Politics and Hollywood have always had fascinating similarities. Both require a front, rely on popularity for success and are personal when it comes to business.
The Ides of March, based on the play “Farragut North,” (an allegory of Howard Dean’s campaign), stars Ryan Gosling as press secretary Stephen Meyers. Along with Philip Seymour Hoffman’s character, Paul Zara, Meyers pulls the strings behind Governor Morris’s (George Clooney), presidential campaign.
When rival campaign manager Tom Duffy (Giamatti), tempts Meyers to make or break Morris’ campaign, Meyers is faced with the same dilemma as Brutus in Julius Caesar. The first time around, he takes the high road and abstains from accepting his offer. His decision does not last for long.
Meyers finds himself in a web of lies and deceit and has to deal with the press (including Marisa Tomei), the femme fatale/intern (Evan Rachel Wood) and Zara’s lectures on the importance of loyalty in an occupation where the term is loosely defined.
The dialogue feels a bit like Aaron Sorkin, and at times is a little too witty for its own good, but it works to move the story along.
Ryan Gosling has become more than a familiar face this year. This may be his best performance since Half Nelson, for which he was justly nominated for a Best Actor Academy Award in 2004. Though the poster says “starring George Clooney,” this is really Gosling’s movie. He’s in every frame and does a terrific job of showing the extent to which his character suffers in a world of corruption. Everything we experience is through the gaze of this deceptively simple leading man, which may be the hardest role to play.
When a movie has a cast full of A-listers, it is because they are overcompensating for a bad script (see: Valentine’s Day) or it’s a great project with an even better director (see: The Departed). The Ides of March has more in common with the latter. Clooney, Hoffman and Giamatti are all outstanding in their supporting roles. Evan Rachel Wood, who was snubbed a nomination from the Oscars for her performance in The Wrestler, and in my opinion is the only reason why the film Thirteen became famous, is once again amazing. She truly knows how to act on the screen in a way that’s reminiscent of the Golden Age of cinema.
I like George Clooney as an actor, but I like him much more as a director. I thought Good Night and Good Luck was a perfect film. The Ides of March is not quite as perfect. As I said earlier, sometimes its dialogue is too smart for its own good, and occasionally it wants to be a little more than it is. However, that is not to say it doesn’t have its moments of perfection.
With impeccable direction, electrifying performances and a relevant topic that is important to our culture, Clooney re-affirms himself as one of the most talented directors of our generation, in the ranks of Fincher, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Kathryn Bigelow. Gosling affirms that he can carry a film on his own. Giamatti, Hoffman and the rest of the cast continue to impress as they always have. Everyone wins this election.
