{"id":30191,"date":"2025-06-10T03:44:17","date_gmt":"2025-06-10T07:44:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/?p=30191"},"modified":"2025-06-10T09:15:07","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T13:15:07","slug":"tribeca-festival-review-long-live-the-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/?p=30191","title":{"rendered":"Tribeca Festival Review – \u2018Long Live the State\u2019 Documentary"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2024, I was sitting in a packed theater in Times Square full of a few thousand people who were there for one thing and one thing only – a rare reunion by 8 or 9 of the original cast members of the MTV sketch comedy show, <\/span>The State<\/i><\/b>. I knew that they had sold out two or three shows, and there was some irony that this live performance was taking place in a theater that was literally in the basement of the building where the comedy group had offices back in the \u201890s, while they were making the four seasons of their MTV sketch comedy series.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cut forward a year and Matthew Perniciaro\u2019s <\/span>Long Live the State<\/i><\/b> premieres to a similarly rapt audience at the <\/span>Tribeca Film Festival<\/span><\/a>, and it\u2019s as much a love letter to the 11 members of the group, as it is a chance for them to lavish praise and love on each other, saying things that might have been tough to share when they were in the thick of things thirty years earlier. After its four seasons, the group fell apart and went off to do their own projects, but looking at all that the individual members did after the show, both individually and together, it\u2019s absolutely awe-inspiring when they\u2019re all mentioned in one place.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/ins><\/span><\/p>\n

Before we even get to MTV, we follow the group forming as the New Comedy Group at NYU with various configurations and each of them taking on different duties, performing so many ad hoc shows in various locations that eventually word gets to MTV, who is convinced to have them take part in the series \u201cYou Wrote It, You Watch It,\u201d hosted by Jon Stewart, no less. Perniciaro\u2019s doc does a great job covering this period with some amazing archival footage, spending maybe the first 45 minutes leading up to MTV giving \u201cThe State\u201d their very own sketch comedy show.<\/span><\/p>\n

The original show famously was loathed by the critics, as were some of the projects that arose after it, including the David Wain-directed <\/span>Wet Hot American Summer<\/b>, and the Comedy Central shows, <\/span>Stella<\/b> and <\/span>Reno 911!<\/b> This isn\u2019t just a hippy-dippy love-in for the group, as the members get into the internal politics and the campaigning to get sketches approved, which ultimately divided the group, something that got worse as they went their separate ways with clearly delineated factions formed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Long Live the State director Matthew Perniciaro (L) and The State at Tribeca premiere (photo by Edward Douglas)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One great thing Perniciaro does with this movie is that he gives each of the members of the State their own moment, insuring that there is a much-needed equity among the 11 members, especially since a few of them, like Ken Marino and Michael Showalter, definitely got a lot more of the focus when the shows were airing due to their recurring characters and catchphrases. Ironically, some of the still-quoted catchphrases came out of MTV expecting the group to be more like <\/span>Saturday Night Live<\/i><\/b>. That\u2019s why people still will yell, \u201cI want to dip my balls in it\u201d at Marino decades later, a joke that clearly backfired by working so well.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wain went on to direct many great comedies, and I somehow never realized that Michael Patrick Jann directed 1999\u2019s <\/span>Drop Dead Gorgeous<\/i><\/b>, starring a very young Kirsten Dunst and Amy Adams. (Jann also has an upcoming horror film called <\/span>Alma and the Wolf<\/i><\/b>, whose star I literally just spoke to \u2013 look for that soon.) Showalter has gone on to become a well-respected director of his own, having directed Jessica Chastain to her first Oscar for <\/span>The Eyes of Tammy Faye<\/i><\/b>. Showalter was a holdout from the 2024 live shows, because, as he says in the movie, he\u2019s just not comfortable on stage anymore.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/ins><\/span><\/p>\n

I also loved Perniciaro\u2019s musical choices, with many staples from MTV from that era, including the Jesus and Mary Chain and Pixies. It feels somewhat ironic, since it took the State many years to finally release the episodes on DVD due to the issues with licensing some of the songs used on the show. Clearly, Perniciaro didn\u2019t have as tough a time, but it works perfectly to set the\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Perniciaro\u2019s doc is not just something done merely for the fans, because many people might not be aware of the projects that came from the various members \u2013 <\/span>Night at the Museum<\/i><\/b>, for instance \u2013 without realizing the history of \u201cThe State\u201d or how the group inspired each of the individual members to thrive in the comedy world.\u00a0 <\/span>Long Live the State<\/span><\/i> is an absolutely brilliant doc, that is as funny as it is poignant, and hopefully, it will find the proper distribution to ensure it\u2019s seen by those who never quite got what \u201cThe State\u201d were trying to do.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rating: <\/b>A<\/span><\/p>\n

Long Live the State<\/span><\/i> is playing at the <\/span>Tribeca Film Festival<\/span><\/a> through the weekend, with tickets remaining for many of the upcoming screenings.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/ins><\/span><\/p>\n

Director: <\/b>Matthew Perniciaro<\/span><\/p>\n

Cast:<\/b> Michael Showalter, David Wain, Ken Marino, Michael Ian Black, Thomas Lennon, Robert Ben Garrant, Kerri Kenney, Kevin Allison, Joe Lo Truglio, Todd Holoubek<\/span><\/p>\n

Producer: <\/b>Adam F. Goldberg, Kelsey Oluk, Matthew Perniciaro<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Production Co: <\/b>Diorama<\/span><\/p>\n

Genre:<\/b> Documentary<\/span><\/p>\n

Language:<\/b> English<\/span><\/p>\n

Runtime:<\/b> 110 Minutes<\/span><\/p>\n

If you like this review, please share your comments below.<\/b><\/p>\n

Check out more of Edward Douglas\u2019 articles<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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