“The Ides of March” came in second over the weekend in box-office take-home; first was “Real Steel.” “Real Steel”? Come on people, get a grip! Of course, I had to flock to the Clooney, Giamatti, Seymour Hoffman and Gosling political drama on opening night. And I wasn’t disappointed. It’s a dark little flick about aides playing dirty on the campaign trail of a presidential race that includes a couple of plot twists that’ll grab your attention.
George Clooney is the candidate, Philip Seymour Hoffman, the campaign manager and Ryan Gosling, the media staffer, who causes havoc when he meets with the opposing candidate’s campaign manager, played by Paul Giamatti. Things go from bad to worse there, for Gosling’s character and his staffer girlfriend, played by Evan Rachel Wood, who’s involvement in the plot rings a bit stale by now in light of candidates of the past decade.
It’s the acting though that’s worth the ticket. Giamatti and Seymour Hoffman are superb as always, this time in roles that offer some real sparks from opposing sides. And Gosling is quite believable as the optimistic schmoe who gets duped along the way. In running for president, no one is truly clean, “The Ides of March” seems to remind us. So don’t be so naive!
In light of this film: Here are some of my favorite movies about U.S. politics: “The Candidate,” “The American President,” “All the President’s Men,” “Nixon,” “The Contender,” “Wag the Dog,” and “Frost/Nixon.”
