Customer Reviews

The Hottest State

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of my favorite movies. The cast is stellar and it has a great soundtrack. Beyond that, it is one of the most "real" love stories I have ever seen in a movie. You can very easily see yourself in the shoes of the characters.

Written and directed by Ethan Hawke, and based on Hawke's (I presume) autobiographical novel of the same name, The Hottest State is an intensely personal movie. Yet unlike, say, Woody Allen's autobiographical films (Annie Hall, Stardust Memories, Husbands and Wives), Hawke's personality doesn't flood his material. Hawke is quite casual about baring his soul to us, and audiences may not be aware how deeply he takes them into his psyche. But he holds nothing back.

The film recounts a brief, magical love affair between 20-year-old William (Mark Webber), Texas-born living in New York, and Sara (Catalina Sandino Moreno), a beautiful Mexican who has moved to the city to pursue her singing career. The film unfolds with an easy, natural spontaneity that is both engaging and faintly ominous (we know where it's heading because William informs us in voice-over). Working with his actors and crew, Hawke uses simple, unassuming brush strokes to communicate the joy and misery, and the complexity, of falling in love. William's trouble is that he has fallen in love with "a force of evil," which is to say, with unfathomable femininity.

The Hottest State shows the futility of romantic desire without ever opting for self-pity or easy cynicism. Hawke imbues the film with the wisdom and acceptance of a broken heart made stronger and freer by the breakage. Hawke's film gets at something universal, and cuts all the way to the bone. As a result, it may stir feelings we'd rather not have to deal with, ones we'd hoped we'd put to rest. I don't think I have ever seen a romantic film that manages to be this painful without being in the least bit sentimental. It's not so much about the sadness of watching a great love die, but about the horror and incomprehensibility of it.

Although it's raw and almost nakedly personal, there's nothing amateurish about the film. Hawke's handling of his actors is flawless, and just about every scene resonates, rings bells of recognition. In scene after scene, Hawke seems to have got precisely what he was after. His use of the soundtrack (songs by Jesse Harris), free-form editing, overlapping scenes, voice-over, the rich, sensuous colors and his knack for placing the camera just where it needs to be, all is remarkably assured, making this probably the most auspicious debut from a writer-director since Sean Penn's Indian Runner. The Hottest State is a wonderful film and I felt richer for having seen it; and it deserves a wider audience, because so far as I know it did little business and got luke-warm notices. Another precious gem in danger of slipping under the radar.

The film is a little soft around the edges. Some of the dialogue (particularly between William and his mother, played by Laura Linney, and in the crucial scene with William's father, played by Hawke) may be a little too pat. We're aware of Hawke's limitations as a writer here, of his putting words into the characters' mouths instead of letting them speak for themselves (which is the problem with Sara's last few scenes). But considering what Hawke is attempting here--adapting his own novel, directing it, and playing a key role--it's an astonishingly assured work.

Like Penn, Hawke has an authentic artistic sensibility, and with any luck he could become a major filmmaker. He's so confident of getting to the truth of a scene that he achieves poetry without trying, without even a whiff of pretension. The film has a raw honesty to it, and yet it never seems self-indulgent or narcissistic. It's confessional in the best sense. It's as if getting these experiences down (in the novel, which I haven't read, and by making the film) was essential for Hawke's peace of mind, as if by sharing his pain and confusion with us, he was able to come to terms with the past and reduce its hold over him. As a result, the film has urgency and poignancy, it feels essential, from the heart. I can't think of another film that conveys the agony of heartbreak and the rite of passage it entails as effectively as this. It has its very own ache.

In spite of critics reviews, I loved this film from start to finish. Wonderfully shot, delicately scripted, better than you'd really expect. The soundtrack is so deftly placed, it's as if it where a third character. It's a picture of a life in fractured state, but oh, how beautiful.

It's a near perfect blend of self-indulgence with a sense of humility. I was truly glad I saw this film, after months of ignoring and thinking that I would not like it.

