State and Main

Echoing the themes of Living in Oblivion and Irma Vep, David Mamet's seventh feature centers on the havoc wrought on the inhabitants of a small town by a troubled film production. After its leading man's propensity for teenage girls gets them banished from their New Hampshire location, a film crew ...more

A rare screen comedy from David Mamet, State and Main effectively skewers the Hollywood elite in this breezy Tinseltown satire that will probably play best to the inside denizens it is spoofing. Mamet's directorial style still needs some polish (many scenes hang on well after their peak has been reached), and the film is eventually done in by its own cleverness, but his instincts as a writer remain sharp as ever. The screenplay has a wondrous attention to detail, and the power-talk employed by ...more