State and Main

Released 2000
Stars Alec Baldwin, Charles Durning, Philip Seymour Hoffman, William H. Macy, Patti LuPone, Sarah Jessica Parker, David Paymer, Rebecca Pidgeon, Julia Stiles
Directed by David Mamet

Having left New Hampshire over excessive demands by the locals, the cast and crew of "The Old Mill" moves their movie shoot to a small town in Vermont. However, they soon discover that The Old Mill burned down in 1960, the star can't keep his pants zipped, the starlet won't take her top off, and the locals aren't quite as easily conned as they appear.

Summary written by Jon Reeves {jreeves@imdb.com}

This is a fun movie about making a movie from David Mamet, and I'm sure a lot of Mamet's real-life experiences were used here. I think there's more than a little irony with the final product, because it seems a lot of the movie must have ended up on the proverbial cutting-room floor. There are many situations and devices that are set up in the first hour and then never resolved. For example, what happened to the Huskies in 1975? If the only thing of value in the town is the antique stained glass window, where's the uproar when the cinematographer breaks it to achieve his shot that has been well established as the most important shot of the movie? What was the deal with the court proceedings at the end? We know Ann set up a false courtroom to give Joe a chance to do the right thing, but what's up with the real judge who shows up later. Clearly, Ann was involved in this, but there were some scenes deleted that prevented continuity. Also, since when is a witness whisked into court like that anyway? I know I'm asking too many plot questions from a comedy, but I think it's ironic because I think this movie must have ran into budget and time constraints just like the movie they were making. At any rate, "State and Main" is a funny look at a film production from an insider who knows a lot about film production, and the dialogue is a lot of fun. --Bill Alward, August 17, 2001