Ethan Hawke wrote the book THE HOTTEST STATE and then proceeded to write the screenplay, direct and act in it. Sometimes that combination works, but in this instance the whole project feels like a narcissistic self-indulgent autobiographical talky two hours. Hawke is respected enough among his peers that he was able to draw a fine cast together in an attempt to make this film work, but in the end it is pretty boring.

Young Texas actor William (Mark Webber) has moved to New York to make it big, and while he gets jobs, he feels as though he doesn't have a handle on relationships. When he meets the beautiful singer Sarah (Catalina Sandino Moreno) he falls in love but has no idea how to court his dream girl. Sarah is cautious about relationships, too, yet is attracted to William and consents to travel to Mexico to heat up their bonding. In Mexico they spend the greater part of their time consummating their love affair: the love scenes are fairly erotic, especially on the part of Moreno. Returning to their jobs in New York the two face problems in continuing their relationship. William's divorced parents (Laura Linney and Ethan Hawke) have their own demons that prevent their providing William with much consolation, and Sarah's mother (Sonia Braga) has a rather negative view of relationships. How the film finally winds down with dealing with William's whining and Sarah's resistance is all that is left of the lengthy diatribe.

Though Linney, Braga, Michelle Williams (in too short a role), and Moreno try to make this story tolerable, it is inherent in the concept that William (Ethan Hawke poorly disguised) is just too boring a guy to care about. Mark Webber is supposed to have the promise and charisma of a 'new Brando' (according to the hype), but he is flat in this film. The soundtrack is wearing and rarely takes a break for the dialog. Hawke can and has done better. Hopefully he has released his ego in this film and can move on. Grady Harp, December 07

I loved this book when I first read it in college around 12 years ago. Some of the lines are so incredibly moving and romantic. I thought however that those same lines did were not delivered well and did not move me like when I read them which is a shame. But the movie is good and more or less true to the book with some minor variations. And I thought the acting was great. It's all talk though - like Before Sunrise. However, I found myself having to turn away at certain scenes because they were painful to watch in that they were too real. Too close to what I myself have been through. By the end of the movie I had that same familiar pain in my gut and was almost in tears - though not for the characters, but for my own pain and lost loves. I hope never to feel that way again - which is why I will probably not watch this movie again. Some memories are better left in the past. But if that was the point of the movie, to move the audience to feel something about heartbreak and loss, then it did its job and that's why I gave it 4 stars.

I like Ethan Hawke, and respect that he wrote a novel and directed the film, but The Hottest State just isn't very good. The main problem is that the protagonist, a thinnly veiled younger version of Ethan Hawke, has such pretentious dialogue that it is unwatchable. Poor Mark Webber. He grew up homeless, and then he gets the lead in a movie, but it turns out to be a doomed vanity project by Ethan Hawke. William Harding (Mark Webber) thinks he is clever and profound but he's neither. He is an actor who falls in love with Sarah (Catalina Sandino Moreno), a wannabe singer, who breaks his heart. If the author and director, Mr. Hawke, intends you to somehow be moved, then he has sorely miscalculated. How often must we watch the scene where the heartbroken suitor leaves countless phone messages, each one more desperate and stupid than the last? Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist started out with that scene, but at least it went somewhere, and the banter between Nick and Norah was infinitely more entertaining.

Catalina Sandino Moreno as Sarah was likeable enough, but the problem was the writing and directing, for which Ethan Hawke was solely responsible. On the other hand, there was a lot of good music, written by Jesse Harris, who also played a member of Sarah's band. It starts off with a song by Willie Nelson, written by Jesse Harris, and continues with lots of songs by Mr. Harris performed by either himself, Brad Mehldau, Norah Jones, The Black Keys, Leslie Feist, Emmylou Harris, Cat Power, Bright Eyes, M. Ward, or Tony Scherr. Sarah's singing is dubbed in by Rosario Ortega. Jesse Harris is the guy who wrote "Don't Know Why" for Norah Jones. The first time I saw him perform I was under whelmed, but then I expected a lot because that song he wrote for Miss Jones was phenomenal. His forte is more as a songwriter than a performer, it seems, but what a songwriter.

