All About Mamet

David Mamet's wit hides behind the caricatures of State And Main, a prequel-to-itself film born of the life-sized cardboard cutouts he accurately casts in the supporting roles. Contemporary audiences look to Mamet for his cutting satire, yet in this film Mamet fails to drive home anything more than, "well, on the one hand filmmaking is good, and on the other it's bad, depends on how you look at it." If nothing else, Mamet presents his observations in style, with a handful of quirky characters and just enough ironical context to keep us interested.

After some very promising and energetic opening credits, the writer/director sets the film and film-making in Waterford, VT, a quaint little Pleasantville