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The Hottest State
User Score
6.8 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 5 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 5
  3. Negative: 1 out of 5

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  1. ChadS.
    Jan 1, 2008
    3
    "Do you speak English?" asks William(Mark Webber) when Sarah(Catalina Sandino Moreno) sits mutely at the bar as she considers whether to follow him home or not. Later in "The Hottest State", Sarah could ask William the same thing as he whines and pleads for the budding singer-songwriter to love him back. On the night they first met, she tells William that he's not very complicated. Well, neither is she. Two words: ice princess. And William, one word sums him up: idiot. For nearly two hours, the ice princess and idiot talk, and talk, and talk, and talk. When they break up, William becomes insufferable in his unwillingness to take a hint and get lost. The dialogue in "The Hottest State" is so banal, you'll never complain about Woody Allen again. In a film, it's more interesting to hear intellectuals rather than airheads speak. Good photography, though. Texas does look like the hottest state.… Expand
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  2. DerekB.
    Jan 19, 2008
    7
    It's a flawed movie, but a cute one. The dialogue gets cheesy at times, and the characters don't develop as much as you'd like them to, but you do sympathize with them after a while - even if you're not really supposed to. Not nearly as horribly as some critics say, that's for sure...
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. Dave
    Feb 3, 2008
    9
    I generally don't like young-romance films, but this one blew me awy. Great acting all around. Ditto the direction and even the soundtrack. I think the critics were just too impatient waiting for somebody to get shot.
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  4. TylerS.
    Dec 11, 2007
    7
    The critic's reviews are a little harsh. Fans of Hawke's movies won't be disappointed but people who tend to dislike scripts with self-awareness (for instance, like many of Linklater's films) probably won't enjoy it. The soundtrack is amazing.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
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Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
45 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 20 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 20
  3. Negative: 4 out of 20
  1. Variety
    Reviewed by: Leslie Felperin
    50
    Patchy lead perfs and mannered helming subtract value from pic's tangible plus points (solid supporting turns, pleasant score).
    Read full review
  2. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Aaron Hillis
    60
    Hawke quite capably taps into the bittersweet complexities of young, love-struck idiocy.
    Read full review
  3. ReelViews
    Reviewed by: James Berardinelli
    75
    Hawke has made this movie his way and the result is a story that is by turns romantic and disquieting. It's well worth the price of admission.
    Read full review
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