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Hollywood meets Vermont, and the sleaze of Hollywood prevails. That is the main theme of the Adam Shankman directed, State and Main. The film starts off as a film crew led by Walt Price (William H. Macy, Magnolia) rolls into Waterford, Vermont (go Huskies),. Waterford is a one stop light throwback to old-fashioned America circa 1950. The town is very eager (like most places in the US) to please the filmmakers so that they can be a part of something bigger than they are as individuals, and to cash in on the visitors. This film they are making is originally titled The Old Mill and is set to be about second chances starring big budget actor Bob Barrenger (Alec Baldwin, Notting Hill) and mostly soft-porn actor Claire Wellesley (Sarah Jessica Parker). The film was set to shoot in New Hampshire, but the town took the water mill the Hollywood folks had built as hostage for more money. So they moved onto Waterford, which had a water mill of their own, but the filmmakers learn later that it had burned down in the 60s. So now the movie needs some re-writing since the production is out of money and can't build a new mill. It is during this re-write period that we learn all there is to know about the different characters. The screenplay writer Joseph Turner White (Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Talented Mr. Ripley) tries to please his bosses, fall in love with the local bookstore owner Ann Black (Rebecca Pidgeon), and remain true to his original story. Actress Claire all of a sudden doesn't want to show off her breasts to the camera in a ploy to get more money, but is more than willing to show them off to every guy at her hotel. Meanwhile big star Bob Barrenger is busy trying to get busy with jail bait local Carla (Julia Stiles). The mayor of the town (Charles Durning, O Brother, Where Art Thou?) is preparing to have the Hollywood people over for dinner with his obnoxious wife (Patti LuPone). The film's director Uberto Pazzi (Vinnie Gustafero) is busy obsessing over a single scene revolving around the firehouse. Then there is the local business association president Doug MacKenzie (Clark Gregg) who is trying to weasel out more money from the executive producer of the film Marty Rossen (David Paymer, The Hurricane). So everyone in town is being affected by the film, and none of it seems good. Even Doc Wilson (Michael Higgins), the incompetent old fool, has to get involved with Hollywood after Barrenger crashes his car into the stop light on the corner of State and Main streets. I liked the interaction between Hoffman and Pidgeon's characters the best, but Macy also put in a good performance as a ruthless producer. Clark Gregg did a good job as the annoying, thinks-he-is-better-than-everyone-else local politician wannabe. David Mamet both wrote and directed State and Main, for which he gets kudos for doing a great job with both. The only area lacking was character development outside of the Hoffman and Pidgeon characters. To wrap up this About-Movies.com review, I decree eight couches and one stop light to State and Main. That's it this time. Last updated: Thursday, March 20, 2008 02:50:00 AM |
