Rotten Tomatoes
Suggestions will appear as you start typing. Submit search Movies Tv shows RT App New News Showtimes

State and Main

Play trailer Poster for State and Main R,  2001,  1h 46m,  Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
Stream Now Watchlist 84% 115 Reviews Tomatometer 70% 5,000+ Ratings Popcornmeter
84% Tomatometer 115 Reviews 70% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
A big-budget movie crew descends upon a quaint New England village, sowing a bumper crop of corruption, vanity and greed in David Mamet's "State and Main"; in the days that elapse before the cameras finally roll, money will change hands, careers will be jeopardized and love will blossom in the small-town soil.
Watch on Fandango Stream Now

Where to Watch

State and Main

Stream

Rent State and Main on Fandango, or buy it on Fandango.

State and Main

What to Know

Critics Consensus

State and Main offers plenty of wit and laughs in its lampoons of the movie industry.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Nell Minow Common Sense Media Dec 28, 2010
4/5
Intriguing characters, good movie for older teens. Go to Full Review
Peter Travers Rolling Stone Feb 6, 2001
5/5
Hollywood corrupts absolutely, and Mamet turns the toxic process into the year's best and smartest comedy. Go to Full Review
Eric Harrison Houston Chronicle Jan 12, 2001
State and Main might be the perfect David Mamet movie for people who don't like David Mamet movies. The nice thing about it, though, is that it won't disappoint the rest of us. Go to Full Review
Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Feb 14, 2022
4/4
The film may be the sharpest of all Hollywood satires, a comedy which recognizes the equally chaotic and creative process of filmmaking, while also offering a scathing perspective on a film's behind-the-scenes challenges. Go to Full Review
Brian Orndorf Blu-ray.com Aug 3, 2021
C+
A grand escalation of madness seems to be the idea here, but Mamet has difficulty getting to a point of insanity with a lukewarm sense of humor. Go to Full Review
Jonah Koslofsky The Spool Dec 29, 2020
It's shockingly toothless stuff from the man behind Glengarry Glen Ross - nothing cuts as deep as it should. Go to Full Review
Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Leia W Aug 31, 2018 good but you can feel the 90'sness. Hollywood movies about Hollywood are usually self indulgent except this kind where they are making every person who works there look terrible. See more
Leia W Apr 8, 2018 Moderately funny, moderately boring too unfortunately. There are nice dialogs, but not good enough to make up for the lack of a story. See more
Theodore S Sep 18, 2017 The basic premise of State and Main is one that always speaks to me. I find the idea of a big movie being made in a small town to be so humorous. It creates some hilarious juxtaposition when you see the two different styles slammed together. There were a lot of funny little moments because of this mix of personalities, particularly because the Hollywood people have such strange quirks that don’t make a lot of sense to people in Middle America. Also the film crew clashes with one another frequently, which just adds to the silliness of it all. I thought the plot of the film was great, and if it were handled a little differently then this would have been one I rated highly. But then there’s David Mamet. Anyone who knows David Mamet knows exactly what I will say next, because it is the one thing that stands out in every one of his films. I can’t take the Mamet Speak. I know some people have no issue with it, but his dialogue is like the sound of an air horn in my ears. It is so terribly unnatural, it almost sounds like aliens are delivering the lines. What can be said in 2 words is often said in 20, and I throw my hands up in the air. The crazy thing is that not every line is like this in the film. So there are moments where you are enjoying a perfectly normal conversation and then someone throws out a stupid line from a greeting card and it stands out like a sore thumb. Now the saving grace is the cast of State and Main. There are a few guys in this film who can transform even the worst and most out of place line into gold. Philip Seymour Hoffman and William H. Macy are probably the best at it. Somehow despite the awkward dialogue shoved in their mouths, they sound real and authentic. Of course then Rebecca Pidgeon says something that sounds as robotic as if Siri had delivered the line. So I go through this roller coaster between laughing and then being annoyed that never seems to stop. When I’m able to tune out the dialogue for any length of time I consider State and Main a solid movie, it’s just too bad it didn’t have a different director. See more
Read all reviews
State and Main

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING
Intolerable Cruelty 76% 48% Intolerable Cruelty Watchlist Zero Effect 66% 76% Zero Effect Watchlist Joe Gould's Secret 67% 63% Joe Gould's Secret Watchlist Baby, Baby, Baby 62% Baby, Baby, Baby Watchlist Love & Sex 48% 75% Love & Sex Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis A big-budget movie crew descends upon a quaint New England village, sowing a bumper crop of corruption, vanity and greed in David Mamet's "State and Main"; in the days that elapse before the cameras finally roll, money will change hands, careers will be jeopardized and love will blossom in the small-town soil.
Director
David Mamet
Producer
Sarah Green
Screenwriter
David Mamet
Distributor
New Line Cinema, Fine Line Features
Production Co
Green/Renzi, Filmtown Entertainment [us], El Dorado Pictures
Rating
R (Language|Brief Sexual Images)
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 12, 2001, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2010
Box Office (Gross USA)
$6.9M
Runtime
1h 46m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
Join The Newsletter Join The Newsletter Cookie Settings