Ethan Hawke had a lot of good actors in this, like Laura Linney and Sonia Braga, and writer/directors Frank Whaley and Richard Linklatter have small parts. Hawke even pulls a Hitchcock himself, playing William's father in a few brief scenes. You'd think Frank and Richard could have helped him a little more, with some directing tips. Like why were all the shots in Texas and Mexico so overexposed? Was he trying to make Texas look like it truly was The Hottest State? The whole Texas thing was kind of a red herring, as very few scenes were actually in Texas or had anything to do with Texas. An example of poor directing by Ethan Hawke was in the scene where he imagines his parents meeting, which was in Texas. Jesse, his future mother, and her friend go for a ride with Vince and his buddy. They don't want to go, because it is a school night, but then they impulsively decide to go. As the car pulls out, you see two coke bottles, three quarters full. It is intended to show how quickly they decided to go, not even finishing their sodas, but why wouldn't they just take them with them? It was too staged, and the scene was almost as pretentious as William's dialogue.

Bottom line is I enjoyed parts of this movie, and aspects of this movie, but I couldn't say it was very good overall. Nice try, Ethan, but if at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

Reality Bites (1994) Ethan Hawke was Troy Dyer
Joe the King (1999) Ethan Hawke was Len Coles; directed by Frank Whaley

Synecdoche New York (2008) Michelle Williams was Claire Keen

Maria Full of Grace (2004) Catalina Sandino Moreno was María Álvarez
Bordertown (2006) Sonia Braga was Teresa Casillas

The Doors (Special Edition) (1991) Frank Whaley was Robby Krieger

The Squid and the Whale (Special Edition) (2005) Laura Linney was Joan Berkman
Kinsey (2004) Laura Linney was Clara McMillen
The Mothman Prophecies (2002) Laura Linney was Connie Mills
A Scanner Darkly (2006) directed by Richard Linklatter

Jesse: [after giving her son new shoes for his birthday] You gotta lose those cowboy boots, William. I worked too hard to get us out of Texas for you to go around in those things.

This film completely captures the search for perfect total love by youth. The boy, all of 20, meets "the one" who is supposed to be his true love. While portraying the adventure of falling for someone, it also covers the fear and naked exposure. What you get is the dialogue in the boy's mind about it in retrospect, as he views it heartbrokenly. OK, he is self-absorbed and quick to rage, as many reviewers criticize, but he is only 20 for heaven's sake - he will grow beyond it, which in many ways is the true message of the film. Life can be a terrible struggle at that age: sensitivities are extreme, experience lacks depth and hence offers little solace from pain, and childhood trauma casts a powerful shadow.

Mark Webber plays the role with great subtlety, though I think saying he is a new Brando goes a bit far. Much of his acting is in his body language and the atmosphere he brings with him, which are the marks of true talent. The girl is played expertly by Moreno. Of course, her agenda differs from his and she is unwilling to fulfill the role he has created for her in his mind. (After all, you only want what you cannot really get as a youth.) She is at turns manipulative, caring, vulnerable, beautiful, plain, fascinating, and dull. Linney is great in her cameos as the struggling mother who made some poor choices. Braga's cameo as a manipulative alcoholic mother is pitch perfect.

This is not an easy film to watch, but it rang very very true for me. Warmly recommended.

****1/2

Ethan Hawke pulls off nothing short of a one-man cinematic tour de force in "The Hottest State," a movie he wrote, directed and briefly appears in. And to top it off, it's based on his own novel.

