Respond/React: State of Play
Rachel McAdams's presence in "State of Play" gives it a weird feel, well for me at least. At once it was refreshing to see McAdams back on the big screen, where she more than held her own against Russell Crowe. On the other hand, there was something about the film that just seemed worn. It's a tried-and-true political thriller that is well-directed, the acting is great from top-to-bottom, and it keeps you on your toes. It was directed Kevin Macdonald, who did "The Last King of Scotland" and "Dupicity" & "Michael Clayton" writer Tony Gilroy (who adapted the film along with a couple of other writers). So just imagine those two guys bringing you a film that is like "The Interpreter" meets Micheal Keaton's "The Paper." Better yet, imagine "All the President's Men" if modern studio execs got their hands on it, upped the violence a little, and focused on keeping the pace up (to the detriment of the tension and struggle). In terms of quality, I'd say it's a notch below Russell Crowe's "3:10 to Yuma".
If you need constant action to keep your attention or have trouble following stories if they don't spell out everything, you might have some issues but, all in all, it's a good film. I wouldn't give it a SoulHonky recommendation but let's just say that it's probably the most agreeable film that's out right now. Everybody will be happy to go see it but nobody will be thrilled by it. If I was giving it a letter grade, it would be a solid enough B.
For the spoiler filled reaction, continue reading.
Tony Gilroy had a hand in this and I have to say that for all of his strong dialogue and deft twists, he has a nasty habit of saving the most cliched turn for last. "Michael Clayton" relied on the tired hidden tape recorder trick (something which hasn't been fresh since the ending of the otherwise sub-par "The Recruit") and in this one he uses the worn out Someone Said More Than They Should Know device. While I know that most people can overlook these played out elements, I always feel disappointed when a film has to rely on them. It's almost like getting through to the last board of a video game and then having the final villain be the easiest one to beat.
And when it comes down to it, the problem with the film is that everything came too easily. Nobody really stonewalled them, everything fell into place, the report was never really threatened until the end. We never really saw them make choices. They noticed Domnic Foy early on but just decided not to follow up on him until later. They were always ahead of the story and seemed unfazed by any setbacks. The guy getting shot in front of McAdams only merited a momentary questioning of what they were doing. It seemed like the producers were so focused on keeping the pace going that they never let any moments sit. Even the seemingly final defeat (when nobody was on record and the new parent corporation wouldn't print it) lasts for only an instance before Ben comes in to save the day. To me, it kind of made it an empty ride.
Also, what was at stake? Blowing the lid off of a Washington coverup? It was "All the President's Men" except without the weight of it being a true story. Now I don't need it to turn into "Enemy of the State" but it would be nice for there to be some kind of looming threat. Yes, there was the assassin but he didn't really affect them. Not once did someone think that they should stop covering the story for fear of their lives.
Robin Wright Penn's character felt like a vestigial limb. The wife plays a much bigger role in the miniseries (Cal actually sleeps with her) but here it's just kind of piling on; as if being a friend wasn't enough of a conflict of interest, he also used the sleep with the wife. It didn't add anything and really all it did was possibly make the audience wonder, "Why would you leave a guy this connected on the story?" Which was another missing stake; how come there was nary a threat of ripping him from the coverage.
I have to wonder if they made the right decision when adapting it from a soapier mini-series which focused more on the relationships in the newsroom than the actual story. While I know there was a hope that it would be a love letter to newspapers, I almost feel like it would have been better if it had focused on McAdams' character; a blogger who wanted to elevate her game and be accepted as a true reporter. Or at least have the two clash a bit more or have Cal someone who is more on the outs. Make it so this story might be his last big moment in the sun and that's one of the reasons that he's so focused on it. Do something to add to his character besides the weak "I'm a reporter!" motivation. It reminded me of the play version of "A Few Good Men" which included a clunky "Lawyers Rule!" speech that was rightfully removed from the film. As OK as the movie was, I can't help but think that there was a better movie to be mined out of the mini-series (which was only OK as well).
