State of Play

I have to admit that I was slightly upset that State of Play didn't get better reviews. Now, I wasn't expecting it to hit number one in the box office. I was even surprised it got to number two (actually, there was nothing else good that came out). But to see that it fell to 17 Again?! Come on. I know this country is in need of some laughs (assuming the audience was laughing AT the movie, and not with it) but when print journalism is going the way it's going...Ok, maybe I am biased. Where was I? Right, State of Play. Russell Crowe plays the stereotypical know-it-all investigative journalist that everyone hates to love. Ben Affleck plays the stereotypical good-looking-liar Congressman (also stereotypically sleeping with a member of his staff) that everyone assumes is just looking out for his fellow American. Oh, and we mustn't forget the adorable blogger, Rachel McAdams. And, didn't Ben Affleck's movie wife, Robin Wright Penn, once say she wanted to fly like a bird, far far away? That's neither here nor there. 

I feel if I explain what the movie is about, I will give away the ending. So, I'll say this. I got slightly lost in all the twists that were created out of thin air. The actual story gets lost by the end, and turns into a movie about the characters. Kevin Macdonald, the director, seemed to just let it all slip through his fingers, or maybe he just got lazy and said to the writers, "Let's just end this thing already!"  (And he was so brilliant with The Last King of Scotland!) Speaking of brilliant...whoever cast Jason Bateman as the stereotypical "I-don't-care-about-anyone-but-myself" unethical PR guy was genius. If this movie was any worse than it was (which, really, it wasn't bad) then Jason Bateman would have saved it (even though he was only in the movie for > 10 minutes). 

So, in conclusion, it's a great movie, and you should all see it, but it is one of those movies where you think "Umm, I'll wait until it comes out on DVD." or "Umm, I'll wait until I can watch it online for free."