What happens when you toss George Clooney, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti and Ryan Gosling into a political drama? Good things happen.
“The Ides of March” follows a young, idealistic Stephen Myers (Gosling) who is the junior campaign manager for Pennsylvania governor and democratic presidential candidate Mike Morris (Clooney). Myers is working alongside senior campaign manager Paul Zara (Seymour Hoffman) in an attempt to win the voter support for Morris along with the presidential nomination.
As a debate between Morris and his opponent nears, Myers is contacted by rival campaign manager Tom Duffy (Giamatti) with an offer – jump ship and work for him. Myers refuses the offer. At the same time, Myers new girlfriend is one of the interns on Morris’ campaign.
Little does he know, Myers’ meeting with Duffy and his new relationship are catalysts that will send him on a journey into the dark reality of politics.
Clooney’s directing is at a high point in this movie, and he also managed to portray an interesting behind-the-scenes look into the campaign of his character and at the same time deliver a satisfying amount of intrigue and drama.
Along with his directing, Clooney does a great job on-screen as Morris, looking and sounding every bit like the political powerhouse he’s supposed to be.
But Clooney isn’t the only actor who shines in “Ides.” Most, if not all, of the cast does a fantastic job. Gosling plays his part with simple grace, slipping through his character’s transformation during the film without missing a beat. Hoffman, of course, delivers a great performance as Zara, and Giamatti is a perfect foil to Hoffman’s character.
“The Ides of March” is based on a play titled “Farragut North” by Beau Willimon, and it definitely shows. The whole movie plays out like a stage production, focusing on characterization and character-driven drama.
Many hot-button political ideas are addressed in this movie through debates and town-hall meeting, including religion, same-sex marriage and foreign policy. The combination of smart story-telling and political topics will leave viewers with a lot to think about after they’ve left the theater.
The one notable flaw of “Ides” is that it lacked an emotional impact in many scenes, mostly due to the music, or lack thereof. The score of “Ides” is somewhat awkwardly carried out.
In some scenes the music was very obvious, playing out with faux-patriotic tones that bring to mind cheesy History Channel educational videos about politics. But when some sort of musical cue was really needed to underscore a major event, all the viewer gets is silence.
Still, if you’re politically inclined or just looking for an interesting drama to watch, I definitely recommend this film.
Luke Bohannon