Directed by George Clooney. Starring: Ryan Gosling, Paul Giamatti, George Clooney and Philip Seymour Hoffman. The Ides Of March (2011) IMDB says: “An idealistic staffer for a newbie presidential candidate gets a crash course on dirty politics during his stint on the campaign trail. Based on the play by Beau Willimon.”
Lindsay: George Clooney’s calm direction fits The Ides of March like a glove, and allows the supremely talented actors to do their thing on screen. The film follows Stephen Meyers (Gosling), a talented but still naieve campaign staffer as he tries to navigate his way through the dirty politics of the campaign trial. The film has a lot more to say about how people handle decisions and justify moral complications than it does about exposing anything within the political system.
Unfortunately, even with all The Ides of March has going for it, the film is going to have one thing pulling against it for viewers: the marketing. Trailers and TV spots for this flick want to amp up the ‘thriller’ aspect of this film, leading one to believe it’s a taught cat-and-mouse game or a movie brimming with suspense. I view this movie 100% as a political drama, not thriller. There are thrilling components, sure, but if you sit down at the theater expecting maybe something in vein of State Of Play, you could become frustrated.
With The Ides of March, the story proves to be more character driven than a typical thriller. When you take a look at the cast that includes Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei, and Evan Rachel Wood – it’s really no surprise, Clooney has this kind of talent for a reason. There is no weak point in the cast at all really, I swear they made it look easy. Like they just show up on set and knocked it out of the park everyday. Beyond that, this film can feel a little slow at times, but didn’t bother me too much. I can’t say there was really that much content that could have been edited down. This is also film #4 for Clooney and a smart choice in my opinion. Much like The American, the story is a great match up for his directing style. If you’re down with political drama or Clooney’s previous work I can’t imagine not enjoying this film.
Unfortunately, even with all The Ides of March has going for it, the film is going to have one thing pulling against it for viewers: the marketing. Trailers and TV spots for this flick want to amp up the ‘thriller’ aspect of this film, leading one to believe it’s a taught cat-and-mouse game or a movie brimming with suspense. I view this movie 100% as a political drama, not thriller. There are thrilling components, sure, but if you sit down at the theater expecting maybe something in vein of State Of Play, you could become frustrated.
With The Ides of March, the story proves to be more character driven than a typical thriller. When you take a look at the cast that includes Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei, and Evan Rachel Wood – it’s really no surprise, Clooney has this kind of talent for a reason. There is no weak point in the cast at all really, I swear they made it look easy. Like they just show up on set and knocked it out of the park everyday. Beyond that, this film can feel a little slow at times, but didn’t bother me too much. I can’t say there was really that much content that could have been edited down. This is also film #4 for Clooney and a smart choice in my opinion. Much like The American, the story is a great match up for his directing style. If you’re down with political drama or Clooney’s previous work I can’t imagine not enjoying this film.
FTS SCORE:
81%
61-89% Really enjoyable movie. It may not be perfect in all aspects but it was worth the watch.