Review: State of Play (2009)

[Scott Mendelson]

State of Play
2009
127 minutes
Rated PG-13

by Scott Mendelson

State of Play is the very sort of movie that 'they just don't make
anymore'. Despite its attempts to include newfangled ideas regarding
new journalism and the topical subject matter, it is a refreshingly
old-fashioned star-driven thriller. As to be expected from any two
hour film adapted from a six-hour British mini-series, this is a plot-
packed movie, but also one that feels surprisingly leisurely. It does
not rush from plot twist to plot twist, but remembers to keep
character front and center.

A token amount of plot - On the eve of congressional hearings into
Point Corp, a multi-billion dollar private security firm that does
business with the US for overseas operations, Congressman Stephen
Collins (Ben Affleck) is stained by scandal when his head researcher
and mistress dies in an apparent accident. As Collins struggles to
maintain his career, his former college roommate, Washington Globe
reporter Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe), discovers an inexplicable
connection between the young woman's tragic death and the shooting of
a junkie. That's all you need. The film quickly becomes the most
satisfying sort of puzzle. While there certainly are several 'plot
twists', they are not the sort that make you question or reassess
everything you've seen up to that point. Rather, as each layer of the
story is pealed back, the plot makes more sense, not less. The
characters' actions seem more plausible and the overriding themes at
play become stronger.

Russell Crowe gives a weary, but vaguely optimistic performance as an
old-guard journalist who knows he is of a dying breed. Helen Mirren
shines as the paper's editor, torn between her love of old-fashioned
shoe leather journalism and the fact that the newfangled blog world is
a far larger moneymaker. She has a devastating moment where she almost
casually explains how a major story that turns out to be false will
sell more papers than a true story, since the resulting denials and
recriminations become additional stories unto themselves. Ben Affleck
once again proves what a fine actor he is when he's not forced to be a
movie star. Only Robin Wright Penn and Rachel McAdams are underused,
though they do what they can with what they are given. The former is
stuck with a token role as Affleck's scorned wife, and her apparent
romantic history with Crowe fails to pay off. McAdams fairs worse
though, as young hotshot blogger Della Frye who must represent that
fact-less, gossipy, copy-every-hour new journalism that is
theoretically killing the news.

That State of Play champions objective journalism over opinion-based
online snark pieces is an obvious, though still noble, path. But
blogger Della Frye never establishes an identity of her own. We never
really learn what kind of blogger she is, what she likes to write
about, or how she feels about the current tug-of-war that exists in
the newspaper community. That corporatization of newspapers is the
real issue, and blogging is merely a symptom, is barely mentioned. And
the relationship between her and Crowe is almost laughably one-sided.
She learns the value of honest investigative journalism and learns to
'be a real reporter', yet he learns nothing and gains no insight from
her.

Still, the blogging versus reporting angle turns out to be a minor
one, so its failure to really come together is at best a moderate
flaw. But as a crime drama, a political thriller, and a journalistic
who-dun-it-and-why, it is never less than completely compelling. The
alleged conspiracy that is eventually unraveled is completely
plausible and absolutely chilling, and I'm assuming any similarities
to the terrific seventh season of 24 are coincidental. Aside from the
stars, there are several fun supporting turns by the likes of Jeff
Daniels and Jason Bateman. Once again, Bateman takes a stock character
and infuses him with humanity, sympathy, and a specific point of view
(see also - Hancock, Juno, Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium ). He is
quickly becoming one of the finest character actors around.

While the film is implicitly about the death of newspapers and the
death of conventional journalism, it also ends up being about the
death of itself. By that I mean the film ends up being an eulogy of
sorts to the adult thriller, the star-driven suspense picture, and the
very idea of mainstream movies for grownups. As their numbers dwindle
in the wake of superhero epics, tween-driven comedies, and 3D animated
features, the star-driven potboiler, once the most popular of genres,
is becoming an endangered species. And by casting Russell Crowe and
Ben Affleck, two men who were once the biggest stars in Hollywood, the
film becomes a monument to the death of the conventional movie star.
As the traditional leading man is supplanted by the geekey outsider or
the dweebish underdog (think Shia Labeouf or Zac Efron), the picture
becomes an ode to all things old-fashioned. It mourns the death of
traditional journalism, traditional movie stars, and even traditional
movies. One cannot dispute that State of Play represents a fine
example of all three relics.

Grade: A-