Dear Reader: Update, Movie Review Intelligence will
continue publishing this website through June (more...)
Search a Movie:
STATE OF PLAYMovie Reviews
Thriller about a rising congressman and an investigative journalist embroiled in a case of seemingly unrelated, brutal murders. Cast:Russell Crowe, Edward Norton, Ben Affleck, Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Helen MirrenDirector:Kevin MacDonaldRelease Date:April 17, 2009DVD Release:September 1, 2009From:UniversalRating:PG-13Length:2 hr 7 min
State of Play played to good reviews. • Shawn Levy wrote in the Portland Oregonian, "The film is a lot of things -- some superb, some strained... a clear-eyed portrait of the journalistic trade circa 2009." • And Thelma Adams wrote in Us Weekly, "Crowe's terrific as the pit-bull journalist... McAdams excels as his smart gal Friday and Robin Wright Penn shines as the politician's shocked wife." More Reviews Below...
State of Play Positive Reviews (47 Reviews, reviews below)
Richard Corliss, Time: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Not that the American movie couldn't have improved on the British series. It's just that, lately, a decent film has trouble matching the best TV."(See all of Richard Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,146 words, 04/17/09
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: OUTSTANDING(cg) "The issue of newspapers fighting to stay alive in the Internet era exerts a particularly topical zing... It's one of the first journalistic dramas to take up this theme..."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 719 words, 04/17/09
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Crowe and Affleck never feel like a good fit for each other, and not just in acting ability. The age difference is too distracting..."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 598 words, 04/15/09
Thelma Adams, Us Weekly: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Crowe's terrific as the pit-bull journalist... McAdams excels as his smart gal Friday and Robin Wright Penn shines as the politician's shocked wife."(See all of Thelma Adams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 132 words, 04/16/09
get our iPhone app... or get our mobile web app...
movie review intelligence
NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (13 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: WEAK "...shallower and muddier than its clear-eyed source.... in small ways, the filmmakers come close to getting the story right even if the story itself turns out to be nonsensical."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,119 words, 04/17/09
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: VERY GOOD(cg) "...it's Jason Bateman who adds juice, as too many conspiracies threaten to spoil the stew. His cameo as a hustling scuzzball is the film's most memorable performance."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 300 words, 04/17/09
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a smart, ingenious thriller set in the halls of Congress and the city room of a newspaper not unlike the Washington Post. It's also a political movie..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 921 words, 04/16/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "...a meandering movie that sometimes hits dead center and sometimes misfires dismally, resulting in a drama more tangled than taut."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 782 words, 04/17/09
Kyle Smith, New York Post: POOR(cg) "...worst line of the movie should probably go to a description of the congressman's penchant for three-way orgies: 'That's what he called 'being in committee.' "(See all of Kyle Smith's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 743 words, 04/17/09
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...enjoy the new version for what it is -- a sleek, reliable Hollywood package, wrapped in a mournful last hurrah for print investigative journalism..."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 772 words, 04/17/09
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: MODERATE(cg) "Director Kevin MacDonald ('The Last King of Scotland') and co-writer Tony Gilroy ('Duplicity') resort to the usual ingredients to make a passably edible stew."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 351 words, 04/17/09
David Edelstein, New York Magazine: MODERATE "It's tricky, it's surprising, and it's largely faithful to the original... but in context it's a nonevent. It's like a time bomb that's never dismantled but never explodes."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 766 words, 04/13/09
Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "The original had some steamy passion, but there's nothing of the sort here... What in the good name of gratuitous sex is Hollywood coming to?"(See all of Rick Groen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 805 words, 04/17/09
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "...involving... There are more than a few loose ends left hanging when the case slams shut, but it all makes sense, at least until you have a moment to think about it."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 646 words, 04/15/09
Josep Parera, La Opinion: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...la base del relato está ahí; la maestría de la puesta en escena continúa intocable... los actores cumplen a la perfección con sus roles..."(See all of Josep Parera's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 488 words, 04/17/09
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: EXCELLENT(cg) "...it's a burbling stream of sentimental nostalgia for the old ways that make an otherwise routine procedural something of modest but no less significant value."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 908 words, 04/17/09
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...we get treated to bite-size nuggets of character development and a few juicy nibbles of acting from a cast almost universally committed to going large."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 495 words, 04/17/09
Jeff Salamon, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: WEAK(cg) "Kevin Macdonald and his screenwriters make room for a bevy of standard-issue movie tropes... fails to live up to the TV series."(See all of Jeff Salamon's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 836 words, 04/17/09
Christopher Kelly, Dallas Morning News: VERY GOOD(cg) "...updates the investigative-reporter thriller to a post-9/11 age... The movie doesn't quite work, but even when it's misfiring it has an old-fashioned appeal."(See all of Christopher Kelly's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 549 words, 04/17/09
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "The movie appears to be all but over - and likely to stand as one of the best films of 2009. And then the filmmakers add one last embellishment, and they blow it."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 768 words, 04/17/09
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a tasty intrigue, as juicy as it is chewy, about private morals, public responsibility, and the privatizing of Homeland Security."(See all of Carrie Rickey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 618 words, 04/17/09
