State and Main (July 28/01)

David Mamet's unique style of writing dialogue has been properly put to use in many dramas and thrillers (Glengarry Glen Ross and The Spanish Prisoner, to name his two most successful), but rarely has he ventured into the realm of comedy. In his capacity as a director, his only other comedy was the little-seen Things Change. Now he's gone for laughs again, with State and Main.

William H. Macy stars as the director of a about-to-be-shot movie called The Old Mill. He and his crew have come to a small town to film the picture, where various run-ins with locals add to their many problems. Philip Seymour Hoffman is the screenwriter, while Alec Baldwin plays the skirt-chasing star.

State and Main doesn't have much by way of plot, but it does have a group of very talented actors portraying quirky and interesting characters. Some of these actors (Macy, Baldwin, Charles Durning) are Mamet veterans, able to spout his mannered dialogue with ease - making it sound realistic. Even the Mamet virgins - Sarah Jessica Parker, Julia Stiles, David Paymer - are equally adept at working with Mamet's notoriously clipped sentences.

But the problem with State and Main - as well-acted and written as it is - lies in its complete lack of a plot. Once the entire Old Mill crew arrives in the small town, the film doesn't go anywhere. It just relies on wacky misunderstandings and isolated incidents to propel the story forward. And it works - for a while. State and Main never quite gels like Glengarry Glen Ross, which was also quite plot-free, but worked because there was a sense of urgency that ran throughout (these guys were always in immediate danger of losing their jobs if they didn't sell enough - with State and Main, the biggest problem seems to be how to deal with Baldwin's predilection for teenaged girls).

But this is an awfully minor complaint for a film that features such fine actors doing some of their best work (Hoffman, in particular, is especially strong in a lead role).