The Hottest State

The Hottest State
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Ethan Hawke
Written by	Ethan Hawke
Based on	The Hottest State by Ethan Hawke
Produced by	Alexis Alexanian Yukie Kito
Starring	Mark Webber Catalina Sandino Moreno Michelle Williams Laura Linney Ethan Hawke
Cinematography	Chris Norr
Edited by	Adriana Pacheco
Music by	Jesse Harris
Distributed by	THINKFilm
Release dates	September 2, 2006 (2006-09-02) (VFF) August 24, 2007 (2007-08-24) (United States)
Running time	117 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The Hottest State is a 2006 drama film written and directed by Ethan Hawke, based on his 1996 novel of the same name. The film debuted at the Venice Film Festival on September 2, 2006, and received a limited theatrical release in the United States on August 24, 2007. It ran for 5 weeks in theaters and grossed $137,341 internationally.^[1] The film was subsequently issued on DVD in December 2007.

Synopsis

The film tells the story of 20-year-old actor William, who falls in love for the first time with an aspiring singer, Sarah. As their love blossoms and languishes, young William reexamines himself and his relationship with his mother Jesse and estranged father Vince.

Cast

• Mark Webber as William Harding
• Catalina Sandino Moreno as Sarah
• Michelle Williams as Samantha
• Laura Linney as Jesse
• Ethan Hawke as Vince
• Daniel Ross as Young Vince
• Alexandra Daddario as Kim
• Cherami Leigh as Danielle
• Glen Powell as John Jaegerman
• Sônia Braga as Mrs. Garcia
• Anne Clarke as Young Jesse

Soundtrack

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
The A.V. Club	B[3]
IGN	8.7/10[4]
Pitchfork Media	2.2/10[5]

The music score for the film was composed by Grammy-winning musician Jesse Harris. Aside from the inclusion of two score tracks, the album is composed of sixteen original songs interpreted by such musicians as Willie Nelson, Norah Jones, Cat Power, Bright Eyes, and Feist. It was also named one of "The Top 10 CDs of 2007" by the New York Daily News.^[6]

Track listing

1. "Ya No Te Veria Mas (Never See You)" - 2:06 (Rocha)
2. "Always Seem To Get Things Wrong" - 3:47 (Willie Nelson)
3. "Somewhere Down The Road" - 2:44 (Feist)
4. "Big Old House" - 3:54 (Bright Eyes)
5. "The Speed of Sound" - 4:19 (Emmylou Harris)
6. "It Will Stay With Us" - 2:17 (Jesse Harris)
7. "If You Ever Slip" - 2:33 (The Black Keys)
8. "Crooked Lines" - 4:28 (M. Ward)
9. "World of Trouble" - 4:35 (Norah Jones)
10. "Never See You" - 5:04 (Brad Mehldau)
11. "It's Alright To Fail" - 3:40 (Cat Power)
12. "One Day The Dam Will Break" - 2:58 (Jesse Harris)
13. "You, The Queen" - 4:17 (Tony Scherr)
14. "Morning In A Strange City (Cafe)" - 2:00
15. "No More" - 3:59 (Rocha)
16. "Dear Dorothy" - 2:28 (Jesse Harris)
17. "Never See You" - 2:46 (Rocha)
18. "There Are No Good Second Chances" - 4:58

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 32% of 53 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.9/10, earning it a score of "Rotten". The website's consensus reads: "Despite strong performances and a unique style, The Hottest State is too self-conscious and pretentious to truly succeed."^[7] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 45 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.^[8]

References

1. "The Hottest State (2007) - Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2010-02-10.
2. La Gorce, Tammy. "The Hottest State – Original Soundtrack". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
3. Murray, Noel (August 14, 2007). "Various Artists: The Hottest State: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
4. Grischow, Chad (August 31, 2007). "The Hottest State Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Review". IGN. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
5. Mitchum, Rob (August 9, 2007). "Various Artists: The Hottest State OST". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
6. Farber, Jim (December 17, 2007). "The top 10 CDs of 2007". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved 2010-02-10.
7. "The Hottest State". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
8. "The Hottest State". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved December 4, 2023.

External links

• Official website
• The Hottest State at IMDb
• The Hottest State at Box Office Mojo
• The Hottest State at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Hottest State at Metacritic