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Newspapers, the movie argues, are the nasty-old government's watchdog. Without them, it's all Glenn Beck all the time."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,170 words, 04/17/09
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a solidly constructed thriller that recalls the paranoid conspiracies of the 1970s.... you come away puzzled by some of the last-act switcheroos."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 553 words, 04/17/09
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "There are moments in 'State of Play' when you get the sense that it's whittled down from a more complex story (the BBC version runs six hours)."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 597 words, 04/17/09
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: EXCELLENT(cg) "The film is a lot of things -- some superb, some strained -- but one thing it is incontestably is a clear-eyed portrait of the journalistic trade circa 2009."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 619 words, 04/17/09
Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: VERY GOOD(cg) "...an engaging thriller with a terrific cast that includes Helen Mirren as Cameron Lynne, the witty but pragmatic editor of the fictional Washington Globe."(See all of Calvin Wilson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 325 words, 04/17/09
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: EXCELLENT(cg) "...an absolutely riveting state-of-the-art 'big conspiracy' thriller.... all too ready to take us down one primrose path only to trip us and make us consider another."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 520 words, 04/17/09
Connie Ogle, Miami Herald: VERY GOOD(cg) "...its depiction of a newsroom is so realistic you'll be surprised to learn the scenes were filmed on a set. The good more than makes up for the bad."(See all of Connie Ogle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 536 words, 04/17/09
Carla Meyer, Sacramento Bee: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "That Crowe outshines his material... his estimable co-stars Helen Mirren, Ben Affleck and Rachel McAdams do not outshine the same material."(See all of Carla Meyer's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 705 words, 04/17/09
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...comes by way of the hit BBC miniseries it's based on.... comes at us like the proverbial bat out of hell and keeps up a brisk rhythm built for intelligence."(See all of Lisa Kennedy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 645 words, 04/17/09
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (6 Reviews)
J. Hoberman, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "...involving... There are more than a few loose ends left hanging when the case slams shut, but it all makes sense, at least until you have a moment to think about it."(See all of J. Hoberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 646 words, 04/15/09
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: VERY GOOD(cg) "Affleck may strike you as off-putting at first, hitting wrong emotional notes, but hang on. 'State of Play' keeps the twists coming."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 399 words, 04/17/09
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The future of journalism may be uncertain, but the state of political thrillers since 'All the King's Men' is definitely in decline."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 150 words, 04/16/09
A.O. Scott, New York Times: WEAK "...shallower and muddier than its clear-eyed source.... in small ways, the filmmakers come close to getting the story right even if the story itself turns out to be nonsensical."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,119 words, 04/17/09
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: FAIR "...it's a shallow substitute for the scintillating interplay in the BBC production, which drew much of its drama from the combined intelligence of a reporting team."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 320 words, 04/17/09
David Denby, New Yorker: FAIR "...both overstuffed and inconclusive.... The filmmakers send dozens of clues into the air at once, but they feel no obligation to resolve what they tell us."(See all of David Denby's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 509 words, 04/20/09
David Edelstein, NPR Fresh Air: MODERATE "For a while, it's gripping stuff... The problem is, the filmmakers aren't remaking 'All the President's Men'; they're remaking a six-hour British miniseries with a different thrust."(See all of David Edelstein's reviews...)(Listen to the full review...) 491 seconds, 04/17/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "...a meandering movie that sometimes hits dead center and sometimes misfires dismally, resulting in a drama more tangled than taut."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 782 words, 04/17/09
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "...a meandering movie that sometimes hits dead center and sometimes misfires dismally, resulting in a drama more tangled than taut."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 782 words, 04/17/09
A.O. Scott, New York Times: WEAK "...shallower and muddier than its clear-eyed source.... in small ways, the filmmakers come close to getting the story right even if the story itself turns out to be nonsensical."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,119 words, 04/17/09
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: FAIR "...it's a shallow substitute for the scintillating interplay in the BBC production, which drew much of its drama from the combined intelligence of a reporting team."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 320 words, 04/17/09
19.0 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
State of Play's reviews are separated by an average 19.0 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
State of Play (47 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:State of Play's reviews cover 90.9% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 28,871 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 614 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
State of Play Coverage, Volume & Length (47 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 8.0 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
State of Play's reviews on average broke 8.0 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is State of Play's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
State of Play (47 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
Mobile Web App version 1.2 shows a list of all current movies and review information. You can click through to the cast, director, synopsis, release date and rating on page two, plus individual reviews on page three. The information is updated on a live/real-time basis. You can also search our database of films. Designed for when you're on the move and want the latest info, this app will work on any mobile web browser. From your mobile device -- only from a mobile device -- open our Mobile Web App here...
