Having never seen the original BBC-television-serial version of State of Play, I cannot say if this version is an improvement over it. I will say however that this film is reasonably entertaining and while none of the performances are truly great, some are noteworthy, to say the least.
The main players are Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck), Cal MacAffrey (Russel Crowe), Della Frye (Rachel McAdams), and Cameron Lynne (Dame Helen Mirren). Stephen is a congressman who's leading an investigation into a private defense contractor (Blackwater, anyone?) named PointCorp and becomes involved in a political scandal of ever-growing proportions. Helping him deal with his newfound infamy is Cal, an old-school reporter who used to be his roommate in college. Cal's reluctant companion is Della, a blogger working for the same paper with a very different approach to news. And rounding out the group is Cameron, the paper's British, no-nonsense editor.
Even though the film is a political thriller, it concerns itself less with the inside going-ons of Capitol Hill than it does with the way the media surrounding it works. Sure, Stephen's actions (both past and present) are what give the plot its raison d'être, but the film would much rather focus on the relationship between Della and Cal. Cal is concerned with getting the facts absolutely right and pressing in as far as he can before putting anything to paper. Della, on the other hand, is more concerned with speedy delivery and frequent updates, even if that sometimes means getting the facts wrong and delving into speculation. Balancing these two's differing perspectives and styles is Cameron's job, even as her corporate bosses are breathing down her neck due to low circulation numbers.
Now, don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the Messrs Affleck and Crowe, but this movie belongs to the women. Affleck does a decent job in his portrayal of a frustrated, embarrassed congressman, but I just didn't think it was anything out of the ordinary. Crowe's not too shabby either, and it must be said the way I felt about his character may not be his fault entirely. It's just such a tired character, the old, grizzled insert-profession-of-your-choice-here taking the rookie under his wing. Maybe that dampened my opinion of Crowe's performance, even if he does have the whole scruffy, street-smart thing nailed.
So, that leaves us with the women. The performances and characters are very different. Mirren's Cameron is a strong-willed editor who's up to her neck in arrangements to change the newspaper's format. She knows the printed media is near the edge of oblivion and her contempt for the generation meant to replace her is shown in the condescension she displays with Drella. She treats her more as a tolerable nuisance than as a true reporter. Dame Helen Mirren does a wonderful job at making Cameron believably tough, helping us see a glimpse into what got her the editor job in the first place. She runs the place with high expectations and an iron fist that only the likes of Cal would dare defy.
McAdams's Drella is a sharp turn from her past performances as mean girl Regina George and feisty heiress Allie. There is however, some of Red Eye's Lisa in her. Drella's a mousy girl who represents the new media as a blogger for the Washington Globe. Beffiting her quiet tendencies, Drella often wears a heavy yet fitted cardigan. This is supposed to tell us she's meek, but hides a feisty side that will one day come handy. Despite what the previous sentences might lead you to believe, I quite liked Drella. McAdams turns a rather dull character interesting by making her seem believably mousy and yet not so much that it becomes annoying. Drella does, after a while, find her guts and stands up to Cameron along with Cal. This character develoment, though expected, is done in a rather pleasing manner. In other hands, Drella might have succumbed to either side; either becoming too mousy or doing a 180 in the second half and suddenly standing up for herself. McAdams makes her human for us in that aspect, giving us glimpses of her inner self at times so that this development doesn't feel out of place. It may not be a great performance, per se; but it shows McAdams understands her characters and how to do them justice. I'm hope she makes good on this promise and becomes more than that girl from Mean Girls and The Notebook.
All in all, the film was decently intriguing and the new media vs. old media leitmotif was (If pushed just a tad too hard on us.) relevant and interesting. It's not the best work we've seen out of these actors and the script is not the best thriller I've seen, but it takes a 6 hour drama and sums it up for us at a much quicker pace. Also, at a neat 127 minutes, the film never feels slow nor boring. Catching it in theaters, however, might have been paying a bit too much. A movie rental will suffice for this.
