Grade: B+

It would be great if there were more movies like “State of Play.”  This is actually a movie for grown-ups.  Smart dialogue, interesting plot, multi-dimensional characters.  This is really Russell Crowe’s movie – he plays an old-school investigative journalist who writes for a high profile Washington paper.  His college roommate, Ben Affleck, is now a senator, and when Ben gets caught up in a scandal, he goes to his buddy for help.  Add to the mix Helen Mirren as the newspaper editor, Rachel McAdams as the fresh-faced blogger girl, and Robin Wright Penn as Ben’s neglected wife and you’ve got an amazing cast.  Some nice twists.  Worth seeing.