Hey folks, Capone in Chicago here. I'm not exactly sure whose corn flakes Ethan Hawke pissed in, but the response I've been reading so far to his latest film as a director has been kind of surprisingly negative. Based on his own novel, THE HOTTEST STATE might not have intrigued me as much on the printed page, but the film is a sexy, emotionally charged and sincere view of first love between a would-be actor and a young singer in New York City that rings more true than any crappy romantic comedy I've seen in the last 10 years. By actually taking its whirlwind romance seriously, the film manages to actually earn our emotional investment and not make us feel like we or the characters are idiots. Cries of Hawke being self-indulgent don't really hold water because he makes no secret of the story being autobiographic. I hate to break the new to everyone, but autobiographies as a rule of self-indulgent. The mere fact that you're willing to read or watch something based on someone's life means you accept this fact.

Rising talent Mark Webber steps into the role of William (essentially Hawke in his younger days), where he lives a life with no money or connections in the city. Laura Linney plays his little-seen mother, who has little to offer him beyond criticism of his lifestyle. Seen mostly in flashbacks, Hawke plays William's long-gone father, who fell in love with his mom in a passionate yet short-lived love affair. William meets Sara (played by MARIA FULL OF GRACE star Catalina Sandino Moreno), a lovely but elusive singer. The two have an odd courtship that culminates in an extended (mostly naked) stay in a Mexican hotel room. What impressed me so much about Hawke's handling of this material is that he absolutely captures that fleeting, must-do-everything-now feeling you get with a new love. It's like you're on deadline, time is running out, because you sense that soon the intensity will die and what you're left with will either be a lifetime commitment or the kind of hatred for someone you can only feel for someone whom you once loved immensely.

Webber and Moreno have a seductive quality together, but they also play the nervous innocents quite believably. Their conversations are about nothing most of the time, but they still convey a love and passion that is remarkable. Hawke has painted the portrait of a young, broke couple that believes all they need is each other, but eventually discovers that maybe the each need a little something more than the other can provide. The heartbreak and emotional low points are a little too realistic. Ethan Hawke has impressed me as an actor for many years now, but it wasn't until this movie (following his 2001 feature CHELSEA WALLS) that he also has moved me as a filmmaker. THE HOTTEST STATE never shies away from the foolishness and pain of young love, but it also captures a time and place so well that it's clear it could only come from someone who experienced these journeys personally.

Capone
capone@aintitcoolmail.com