Over thirty years have passed since All the President’s Men, and we now have State of Play, a political thriller where a suspicious character is actually using a room in the Watergate. While the state of the political scandal remains as strong as ever, the same cannot be said for our nation’s newspapers. Just as I really began to register the decline of the Philadelphia Inquirer, I received a notice that the newspaper can no longer give discounts to subscribers. While some of the characters in State of Play wonder if anyone still reads the newspaper, in this film the printed word trumps the blog.

Scruffy reporter Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe) suspects that the murder of the thief that he is investigating and the apparent suicide of a beautiful congressional aide are related. Adding to the intrigue is the fact that the congressman in question, Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck), is trying to expose the evils of a Halliburton-type corporation with a congressional investigation. McAffrey seems to have a conflict of interest, as his former roommate is the congressman and he was once romantically involved with the congressman’s wife Anne (the underused Robin Wright Penn). When the paper’s energetic young blogger Della Fry (Rachel McAdams) discovers that Congressman Collins and his aide were having an affair, Fry and McAffrey  team up to uncover the real story, and in McAffrey’s case, to protect the reputation of his friends. And like any good scandal, sex, money and power are the ingredients, along with a respected senior Congressman (Jeff Daniels) and a sleazy public relations guy (the always excellent Jason Bateman). But when Fry and McAffrey  are  almost murdered, more than newspaper circulation is on the line.

Russell Crowe is fun to watch as the gruff reporter whose idea of a home cooked meal is mashed potatoes from a box cooked on the stove of his messy apartment. “I showed a little snout,” he admits to his editor when accused of pig like behavior towards blogger Della Fry. McAdams is her usual cute and perky self as Della, but the relationship between McAffrey and Fry is about mentoring, not romance. Affleck seems out of his element as the crusading congressman who may not be as virtuous as he claims. With the exception of Crowe, the supporting cast of Helen Mirren, Jeff Daniels, Jason Bateman and Josh Mostel (Pete) are much more interesting than the film’s stars. The scenes of Crowe working his leads on the story with his newspaper colleagues are some of the best scenes in the film, especially the scenes where Jason Bateman’s character Foy is questioned and secretly videotaped in a seedy motel. I found myself wishing for more of these scenes.

The plot twists in this film are not shocking, but they were good enough to keep me guessing. Crowe made me care about his character (unlike all of the others) and the scenes where he hides in a parking garage from a killer had me gripping my cup holder. I did not look at my watch once while in the theater, which is unusual for me. State of Play is fun while the mystery lasts, but like many thrillers, the resolution is somewhat disappointing. Tony Gilroy, who co-wrote the screenplay for State of Play, also wrote and directed the far superior Michael Clayton. That film stayed with me. This one will not.

While State of Play is based on the BBC television series of the same name, the story seems perfect for Washington D.C. In an age where people fear the death of their morning newspaper, it is gratifying to see the film’s view of the competition between newspapers and blogs and the reverence some (including me) still have for newsprint. At the end of the film, blogger Fry, in a vote for the newspaper over the blog, tells McAffrey that their big story should first be printed in the newspaper. “I figured when people read a story like this, they should get some ink on their fingers,” she proclaims. We can only hope others share her sentiment.

State of Play. Directed by Kevin Macdonald. With Russell Crowe (Cal McAffrey), Ben Affleck (Stephen Collins), Rachel McAdams (Della Fry),Helen Mirren (Cameron Lynne), Robin Wright Penn(Anne Collins), Jason Bateman (Dominic Foy), Josh Mostel (Pete) and Jeff Daniels (Rep. George Fergus).  Universal Pictures, 2009.

 

Gail sees a movie appears every Wednesday.

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