Speak. I know some people have no issue with it, but his dialogue is like the sound of an air horn in my ears. It is so terribly unnatural, it almost sounds like aliens are delivering the lines. What can be said in 2 words is often said in 20, and I throw my hands up in the air. The crazy thing is that not every line is like this in the film. So there are moments where you are enjoying a perfectly normal conversation and then someone throws out a stupid line from a greeting card and it stands out like a sore thumb.

Now the saving grace is the cast of State and Main. There are a few guys in this film who can transform even the worst and most out of place line into gold. Philip Seymour Hoffman and William H. Macy are probably the best at it. Somehow despite the awkward dialogue shoved in their mouths, they sound real and authentic. Of course then Rebecca Pidgeon says something that sounds as robotic as if Siri had delivered the line. So I go through this roller coaster between laughing and then being annoyed that never seems to stop. When I?m able to tune out the dialogue for any length of time I consider State and Main a solid movie, it?s just too bad it didn?t have a different director.