Parents' Guide to

State of Play

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Mature, well-acted thriller mixes violence and politics.

Movie PG-13 2009 132 minutes
State of Play Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 9 parent reviews

valeries6
valeries6 Adult
December 3, 2017
age 18+

We enjoyed this movie - very good acting & storyline.

For most part we liked this movie. We prefer less bad language , but given the rating pg-13 about the norm of today's rating system . We find this combination of actors excellent together. And kept us all intertained , made for a nice Sun evening.
helenmirrenrox
helenmirrenrox Adult
June 29, 2011
age 12+

Good Movie

Good movie. There are two f**ks and some other words like B***h, S**t, and Da*n it. There is violence that is minor and some sexy stuff. One of the 'f' words is played for laughs, because Helen Mirren is mad and says "F**k you ver much". But Russel Crowe and Rachel McAdams are good roll models because they investigate crimes and help make the world a good place. But it isn't a good message because there is killing and yelling.

This title has:

Great messages
Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
See all 9 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Seasoned Washington Globe reporter Cal McCaffrey (Russell Crowe) is busy looking into two Georgetown murders when a pretty political aide winds up dead in an apparent suicide. To add some blog-worthy sensationalism to the story, Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck) was not only having an affair with the beautiful staffer (Maria Thayer), but he's also in the middle of a high-profile congressional hearing investigating a private security firm's alleged war crimes (think Blackwater). Cal and his eager young colleague Della (Rachel McAdams) try to track down the truth, but the story is complicated by his personal history with Collins, a good friend since college.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (9 ):
Kids say (8 ):

Director Kevin Macdonald draws heavily from testosetrone-driven '70s political dramas like All the President's Men to frame his big-screen adaptation of the award-winning BBC series. Even the idea of a newspaper breaking important news is pretty '70s, since at this point we'd all find out via Twitter or Facebook whether a politician's girlfriend was murdered. Still, Crowe -- all slobbified with oily long hair, an extra 15 pounds of flab, and a cluttered old Saab -- is game for the throwback action. Unfortunately, Affleck is no Redford to Crowe's Hoffman. Sure, he's perfect for the part of a pretty-boy politician who somehow looks 10 years younger than his former college roommate, but he's no acting match for Crowe.

But you can thank the casting gods for the wonderful trifecta of supporting actresses -- Helen Mirren (as the paper's top editor), McAdams, and Robin Wright Penn (as Collins' betrayed wife, who once had an affair with Cal) -- each of whom goes toe to toe with Crowe. Jason Bateman is also brilliant as a flashy public relations hack, and Jeff Daniels is all political smarm as a corrupt senior congressman. Besides Affleck's underwhelming portrayal, there's one too many holes in the twisty plot. But even as an old-school thriller that falls short, STATE OF PLAY is still better than many of its peers.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the movie's message about the relationship between the media and politics. Do you think real-life politicians try to deceive the press -- and that real life reporters pretend and sometimes outright lie to get a scoop?

  • Teens: Do you and your friends rely more on the Internet than on print for news? Do you think newspapers are a sinking ship (as depicted in the movie)?

Movie Details

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