"The Ides of March" Gets My Vote

With the extensive coverage of the Republican presidential debates currently going on, as well as my, for lack of a better word, hatred for politics,  I found myself wondering why I was in the theater for The Ides of March.  Truth is, I had a free ticket and knew of the potential Oscar buzz for George Clooney's latest project.  I went in thinking it would be one of those movies that's only considered good because of who is responsible for it, and overall it'd be rather dull and boring.  However, I was wrong.  The Ides of March is truly captivating, due to the renowned cast, the great twists, and of course, Clooney's directing.

The film follows Stephen Meyers, wonderfully played by Ryan Gosling, the Junior Campaign Manager for Mike Morris (George Clooney), Governor of Pennsylvania and a Democratic presidential candidate.  It takes place in Ohio, where Meyers and the Senior Campaign Manager, Paul Zara, (Philip Seymour Hoffman, who is perfect as always) are trying to enlist support for Morris, which would basically guarantee his nomination.  It is clear that Meyers is a very important asset to the campaign, which leads to the rival candidate's campaign manager, Tom Duffy, played by Paul Giamatti (also perfect), asking for a meeting with Meyers to try and convince him to join the other side.  Overall, the movie focuses on loyalty, which is something that Hoffman gives a powerful speech about.

It's difficult to say much about the plot without giving away the twists, but if you thought it would be just a boring movie about politics like I did, you need to realize it's nothing of the sort.  Although the story is genuinely entertaining, The Ides of March really is about the acting.  Ryan Gosling will most likely be nominated for Best Actor.  There's one scene that had me on the edge of my seat, waiting for him to stomp someone's head to a pool of blood a la Drive.  It didn't happen, but Gosling continues to prove that he could be the next Clooney.  The poster for Ides couldn't be more appropriate and accurate.  George Clooney may not get a nod, but in my opinion, his character should be the next president.  Philip Seymour Hoffman could get a nomination for Best Supporting Actor, but he probably could've gotten that for Along Came Polly too.  He's always superb.  The most captivating performance had to be from Evan Rachel Wood as Molly Stearns, an intern for Morris' campaign.  She ends up having a much bigger impact than your average coffee-fetching 20-something.

If you're looking to escape the real news regarding politics and want a more appealing story than whatever is going on with Mitt Romney or Michele Bachmann, then check out The Ides of March.  You'd probably also save some time for when Oscar season rolls around and you're racing to the theater to see everything that's nominated.