The Hottest State
By S. Jhoanna Robledo,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Moody relationship drama is best for adults.

A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this movie.
Where to Watch
Community Reviews
There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What's the Story?
In this surprisingly moving drama based on his novel of the same name, Ethan Hawke renders a painfully realistic picture of love and heartache. William Harding (Mark Webber) is a twentysomething New York City actor who likes to talk and looks longingly at the neighbors as they make out on the stoop. William may have slept with plenty of women, but he's still besotted with the idea of how love begins because his own parents met in a storybook way (though their marriage ended bitterly): His mother (Laura Linney) fell in love with the way his father (played by Hawke) told a joke. Then William meets Sara Garcia (Catalina Sandino Moreno), a college dropout-turned-musician. Instantly, they're entwined; after just four days, "there were flowers in [his] apartment and hummus in [his] refrigerator." But after a magical week in Mexico, where they almost elope, Sara pulls away, taking William's heart with her.
Is It Any Good?
The film feels somewhat slack in its early stages, meandering like it has all the time in the world. It's also far too stylized; like William, it's a little too deliberately unkempt. The scenes in which William and Sara dance around each other, trying to figure out whether they should plunge ahead, are labored by actorly dialogue, though they pull it off with aplomb. (Other lines feel much more genuine, as when William says of Sara, "She was human. The most human person I'd ever met, and that was sexy.") Hawke proves fairly effective at capturing the giddiness of falling in love, but he really finds his groove when the relationship abruptly falls apart and emotions get messy. He teases achingly truthful performances out of both leads (in the supporting cast, Michelle Williams is excellent as William's sometime-girlfriend). Viewers feel awkward sympathy for William, who just can't let go, and for Sara, too, who realizes she's not ready for intimacy -- at least, not the kind that William, who says he "loved every thought she ever had," is offering. When the film metamorphoses from a simple love-gone-awry piece into a full-bodied story and a statement on how our parents' marriage influences -- no, steers -- our own relationships, it finally feels satisfying.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the film's take on falling in and out of love. Is it really that messy and problematic? Or do these overly complicated beginnings (and endings) just happen in movies? If so, why is love so heightened and exaggerated in the media? Does the picture that the media paints of love influence our real-life expectations? How so?
Movie Details
- In theaters: August 24, 2007
- On DVD or streaming: December 4, 2007
- Cast: Catalina Sandino Moreno, Laura Linney, Mark Webber
- Director: Ethan Hawke
- Inclusion Information: Latinx actors
- Studio: THINKFilm
- Genre: Drama
- Run time: 116 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: sexual content and language.
- Last updated: February 24, 2022
Inclusion information powered by
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
Where to Watch
Our Editors Recommend
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate