Et tu Clooney?

We’ve seen it all before but Clooney lets the actors shine
by
Morgan P Salvo

Pretty boy George Clooney gets a bad rap; from conservative attacks on his liberal politics to jabs at his good looks. Problem with that scenario is that Clooney is a really good director and couldn’t care less. Clooney is also a damn fine actor so it’s no surprise that Ides of March although driven by political force, is all about the acting. Touting a superb cast and drawing from source material Farragut North, a 2008 play by Beau Willimon, Ides tells the tale of an idealistic staffer (Ryan “I’m in every other movie” Gosling) who gets a crash course on dirty politics during his stint on the campaign trail working for a presidential candidate (Clooney). Unfortunately not much transpires that we’ve not experienced in the political movie realm. Nothing really new is revealed. There’s no surprise watching the inner workings behind political wheeling and dealing. We’re supposed to have enormous feeling for certain characters but alas as the film progresses you feel more inclined to hate just about everyone in this flick. Maybe that’s the point.
So that brings us back to the acting. Ides is all about the performances. It’s Gosling’s movie all the way but just seeing Paul Giamatti and Phillip Seymour Hoffman in the same flick is almost goose bump inducing. And the always dependable Marisa Tomei shows up and thankfully this time around doesn’t have to have sex with an ugly guy.
After being introduced to the chess game of politics, about a third of the way in I’m wondering… where is the tension? When it kicks in we get a good suspenseful feel for, say about three minutes and then everywhere you wish Ides would go just refuses to go there. Right when we think its going to go the path of Julius Caesar, Ides just kind of rides this self explanatory plane wherein everything is spelled out for you.
Clooney’s direction surprisingly underwhelms. The simplistic easygoing approach harkens back to the Hollywood of yesteryear, the problem is that style doesn’t mesh with today’s political hot topics. Sure pipe dreams are shattered and slimy shady dealings behind close doors are powerful but without the versatility or complexity of Tim Robbins’ Bob Roberts or Michael Ritchie’s The Candidate, the only motivating force is Clooney’s left wing agenda. Jabbing at the republicans’ vicious power and the democrats’ extreme wimpiness, more times than not under the guise of political intrigue Ides feels only like a vehicle to showcase Clooney’s left leaning politics.
I really liked where I thought it was going to go but in the end everything about this flick is just too obvious. Plus Clooney isn’t very pretty this time around.


Ides of March
Starring George Clooney, Ryan Gosling, Paul Giamatti, Phillip Seymour Hoffman Evan Rachel Wood, Marisa Tomei, Jeffrey Wright
Directed by George Clooney
Rated R







2 stars