Le verdict: ***
The main players are Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck), Cal MacAffrey (Russel Crowe), Della Frye (Rachel McAdams), and Cameron Lynne (Dame Helen Mirren). Stephen is a congressman who's leading an investigation into a private defense contractor (Blackwater, anyone?) named PointCorp and becomes involved in a political scandal of ever-growing proportions. Helping him deal with his newfound infamy is Cal, an old-school reporter who used to be his roommate in college. Cal's reluctant companion is Della, a blogger working for the same paper with a very different approach to news. And rounding out the group is Cameron, the paper's British, no-nonsense editor.
Even though the film is a political thriller, it concerns itself less with the inside going-ons of Capitol Hill than it does with the way the media surrounding it works. Sure, Stephen's actions (both past and present) are what give the plot its raison d'être, but the film would much rather focus on the relationship between Della and Cal. Cal is concerned with getting the facts absolutely right and pressing in as far as he can before putting anything to paper. Della, on the other hand, is more concerned with speedy delivery and frequent updates, even if that sometimes means getting the facts wrong and delving into speculation. Balancing these two's differing perspectives and styles is Cameron's job, even as her corporate bosses are breathing down her neck due to low circulation numbers.
Now, don't get me wrong, I have nothing against the Messrs Affleck and Crowe, but this movie belongs to the women. Affleck does a decent job in his portrayal of a frustrated, embarrassed congressman, but I just didn't think it was anything out of the ordinary. Crowe's not too shabby either, and it must be said the way I felt about his character may not be his fault entirely. It's just such a tired character, the old, grizzled insert-profession-of-your-choice-here taking the rookie under his wing. Maybe that dampened my opinion of Crowe's performance, even if he does have the whole scruffy, street-smart thing nailed.
So, that leaves us with the women. The performances and characters are very different. Mirren's Cameron is a strong-willed editor who's up to her neck in arrangements to change the newspaper's format. She knows the printed media is near the edge of oblivion and her contempt for the generation meant to replace her is shown in the condescension she displays with Drella. She treats her more as a tolerable nuisance than as a true reporter. Dame Helen Mirren does a wonderful job at making Cameron believably tough, helping us see a glimpse into what got her the editor job in the first place. She runs the place with high expectations and an iron fist that only the likes of Cal would dare defy.
McAdams's Drella is a sharp turn from her past performances as mean girl Regina George and feisty heiress Allie. There is however, some of Red Eye's Lisa in her. Drella's a mousy girl who represents the new media as a blogger for the Washington Globe. Beffiting her quiet tendencies, Drella often wears a heavy yet fitted cardigan. This is supposed to tell us she's meek, but hides a feisty side that will one day come handy. Despite what the previous sentences might lead you to believe, I quite liked Drella. McAdams turns a rather dull character interesting by making her seem believably mousy and yet not so much that it becomes annoying. Drella does, after a while, find her guts and stands up to Cameron along with Cal. This character develoment, though expected, is done in a rather pleasing manner. In other hands, Drella might have succumbed to either side; either becoming too mousy or doing a 180 in the second half and suddenly standing up for herself. McAdams makes her human for us in that aspect, giving us glimpses of her inner self at times so that this development doesn't feel out of place. It may not be a great performance, per se; but it shows McAdams understands her characters and how to do them justice. I'm hope she makes good on this promise and becomes more than that girl from Mean Girls and The Notebook.
All in all, the film was decently intriguing and the new media vs. old media leitmotif was (If pushed just a tad too hard on us.) relevant and interesting. It's not the best work we've seen out of these actors and the script is not the best thriller I've seen, but it takes a 6 hour drama and sums it up for us at a much quicker pace. Also, at a neat 127 minutes, the film never feels slow nor boring. Catching it in theaters, however, might have been paying a bit too much. A movie rental will suffice for this.
Le verdict: ***
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