Consistently laugh out loud dialog makes it easy to overlook the many plotholes and missed opportunities in this familiar tale of havoc wreaked on a small town by the art of moviemaking.
All the other performances range from solid to sensational. Bill Macy's implacable and unflappable director, David Paymer's ruthless producer, and Hoffman in his first romantic lead as the geeky, gawky, utterly charming screenwriter (the boy even gets laid!) provide the high points, along with Alec Baldwin, who delights as the sleazy leading man with a "hobby". The women hold down the fort adequately. Sarah Jessica Parker is amusing as the reformed starlet. I wish Mamet didn't let his wives piggyback on his success (Rebecca Pidgeon plays the love interest)--and were he truly interested in being different, he would have stuck a few jabs about that in his movie.
Nothing ultimately groundbreaking, but loads of fun, whether you see it now or WTV.
