STATE AND MAIN

Satires on Hollywood and the entertainment industry have long been a favorite topic among many filmmakers. Two of the most famous ones, and two of the best, are SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (1952)with Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds and SULLIVAN’S TRAVELS (1941) with Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake. Like SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN, STATE AND MAIN takes some potshots at being a celebrity. Like SULLIVAN’S TRAVELS, STATE AND MAIN finds much of its humor by placing its filmmakers among regular Americans, in this case the residents of a small New England town.

After a mishap somewhere in New Hampshire, the film crew for a movie titled “The Old Mill” takes new root in a small New England town. Not long after, they discover that the town’s Old Mill, their reason for coming, was burned down more than 20 years ago. The director, Walt Price (William H. Macy), decides to continue the production there anyway, due to a lack of finances. Soon the entire cast and crew begin to arrive, and the town is taken with the movie’s stars. Even Ann Black (Rebecca Pidgeon), the local bookstore owner, finds a soul mate in Joseph Turner White, the movie’s screenwriter. She even breaks off her engagement with her fiancé, who never liked the production invading the town.

One of the celebrities, Bob Barrenger (played by Alec Baldwin), is doing some taking of his own. He fancies the food delivery girl. Before long, the two become intimate, despite the fact that she is a minor. The two end up in a car accident witnessed by Joseph the screenwriter. When he asks if they are all right, the girl answers, yes, though she is obviously shaken up. Bob, realizing the situation and having been caught with youngsters before, tells her to get away from the scene of the accident so that no one will know.

The secret eventually gets out, however, when Ann’s ex-fiancé finds out that Joseph was a witness to the crime. Bringing the case to court, Joseph is faced with the dilemma of telling the truth and risking his entire career or lying and risking his new relationship with Ann and his own integrity.

STATE AND MAIN is a satirical look at the absurdity of Hollywood and aspects of the filmmaking process. The cast captures the cell phones, café latte’s and egos involved, including Alec Baldwin and Sarah Jessica Parker (from TV’s SEX IN THE CITY), although they do little stretching in their roles as the movie stars.

The story of STATE AND MAIN falters, however, in its inability to completely remain loyal to the truth. In a whirl of romance, second chances and bribery, the truth eventually comes out, but justice is quickly denied. The case itself involves the exploits of a man with an underage girl. Of course, the satirical nature of the story distorts everything, including the dilemma of the main actress who refuses to bare her chest in the movie they are filming. In addition to its dilapidated pagan worldview, STATE AND MAIN contains foul language, sexual references and other objectionable content, which makes any positive statements the movie may have fall on deaf ears.