The Ides of March

     The Ides of March is directed by George Clooney. The screenplay, adapted from the play “Farragut North” is also co-written by him. The movie as whole, however, belongs to Ryan Gosling. Perhaps that’s why it begins with him walking onto an empty stage under a spotlight and ends the same way. It’s a testament to his acting that without a single word he shows off his youthful exuberance in the first scene and the weight of his education along the American political campaign trail by the last frame.

     This is not your typical political thriller. Hollywood usually finds it necessary to portray politics on a grand scale – epic, expansive and worthy of a world stage. The Ides of March is set in Ohio; one battle in the war of the Democratic primary elections. A key battle no doubt – the winner will have the momentum to continue on towards clinching the Democratic nomination for President of the United States.  It is in this highly charged landscape that Gosling’s character, Stephen Meyers, makes himself at home. He is highly sought after (“the best media mind in the country”) and is playing for Governor Morris’s (George Clooney) team. Clooney is magnetic when he is in front of a crowd. You will feel like voting for him each time he eloquently spouts an answer to a probing question.  

     Visually, the crisp camerawork portrays the air of perfection put on by political candidates. This movie isn’t about visual flourishes though. It focuses on the characters and their interactions. The characters are etched so well, by the script and by the performances, that even their unexpected actions seem completely natural in hindsight. Philip Seymour Hoffman in particular, does an excellent job as Philip Zara, Governor Morris’ experienced campaign manager. One of the few people in this movie who isn’t ridiculously attractive, he brings a powerful presence with him that sometimes outshines both Clooney and Gosling when they are in a scene together. He switches effortlessly between an eloquent and calculated response to a reporter’s question and his remark afterwards, “I’m gonna go take a shit.”

     The message delivered by Clooney is that the political process is ugly. By the end, you’re not sure who you’re rooting for or even if there is a protagonist left to cheer for. Everyone shows their ugly side – even the supposed “good guys.” Stephen Meyers has a nasty streak which will let him “do anything to win if he believes in the cause” and it manifests itself when he’s dealing with an intern’s mistake. The Ides of March doesn’t believe there’s a politician out there with a clean past. Everyone has some indiscretion in their past which can and usually will be used– as leverage against them or as a means to destroy them.  The movie takes a depressing view of the political process that doesn’t necessarily think it’s broken but definitely corrupt.

    The opposing candidate’s campaign manager, Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti), is even more world weary than Paul Zara. There is even a scene where he tells Meyers to leave the business of politics “while he still can.” It sounds like a cliché line about not being able to leave once you’re “in the club.” But delivered by Giamatti, every one of his words makes you feel years of disappointment and moral hazard behind it.  

     Clooney is always in best form when he’s at the helm of a serious movie. It seems like his absolute belief in the message he’s sending helps bring a wonderful product to the screen. Recently he made comments disparaging Democrats who criticize President Obama which establish his already well-known Democratic orientation. His thoughts on loyalty and Machiavellian tendencies show up more than once over the course of The Ides of March. Here’s a movie that presents a narrative with a resolution but leaves plenty of room to wrestle with the issues it raises. An intelligent and engaging movie, The Ides of March is sure to be a frontrunner candidate during the Oscar primaries. 

Trailer