'State of Play's' Sense of Place

Russell Crowe shooting "State of Play" in front of Ben's Chili Bowl last year. (Ricky Carioti/TWP)

Finally -- a D.C. movie that gets D.C. right! Well, sort of.

"State of Play," opening next week, spent a month filming here last spring, diving into corners of the city usually ignored by Hollywood. Not just monuments and mansions but grimy municipal buildings, the underbelly of the Whitehurst, the Maine Avenue fish market -- and hey, Crystal City's Americana motel! Journalist Russell Crowe has a messy desk and a slovenly apartment above Mount Pleasant's Heller's Bakery. His car has a real D.C. inspection sticker.

But as usual, little errors...

Why would a Hill staffer who lives in Adams Morgan take the Metro from Rosslyn?

Why take the Roosevelt Bridge to Crystal City?

Why would D.C. police respond to a crime in Crystal City?

Why would that PR guy "mostly work out of the Daily Grill" -- not the Palm?

How dare they imply that print reporters and online staffers loathe each other?

And drink on deadline? Not anymore.