William H. Macy, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Rebecca Pidgeon, Alec Baldwin, Julia Stiles, David Paymer, Clark Gregg, Charles Durning, Patti Lupone. Written and Directed by David Mamet. Director Walt Price (Macy) and his film crew have arrived in picturesque Waterford, Vermont after being chased out of a small New Hampshire town. Out of money and running out of time to finish their big budget film The Old Mill, they land in Waterford because of its advertised quaint old mill. The only problem - the mill burned down in the 1960's. The beleaguered young writer Joseph Turner White (Hoffman) is told to change the thrust of the film and its climax to a new location. Screen heartthrob Bob Barrenger (Baldwin) arrives in town, ready to make the film and engage in his favourite hobby - pursuing very young girls. As luck would have it, young barmaid Carla Taylor (Stiles) knowing his reputation, arrives in Bob's room with a very welcoming attitude. Into town bursts diva Claire Wellesley (Parker), who tells Walt and Joseph she signed on for the beautifully written Old Mill scene, which of course is going to be yanked. Recently "born-again", she has decided it would be wrong to bare her breasts despite it being written in her $3-million contract. Unless, perhaps, some more money comes her way. At first, the locals are enthusistic supporters of the project. Joseph drops into a bookstore owner Ann Black (Pidgeon) to buy a manual typewriter. Director of the local play and admirer of his original play, she is drawn to him by their mutual artistic ideals. He has no idea how he's going to solve his writing dilemma. Engaged to the local prosecutor and political climber Doug MacKenzie (Gregg), Ann tells him their engagement is over, and then takes the job of being Joseph's typist. Doug and an unhappy Mayor (Durning) help tilt a film project already in turmoil to go from bad to worse as a mini-scandal breaks out, and jeopardize its completion. Like most David Mamet work, the dialogue flies at a frenzied pace, and much of it is slyly funny, and gently satirical. Hollywood's weaknesses are put on display - idealistic, acclaimed writer's forced to change the entire premise of a script, the director massaging the ego's of petulant stars, productions running out of money, film crews running roughshed over the property of locals, actor sex scandals, "bimbo's" with artistic pretensions. And it is done quite humourously. But the most enjoyable part of the film is the sub-plot between the quirky, slightly oddball Ann and the nerdy Joseph, which is really the story within the story. Distraught over having to ruin the "purity" of his script, Ann helps him seek the essence of his story, that of a man getting a second chance. Bob lives by the line Joseph writes in his film script, "the only second chance I know is the chance to make the same mistake twice". Joseph himself is given a second chance, and the question is what will he do with it. The cast is a mixture of marquee names and indie veterans, and clearly are having fun with the material. Standing out are two of this stellar ensemble cast. Macy as the Machiavellian director who will say and do whatever he has to get his movie made is, as usual, convincing and hilarious. Pidgeon seems taylor-made to the fast-paced Mamet dialogue, and is the optimistic counterpoint to the negative that surrounds her. Baldwin as the not-as-dumb-as-he-looks actor and Hoffman as the out-of-his-element writer are also quite good. If you're looking for a few laughs with some insight, State and Main fits the bill. If you would like to respond, please click the E-Mail Press Here To Go To The Review List Page