Ethan Hawke pulls off nothing short of a one-man cinematic tour de force in "The Hottest State," a movie he wrote, directed and briefly appears in. And to top it off, it's based on his own novel.

This low-budget film chronicles the rocky relationship between a struggling Manhattan actor and a beautiful young woman from Connecticut who's come to the city to start a new life for herself as a singer. Originally hailing from Texas, William Harding is not the most ambitious or highly motivated young man when it comes to pursuing his goals or the most monogamous when it comes to his relationships with women, but all that changes when he meets Sarah, "the girl of his dreams." She makes him want to become a better, more stable person, but Sarah has other things on her mind than getting tied down in a relationship, so she essentially keeps William at arm's-length, allowing him only so far into her heart before shutting him out completely. Meanwhile, blindsided by love, William can't seem to figure out why the girl he's ready to devote his entire life to pleasing seems hell-bent on sabotaging their relationship. And, yet ironically, the more aggressively he pursues her, the more he winds up pushing her away.

Thanks to extraordinarily perceptive writing and acting, "The Hottest State" rises far above the average Hollywood romance - its characters more recognizable and complex and its situations more believable and true to life. Both William and Sarah bring a certain amount of baggage with them from their childhoods and previous relationships, but, for the most part, they are just two fairly ordinary young people feeling their way through life, trying to make a go of it as a couple, with all the pain, pleasure and confusion that that entails. And if their demons occasionally get the better of them, well heck, that's all a part of this game we call love as well.

"The Hottest State" is really an examination of what happens when one half of a romantic couple falls out of love with the other half, leaving the latter no outlet through which to channel that still-smoldering obsession. The movie nicely turns the situation on its head by making it the woman, rather than the man, who's having trouble making the commitment. There are times when both these characters can be maddeningly frustrating to watch, and when, frankly, neither of them is all that sympathetic or likable. But that's merely an indication of just how utterly committed the movie is to the truth of its characters and story - and how highly it respects and values the intelligence and maturity of its audience.

Mark Webber and Catalina Sandino Moreno are simply astounding in their portrayal of two people trying to come to terms with how each one feels about the other, and they are beautifully complemented by Hawke, Laura Linney and Michele Williams in supporting roles. The final confrontation scene between William and Hawke, playing the dad who abandoned him when he was thirteen years old, is searing in what it has to say about the devastating effect an absent parent can have on the psyche of a rejected child - and how that effect can continue on throughout the entirety of that child's life.

Buoyed by an ending that refuses to cater to generic formulas or the expectations of its audience, "The Hottest State" is a heartbreaking story about heartbreak.

Ethan Hawke wrote the book THE HOTTEST STATE and then proceeded to write the screenplay, direct and act in it. Sometimes that combination works, but in this instance the whole project feels like a narcissistic self-indulgent autobiographical talky two hours. Hawke is respected enough among his peers that he was able to draw a fine cast together in an attempt to make this film work, but in the end it is pretty boring.

Young Texas actor William (Mark Webber) has moved to New York to make it big, and while he gets jobs, he feels as though he doesn't have a handle on relationships. When he meets the beautiful singer Sarah (Catalina Sandino Moreno) he falls in love but has no idea how to court his dream girl. Sarah is cautious about relationships, too, yet is attracted to William and consents to travel to Mexico to heat up their bonding. In Mexico they spend the greater part of their time consummating their love affair: the love scenes are fairly erotic, especially on the part of Moreno. Returning to their jobs in New York the two face problems in continuing their relationship. William's divorced parents (Laura Linney and Ethan Hawke) have their own demons that prevent their providing William with much consolation, and Sarah's mother (Sonia Braga) has a rather negative view of relationships. How the film finally winds down with dealing with William's whining and Sarah's resistance is all that is left of the lengthy diatribe.

Though Linney, Braga, Michelle Williams (in too short a role),and Moreno try to make this story tolerable, it is inherent in the concept that William (Ethan Hawke poorly disguised) is just too boring a guy to care about. Mark Webber is supposed to have the promise and charisma of a 'new Brando' (according to the hype),but he is flat in this film. The soundtrack is wearing and rarely takes a break for the dialog. Hawke can and has done better. Hopefully he has released his ego in this film and can move on. Grady Harp

William Harding (Mark Webber) is a 20 year old struggling actor in NYC from Texas. He doesn't really know his dad Vincent (Ethan Hawke) after he left with his mother at 8. Sarah (Catalina Sandino Moreno) wants to be a singer. They hit it off right away. Samantha (Michelle Williams) is his ex who he is still hanging with. He has issues. Her mother (Sonia Braga) doesn't approve of her singing and complains a lot. His mother Jesse (Laura Linney) is also quite a piece of work.

It's an indie from Ethan Hawke. It's a fairly bland affair. The lead Webber doesn't have the best charisma. His character is emotionally damaged. Moreno has a sweet presence but she struggles to do more. They both have infuriating moments that makes it hard to invest in their relationship. There is a musical element but there isn't anything catchy. There's no magic in that. It's an angsty indie without the needed likability. The dialog is very clunky with Hawke trying too hard. Being an Ethan Hawke film, there are a lot of great actors. I guess people just want to hang out with him.