From the files of "Literary Adaptations We Really Didn't Need to See" comes "The Hottest State," written and directed by Ethan Hawke and based on his 1996 semi-autobiographical novel.
Hawke's book is about a young actor in New York City who must wrestle with his doomed love for a beautiful woman and with the demons of a Texas childhood that he's never laid to rest; it's well-intentioned, but hopelessly dewy and naive — only a narcissistic actor could think anyone would care about his not especially eventful coming of age.
If such a thing is possible, this film version is even more soft-focused and precious than the novel — it's the ultimate in emo cinema. We meet William Harding (Mark Webber) and watch as he falls hopelessly in love with a singer named Sarah (Catalina Sandino Moreno of "Maria Full of Grace"). But of course, this romance is not meant to be — and the breakup sends Mark on a cross-country journey of self-discovery. Many tedious and cringe-inducing scenes later, he finally comes to terms with his divorced parents, played by Laura Linney and Hawke himself.
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Webber has a low-key, scruffy charm that does remind you of Hawke in his "Reality Bites"/"Before Sunrise" days. But watching this drippy guy look "sensitive" for two hours gets old very quickly. As a director, Hawke displays a nice feel for life in New York City as it's lived by struggling, young would-be artists; and this is a vast improvement over his directorial debut, the similarly themed but utterly incomprehensible "Chelsea Walls" (2001).
Mostly, though, "The Hottest State" reminds us of the perils of putting your own life story on the screen. Hawke is simply too close to the material to realize that there's nothing dramatic or interesting about it.
Review
The Hottest State
**
• Rated: R for sexual content and language.
• Cast: Mark Webber, Catalina Sandino Moreno.
• Director: Ethan Hawke.
• Family call: Not for kids.
• Running time: 117 minutes.
