In Theaters: April 17, 2009

Reviews of State of Play, Sleep Dealer and Every Little Step

State of Play
Directed by Kevin McDonald
Starring Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Helen Mirren
***

Despite its star-heavy cast and impressive roster of behind-the-camera talent, I walked into State of Play without a lot of enthusiasm.  For one thing, I was still smarting from The International, which had all the right elements for a smart, taut thriller and wound up being a banal snoozfest.  More importantly, I’m a huge fan of the source material that State of Play is derived from, a six-episode British miniseries that ranks as some of the best television I’ve ever seen.  (Think I’m being hyperbolic?  Rent the original State of Play and find out for yourself—I guarantee that you’ll want to watch the whole thing in one night.)  Condensing this six-hour story into a more Hollywood-friendly two hours seemed like a bad idea from the get-go, even with such talented screenwriters as Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton), Matthew Michael Carnahan (The Kingdom) and Billy Ray (Shattered Glass) hacking away at Paul Abbott’s original script.  So as the lights dimmed in the theater and the movie started flickering on the screen, all I could think was “Please don’t completely suck.”

Well, guess what?  It doesn’t.  In fact, State of Play is a lot of fun, the kind of well-made, well-acted, wholly entertaining big-budget thriller that major studios seem to have trouble producing these days.  Naturally, it’s not as good as the series, which was able to unfurl its complex plot at a less hurried pace.  The film version has a lot of material to get through in very little time and the plot mechanics do get gummed up on occasion, particularly in the final act when several major events occur in ways that don’t make a lot of sense when you stop to think about them.  Considering how badly the translation from TV-to-film could have turned out, State of Play is a better adaptation than I could have expected.  It retains and fleshes out the miniseries’ fascination with investigative journalism and retrofits the government conspiracy at the center of the story to reflect America’s current political realities.  I’d still encourage viewers to check out the series, but the movie is an above-average Cliffs Notes version.

In what easily ranks as his most compelling star turn since 2003’s Master and Commander, Russell Crowe plays a Washington D.C.-based reporter Cal McAffrey, who inadvertently stumbles onto a major story involving rising Senate star—and his friend and former college roommate—Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck).  One of Collins’ employees, a beautiful girl named Sonia Baker (Maria Thayer), has just died in an apparent suicide and details soon emerge that she and the married Senator were enjoying a fling.  Digging into the case with his usual zeal, Cal and his reluctant partner, blogger extraordinaire Della Frye (Rachel McAdams), uncover information suggesting that Sonia may have been murdered, possibly by the same corporation that’s under investigation by Collins’ senate committee.  The plot only grows thicker from there, as Cal and Della follow leads, dodge bullets and confront powerful politicians, all while trying to turn in copy to their increasingly irate editor (Helen Mirren, in a small, but memorable role).

Sturdily directed by Kevin Macdonald (who previously helmed The Last King of Scotland and the terrific documentary Touching the Void), State of Play benefits from being shot largely on location in D.C. with the characters visiting a number of famous landmarks, including President Obama’s new favorite burger joint, Ben’s Chili Bowl.  And unlike The International, which was so somber you felt like you were attending a funeral instead of watching a thriller, the screenplay makes room for moments of levity amidst all the dramatic intrigue.  While it would have been nice had Macdonald cast actors who were closer in age than Crowe and Affleck in the lead roles (the only way they could have been college roommate is if Affleck had skipped all of high school and Crowe had to repeat ninth grade four or five times) the actors fit their parts well.  Affleck’s Ken-doll like features make him a natural to play a pretty-boy politician with a dubious moral streak (if they ever make a biopic about John Edwards, Affleck is a shoo-in for the role) and Crowe’s natural intensity fits the profile of almost any grizzled journalist.  In the end though, the real star here is the tense, taut plot.  Considering we’re about to enter a season packed with studio pictures that value spectacle over story, you may want to take advantage of a movie like State of Play while you can.

Verdict: See It

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Also In Theaters

Sleep Dealer
Directed by Alex Rivera
Starring Luis Fernando Peña, Leonor Varela, Jacob Vargas
***1/2
Fans of cyberpunk classics like Neuromancer and Snow Crash will have a blast with this Mexican sci-fi thriller, which paints a prescient portrait of what illegal immigration might look like in the not-too-distant future.  Set in Tijuana, the story follows a fresh-off-the-bus farm boy who gets a job at a factory where workers plug in to a neural network that allows them to find jobs across the border without leaving Mexico.  Even with a shoestring budget, writer/director Alex Rivera has crafted a movie that’s just as exciting—and far more creative—than most Hollywood blockbusters.
Verdict: See It

Click here to read GIANT’s interview with director Alex Rivera

Every Little Step
Director: James B. Stern and Adam Del Deo
***
A singular sensation in its day, A Chorus Line remains one of Broadway’s most beloved musicals.  But don’t go into this documentary expecting a full account of how the groundbreaking show came to be.  The focus here remains primarily on the arduous casting process for A Chorus Line’s 2006 revival.  While skimpy on details of how this new production was conceived and mounted, Every Little Step does offer the immensely pleasurable sight of gifted performers dancing and singing their hearts out for the chance to make their Broadway dreams come true.  It’s like America’s Got Talent…only with actual talent.
Verdict: See It