State of Play Review

“State of Play” is a competent movie. Decent script, good direction and a solid cast. I was interested in the story throughout my viewing. Viewing? What am I some pompous art critic? Someone please smash a glass of white wine on my head and jam some brie (the most pretentious cheese) in my yap hole. Maybe the big name cast littered all over this film is making me try to sound upper crust. I mean Viola Davis has a bit part. I kept expecting Meryl Streep to get an under five as a waitress. This puts the pressure on when you’re writing jokey reviews for a nerd website. This film starts out with a murder and then showing us that Russell Crowe is a grizzled reporter doing what he does best. Getting the story and push deadlines while eating unhealthy food. Rachel McAdams is the young blogger for the paper that Crowe doesn’t respect. Helen Mirren is the chief editor who needs the story, “yesterday”. All of this sounds like a slow boat up Cliché River, but it wasn’t! Surprisingly it never felt like that to me, because the acting was that good. Admittedly the dialogue was not as compelling as the story itself, but I was interested. So watching Crowe and McAdams uncover the story and how connected senator Ben Affleck is to one of the victims is a fun ride. All the subplots with Afflecks wife, played by Robin Wright Penn, and how newspapers are all losing money to the internet is good stuff. Issues of journalistic ethics also keep it all lively. Based on a BBC TV show, this film does a good job of giving us all something to do until May starts. Yes, May! When “Wolverine”, “Star Trek”, Hanks v Illuminati and John Conner kick off what could be a high-octane summer at the talkies. Go see “State of Play” for good acting, interesting story and the trailer for Johnny Depp as John Dillinger. That film looks awesome. And then Skynet goes online and it all goes dark…dark and full of pain. Whoops sorry I got lost in the future. Anyway PALM STRIKE your way to a multiplex and watch a bearded, longhaired, overweight Russell Crowe do a good job and think to yourself, “He could play the Ron Jeremy story.” —Graham Elwood