Review: Ides of March

For a few months now I've been thinking that my review column needs a grading system. Some folks like a letter grade (A-F), some prefer a star system (1-5). Personally, I've always thought of films in dollars; in others words, is it a Friday night ticket, a matinee, a DVD rental, or should I just wait for it to hit cable. Well folks, get comfy on the couch, because Ides of March could be the perfect what's-on-TNT flick.

Ides of March, the latest entry in George Clooney's directing resume, is also the latest in a long line of recent releases that are just good enough to be mediocre. What is it about adult dramas that make filmmakers aim for a double instead of a homerun? When Clooney made his directing debut in 2002 with the criminally underseen Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, the last word you would use to describe either the film or his directing choices would be "safe." Next came the deservably celebrated Good Night and Good Luck, and it seemed like Clooney was a genuine auteur.

Then came Leatherheads. Has a filmmaker ever had as drastic a dropoff in quality as these two films? If you were as kind I was at the time, you could say that Clooney just wanted to make a football film and at his age it was a now-or-never situation. After watching Ides, I'm starting to think Clooney might be the Kevin Costner of his generation. Oh yeah, I went there.

In Ides, Ryan Gosling (Drive) stars as Stephen, a young media consultant for presidential candidate Gov. Mike Morris (Clooney). Working under campaign manager Paul (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Stephen acknowledges that this isn't just a job for him; he emphatically believes in Morris and believes the world will be a better place if he is elected President. While campaigning in the battleground state of Ohio, Stephen takes a meeting with the opponent's advisor (Paul Giamatti), and things quickly begin to spin out of control.

Now, in that description, I am leaving quite a few things out for the sake of keeping this review spoiler-free. That being said, there is an intern character named Molly, played fantastically by Evan Rachel Wood, that becomes a catalyst for the story. I'm not going to go any further with describing her plotline, but, c'mon, she's an intern, connect the dots.

Gosling continues his streak of giving tour de force performances in so-so films. Seriously, read his filmography; the guy has had a crazy career so far. He keeps giving these award-worthy performances in films that are beneath him, to the point where it could be argued that the two best movies he's ever starred in are The Notebook and Crazy, Stupid, Love. The guy deserves so much better than a half-formed script idea to showcase his talents, but that's been the case most of the time.

There isn't a bad performance given in the film. Hoffman and Giamatti shine as two old-hand political cronies who seem to realize the most important reason for their guy to win the election is because that means they can finally come off the road. Hoffman, in particular, seems to revel in being given a character in which he can find different dimensions to study.

Clooney wisely chooses to stay out of the picture much of the time; when you set your character up to be worshiped by those around him, it's probably best if he's not shown fraternizing too much with the commoners onscreen.

Clooney also cowrote the screenplay, adapted from Beau Willimon's play "Farragut North," and let me tell you, I understand that Clooney would get a fair share of votes based on charm and looks alone, but the first time he actually delivers one of his speeches... crash and burn. He speaks candidly about atheism; he'll make it mandatory for eighteen-year-olds to spend two years in the military; in ten years US automakers will be completely out of the gas-powered auto business. I understand this is just a movie, so nothing Clooney says has to be based in reality, but it would have been nice if someone had sat him down and said, "No, this is why that wouldn't actually work..."

Politics aside, Ides of March just isn't worth your time. Clooney has lost his directing mojo, and unfortunately, the film lacks an ounce of fun. The dialogue is stilted, with characters speaking to each other as if they were reciting the Serenity Prayer ("I believe in Governor Mike Morris..."). Sitting through this film is like watching sausage being made; not the gruesome parts, just the boring parts.

Photo by Saeed Adyani – © 2011 IDES FILM HOLDINGS, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. **ALL IMAGES ARE PROPERTY OF SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT INC. FOR PROMOTIONAL

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Ryan Gosling Ides of March George Clooney