The Ides of March - 3 1/2 smiles

“The Ides of March,’ George Clooney’s latest, is a gripping film with an insistently cynical view about modern-day politics, full of manipulation, back-stabbing and disdain for the electorate. Set on the eve of the Ohio presidential primary, a crucial battleground in a closely contested campaign for the Democratic nomination, an idealistic campaign aide, media expert Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling), works for a candidate, California Governor Mike Morris (Clooney), he views as having integrity and intelligence. For a while, it’s the ultimate liberal dream with an articulate and thoughtful candidate who has charm, honor and veracity. At one point, reporter Ida Horowicz (Marisa Tomei) tells Meyers that Morris is a politician and that he will disappoint sooner or later.

Nearly every scene in the movie, written by Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon based on Willimon’s play, Farragut North, rings true. And Clooney as the director is able to get the most out of a superb cast. There’s Tomei’s reporter, the rumpled Morris campaign manager (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), the conniving opposing candidate’s manager (Paul Giamatti), a young campaign intern (Evan Rachel Wood) and a failed presidential contender (Jeffrey Wright) who holds the key to Morris’ victory. Gosling is excellent as a campaign operative who must decide if his ambitions are so great that he’s willing to lose his soul. Clooney manages to make us believe that his Mike Morris is the ideal candidate … until he’s not. Gradually his eyes and mannerisms tell us that while he might say, ‘integrity matters, our future depends on it,’ what he really means is it’s his future he’s concerned about. Not only does “The Ides of March” reference the betrayal found in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, but it also refers to March 15, the date of the Ohio Primary. Most of the behind-the-scenes maneuvering will not surprise anyone as we’ve become jaded with every post-Watergate election cycle. And as the movie ends, we’re left wondering whether the winning characters actually won. It’s certainly worth discussing. 10/9/11