“THE IDES OF MARCH” My rating: B+ (Opening wide on Oct. 7)
101 minutes | MPAA rating: R
George Clooney, viewed by many as a liberal white knight who really ought to run for office, sends an answer of sorts with “The Ides of March.”
In this political thriller — directed and co-written by Clooney — the charismatic movie star plays a charismatic state governor who has thrown himself into Ohio’s presidential primary in a bid for the Democratic nomination.
Watching Clooney’s Mike Morris gracefully glide through debates, press conferences and stump speeches is a bit weird…it’s like a preview of what a genuine Clooney candidacy would be like. The Morris campaign even has a poster depicting the candidate in the same pop art/street graffiti visual language of that famous Obama image from ’08. Lefties will be swooning.
But this candy apple has a razor blade hidden inside.
As it turns out, “The Ides of March” (a reference, of course, to the assassination of Julius Caesar), isn’t about Morris, who plays a pivotal but relatively minor role.
Philip Seymour Hoffman
The central character here is Morris’ assistant campaign manager, young Stephen Myers (Ryan Gosling, again!), a true believer who sees in Morris the perfect Democratic candidate.
“They’re all politicians,” warns a cynical political reporter (Marisa Tomei). “He will let you down sooner or later.”
It’s a prophetic line, and before it’s all over “Ides” becomes the story of one man’s loss of faith. Remember how in the course of “The Godfather” Al Pacino’s Michael went from idealist to ruthless gang boss? That’s what can happen when you dive head first into the Machiavellian bog of big-league politics.
Paul Giamatti
Clooney has packed his cast with fantastic actors. Philip Seymour Hoffman is Paul Zara, Stephen’s boss and an old hand at behind-the-scenes manipulation. Paul Giamatti plays his scheming counterpart in the entourage of one of Morris’ political rivals.
Jeffrey Wright is a pompous U.S. Senator whose endorsement everybody wants (he’s demanding nothing less than a cabinet seat for his support). Jennifer Ehle is Morris’ perfect political wife.
And then there’s Evan Rachel Wood as Molly, a 20-year-old intern on the Morris campaign who is jaded way beyond her years. Against his better judgment Stephen strikes up sexual relationship with the young woman (who for all intents and purposes is his employee), setting off a chain of unforeseen upheavals, including a matter of life and death.
Evan Rachel Woods
This is a world were everyone is constantly on guard, where every word is parsed for hidden meanings and vetted for political correctness. Small wonder most politicians seem phony — they’ve got staffs devoted to pre-set scenarios and terrified at the thought of spontaneous expression.
Gosling adds yet another memorable performance to his growing resume. What makes it all the more remarkable is that Stephen isn’t a particularly colorful character, yet Gosling imbues him with a drive and an intelligence that puts us in his corner (at least until we no longer want to be in his corner).
Moreover, he holds his own against scene stealers like Hoffman and Giamatti.
As director Clooney creates a smothering aura of ever-tightening tension coupled with a growing sense of moral revulsion.
My one beef with the film is that for it to end the way it does, the police investigating an apparent suicide have to be as inept as those jokers in Perugia, Italy. The whole movie could come crashing down around a prescription pill bottle, had anyone the good sense to check where it came from.
Despite that reservation, “The Ides of March” joins such classics as “The Best Man” and “The Candidate” in mucking around in the ugly underbelly of American politics. Its overall attitude is less cynicism than a sobering sadness…the lesson here is that nobody gets out without some blood on their hands.
| Robert W. Butler
Why is this movie referred to as a “thriller”? Not at all appropriate.
I love your reviews, and I haven’t yet seen this movie, but I can’t help but think that mentioning the suicide was a spoiler. I hope you didn’t give something away that we really should have discovered for ourselves while watching the movie.
Point taken.
WHY, oh WHY do the producers refer to this film as a ‘THRILLER’?? Ridiculous!! (They’re REALLY trying!) They need nothing but Clooney….and to tell us honestly it’s a nice little behind ther scenes political story.
B+ is too kind. Though the acting is excellent (and who would not enjoy Hoffman, Giamatti, Tomei, Clooney, and Gosling) and it’s always a pleasure to have actual dialogue in lieu of explosions, the plot is way too thin. The weight of the drama swings on slim contrivance and the audience is asked to make leaps of faith which ultimately undercut and collapse the whole.
SPOILER ALERT:
You indicate in your review that Gosling’s character, against his better judgement, begins a sexual relationship with Molly. Logically, that would be an reasonable conclusion but there is little indication in the film that Stephen feels any such moral reluctance. Later, we are asked to believe that the daughter of the chairman of the Democratic Party does not have access to a critical $900 (are you kidding me?!)….further, that the act of getting $900 is fraught with extreme political peril (like why not just call your BFF, girlfriend?). We are asked to believe that a reporter’s “scoop” that one member of a candidates Re-Election Committee had a beer with a rival is Big News that could impact the results of the presidential election and that the lead political reporter for the Times is leading the hue and cry (a very slow day for news, I’d say). We are asked to believe that, in this day and age, the revelation of an aborted pregnancy would drive a seemingly stable young woman to suicide (who has already demonstrated that she’s collecting bedmates like baseball cards). And most fanciful of all, we are asked to believe that the Idealist Stephen is changed to the cruel and coldly Machiavellian Stephen in the blink of an eye with only one tiny tear to mark the transition.
I wish I could say that this was an excellent film. We need excellent films filled with great actors. But this is not it. It has the appearance of such and the pedigree of such, but, in the end, is proven as illusory as the candidate himself, glowing in the limelight while standing on a false riser.
You’ve got me thinking, Tom.
Good review. Good comments. Tom, I had the same reservations about this film. Also that [POSSIBLE SPOILER NOTICE] a seasoned political operator would prefer the “scandal” of his 2nd in command going over to the opposition than quick chastising of the unnoticed get-together (he did try!). Doesn’t fly with my experiences. Also what was the vision of the Giamatti-like fellow walking down the hall away from Stephan when he approaches the hotel room toward the end of the movie? [I wish we could speak freely.] The “thriller” aspect was quite real though but convoluted. Was it really a thriller? Lots of hints never resolved. And the music in its typical role of creating tense emotional reaction — such as when the candidate and his manager were talking (unheard by the viewer) in the back seat of a black car in a dark alley. The music created the “thriller” vibe though was it true to what actually was going on? Is this a thriller (or pretending to be) of a different kind? Should we really be viewing these political realities in a darker, more ominous light?
All-in-all though I appreciated this movie: the very realistic cold, self-promoting, candidate-obsessed, loyal-until-they’re-unloyal personalities is very familiar, Stephan’s early idealistic allusions to “friends” and Ida’s play on that word in the end, the dark superficiality of modern campaigns coupled with the hint/possibility of real commitment and integrity, the pressures upon the candidates and their staff all warping any possible fulfillment of true straight-and-narrow purpose..Lots of dichotomies well played out in this movie. And wonderful acting – Philip Seymour Hoffman (always amazing), Paul G (also, as always), Ryan Gossling (like the “Driver”, an alluring, intense, amazingly nuanced man-of-few words), the every-amazing Marisa Tomei, and Clooney (getting better all the time).