This low-budget film chronicles the rocky relationship between a struggling Manhattan actor and a beautiful young woman from Connecticut who's come to the city to start a new life for herself as a singer. Originally hailing from Texas, William Harding is not the most ambitious or highly motivated young man when it comes to pursuing his goals or the most monogamous when it comes to his relationships with women, but all that changes when he meets Sarah, "the girl of his dreams." She makes him want to become a better, more stable person, but Sarah has other things on her mind than getting tied down in a relationship, so she essentially keeps William at arm's-length, allowing him only so far into her heart before shutting him out completely. Meanwhile, blindsided by love, William can't seem to figure out why the girl he's ready to devote his entire life to pleasing seems hell-bent on sabotaging their relationship. And, yet ironically, the more aggressively he pursues her, the more he winds up pushing her away.

Thanks to extraordinarily perceptive writing and acting, "The Hottest State" rises far above the average Hollywood romance - its characters more recognizable and complex and its situations more believable and true to life. Both William and Sarah bring a certain amount of baggage with them from their childhoods and previous relationships, but, for the most part, they are just two fairly ordinary young people feeling their way through life, trying to make a go of it as a couple, with all the pain, pleasure and confusion that that entails. And if their demons occasionally get the better of them, well heck, that`s all a part of this game we call love as well.

"The Hottest State" is really an examination of what happens when one half of a romantic couple falls out of love with the other half, leaving the latter no outlet through which to channel that still-smoldering obsession. The movie nicely turns the situation on its head by making it the woman, rather than the man, who's having trouble making the commitment. There are times when both these characters can be maddeningly frustrating to watch, and when, frankly, neither of them is all that sympathetic or likable. But that's merely an indication of just how utterly committed the movie is to the truth of its characters and story - and how highly it respects and values the intelligence and maturity of its audience.

Mark Webber and Catalina Sandino Moreno are simply astounding in their portrayal of two people trying to come to terms with how each one feels about the other, and they are beautifully complemented by Hawke, Laura Linney and Michele Williams in supporting roles. The final confrontation scene between William and Hawke, playing the dad who abandoned him when he was thirteen years old, is searing in what it has to say about the devastating effect an absent parent can have on the psyche of a rejected child - and how that effect can continue on throughout the entirety of that child`s life.

Buoyed by an ending that refuses to cater to generic formulas or the expectations of its audience, "The Hottest State" is a heartbreaking story about heartbreak.

If you have ever screwed up a great relationship you will find this film fascinating..William is YOU/and or me....It has a healing effect in letting the viewer know that others have experienced emtional pain and yet lived through it.....EGO (edging good out) is the real villian here..
Too much self absorbtion keeps one from understanding the object of their affection...One has to really admire Ethan Hawke's courage to put his story on the screen..A very thought provoking film, well worth the time spent watching it..

Ethan Hawke is known to the wide audiences as an actor and Uma Thurman's former husband. But Ethan is more than that: he is a writer of the novel and screenplay "The Hottest State" and he is a film director. In this independent film, Hawke tells a (universal) story of the first love. Kind that we feel only when we are young: it is intense, all consuming, irrational and wild. And when it is not returned with the same measure, or worse yet, when it is outright rejected by one of the people in the relationship, it can incapacitate person for a long time. It is at that time of hardship that we turn to people closest to us - our parents - in search of some advice, wisdom and guidance on how to overcome such overbearing emotional chaos. While film touches up life experiences most of us can relate to, I had an eerie feeling that, for Hawke, it is deeply autobiographical and personal account. In some moments, I felt like Hawke was loosing his way of being authentic - he shows two lovers in the hotel room where the girl has a tablecloth on her head, that simulates Spanish headscarf - almost like homage to one of the Picasso's paintings of his first wife Olga. Hawke is also paying homage to 20 years ago old movies like "The Last Picture Show" and "Paris, Texas" both fine movies, but "The Hottest State" just does not meet their intensity. Very fine music in this film, definitely good taste. Lots of potential here, but young Ethan Hawke has lots to learn yet. Let's hope he and Peter Bogdanovich ("The Last Picture Show"'s director) get to know each other well, so Bigdanovich can mentor young Hawke about directing and visual arts (paintings). While Sonia Braga was great, Laura Linney's performance was not up to the level I am used to seeing her at. Ethan Hawke himself also has a small, but powerful role in this movie.