If you’re a writer, you need to see State of Play. It’s a modern-day white-knuckler about getting the story the old-fashioned way.

Congressman Steven Collins (Ben Affleck) is either brave enough or dumb enough to go after PointCorp, a Blackwater-style company with its own military whose international presence is just a drop in the bucket compared to their domestic aspirations.

Collins has the moral high ground until he loses it — spectacularly and publicly — upon the not-so-mysterious death of his primary research assistant, Sonia Baker (Maria Thayer). When it’s quickly revealed that many of the briefs Sonia was studying were the kind that Congressman Collins wore under his pants, his battle against PointCorp takes a staggering blow and his already deteriorating marriage with his wife, Anne (Robin Wright Penn), is ruined once and for all.

The congressman’s old college roommate, Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe), works for the Washington Globe as one of the last of the truly old-school reporters. He follows leads with his nose, takes notes with paper and pen, and goes directly to the source of the story even when it gets him in trouble.

This time, it might get him killed.

Who killed Sonia Baker? And why? PointCorp stands to lose tens of billions of dollars — and a lot more — if Congressman Collins defeats their latest round of lobbies.

Cal gets the upper hand on some game-changing evidence, but lots of questions above and beyond his friendship with Steven and Anne Collins come into play. Questions of timing. Questions of morality. Questions of trust. But in the end, it’s all about the truth.

Cal reluctantly teams up with Della Frye (Rachel McAdams), the paper’s hot-shot online political blogger who represents a kind of journalism that Cal can’t stand. As Cal and Della beat deadlines and death threats, nothing can prepare them for what’s really going on in the darkest corners of the all-too-human hearts — both noble and not — on Capitol Hill.

State of Play has so many twists and turns that the less said about it the better.

So I’ll just say lots of things about the cast.

Russell Crowe is, as always, a towering inferno of talent and presence.

Affleck dials down his usual charm to play a man struggling with his own mistakes and how they might hurt his ability to truly bring about what’s right. While you won’t feel sorry for him for cheating on his wife, you’ll cheer on his attempts to hold PointCorp accountable for its wrongs both home and abroad. Bits of his trademark humor do come through in his chemistry with Crowe; you really get the sense that these guys were old college roommates who’ve gone on different paths but still remember where they came from.

Rachel McAdams is lovely, determined, and plucky as Della — the blogger has to grow up fast in the field, and McAdams superbly holds her own not just against Crowe but also against Helen Mirren, who plays the paper’s editor like a shark and walks away with many of the film’s most memorable moments and lines.

And of course there’s Jason Bateman as a sleazy P.R. guy who’s involved in it all, too. His performance is something like an evil Michael Bluth who’s been possessed by Pepper Brooks from Dodgeball. Is there anything this guy can’t do?

And Jeff Daniels as a hypocritical, holier-than-thou senator.

And Robin Wright is even prettier now than she was in The Princess Bride.

And I’m going to stop talking about the movie now, because, like I said, you’re better off knowing as little as possible when you see it.

So … see it. It’s awesome not just as a thriller but as a commentary on what’s happening to the newspaper industry and the threatened vitality of old-school reporting.

I’m a big fan of Matthew McConaughey. I love Sahara a lot more than some people tell me I’m supposed to, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Fool’s Gold when I rented it for my mom. McConaughey plays an explorer in both of those movies, and he showed the fire and the passion for archaeology and treasure that was missing from the Lara Croft movies, for example. He’s charming and he’s funny and he brings everything he’s got to his roles. There’s not a lot more that you could ask for.

Then there’s Jennifer Garner. Sweet, sweet Jenny Garner. I fell in love with her immediately in Alias. She was delightful and effortlessly hilarious in 13 Going on 30. She’s tough beyond tough in one of my all-time favorite movies, The Kingdom. And I’d give a lot — and I mean a lot — to get to kiss those lips.

That’s why I was glad to go see their new collaboration, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, with my friend Erin on Sunday.

McConaughey plays Connor Mead, a photographer who spends more time taking off his models’ clothes than he does actually taking their pictures. The girls are happy to oblige. He’s been afraid to open up his heart since his parents died in a car accident when he was a little boy, and being raised by his Hugh Hefner-worshipping uncle Wayne (Michael Douglas) didn’t exactly help him nurture the healthiest attitude towards women.

But his heart has always beaten for Jenny Perotti (Garner), who in turn has always loved Connor more than anyone. Jenny took it harder than he ever knew when he ran away one morning without explanation; he loved her back, but he was too afraid to let her all the way in.

Now Connor’s little brother, Paul (Breckin Meyer), is getting married, and Jenny is one of the bridesmaids. When Connor arrives he manages to offend everyone with his harsh attitudes about marriage and love, and he does the classic romantic comedy thing where he’s mean to Jenny but only because he’s terrified of how much he loves her.

That’s when he sees the ghost of Uncle Wayne in the bathroom, who tells him he’ll be visited by three ghosts. And so begins Connor’s tour of the mistakes he’s made and the mistakes he can still fix if he’s man enough to change his ways.

It’s silly, but it’s sweet. The miles of confidence behind McConaughey’s smile make him perfect for a role like this, but he’s also got the chops to convey regret and change when the time comes. He’s good at physical comedy, too, especially during the spectacularly disastrous wedding cake scene.

Garner is sunnier than ever here, with an exuberance that won’t quit. She capably goes toe-to-toe with McConaughey both dramatically and romantically, and it’s impossible not to fall all the way in love with her every second she’s on screen.

Michael Douglas is a hoot as Uncle Wayne. Robert Forster is a lot of fun as Paul’s future father-in-law, whose Korean War flashbacks make their way into all of his speeches — especially his gut-busting riff against M*A*S*H*. Anne Archer, whom I just watched for the gazillionth time as Harrison Ford’s wife in Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger, is still super hot as the bride’s mom.

The bride in question — Sandra — is played by Lacey Chabert, who’s strikingly gorgeous but not afraid to completely make a fool of herself when she starts freaking out about every little thing.

Breckin Meyer, who doesn’t get nearly enough work, slips naturally and easily into the shoes of a guy who loves his big brother no matter how hard Connor tries to convince the rest of the world he’s a one-note jerk.

And of course there’s stunning Emma Stone, one of my favorite new actresses, who plays the hopelessly nerdy first ghost and steals every scene she’s in.

Nothing here is particularly original, and it’s pretty predictable, but there are plenty of laughs to be had.

And the cast is really good.

And sweet, sweet Jenny Garner’s in it.