THE IDES OF MARCH – The Review

In the new political thriller THE IDES OF MARCH George Clooney plays Presidential candidate Gov. Mike Morris, a charming and charismatic idealist during the frantic last days before the heavily contested Ohio presidential primary that could set him on the road to the White House. His character is loosely based on Vermont Governor Howard Dean and the script is from the play Farragut North by Beau Willimon, who had worked for Dean in 2004 (though the film’s big plot twist turns Morris into John Edwards). THE IDES OF MARCH opens with a TV debate between Morris and Senator Pullman (Michael Mantell), his chief primary rival. The two campaigns are managed by Paul Zara (Philip Seymour Hoffman) for Morris and Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti) for Pullman, but the film is told through the eyes of Stephen Myers (Ryan Gosling), Zara’s second in command, a rising star and media strategy wiz whose talents are ostensibly coveted by Duffy. Both candidates are battling to obtain the endorsement of Senator Thompson (Jeffrey Wright), who’s dropped out of the primary but holds 350 key delegates who could make the difference in the tight race, but his endorsement comes with a price; Thompson wants to be Secretary of State. If this all sounds a bit too ‘inside politics’, to be  entertaining, don’t worry. The thriller portion of the plot kicks in about the 45 minute mark when Stephen allows himself to be seduced by  20-year-old intern Molly (Evan Rachel Wood), daughter of the DNC chairman. One thing leads to another, they end up in bed, and when Stephen discovers the shocking secret that could end Morris’ career, suicide, paranoia, and double-crosses ensue.

THE IDES OF MARCH is about slugging it out in the political trenches against opponents who see idealism as a defect. It’s a well-acted and engrossing film and Clooney the director keeps the tension high. The dialog crackles, the drama is handled with intelligence, and the audience is challenged to keep up with a story that is not necessarily spelled out for them. The problem with THE IDES OF MARCH is that the twist and turns are too easy to accept, the story doesn’t go to satisfying places, and it lacks a big payoff. One (off-screen) death aside, its twists just aren’t that twisty and its reveals aren’t that shocking. It’s cynical to be sure, but most people view politics with a great deal of cynicism so it hardly breaks new ground. With this A-list cast and pedigree I was expecting something more transcendent than a glorified West Wing episode. At 90 minutes the pace seems hurried, and the film would have benefited by having more scenes of Giamatti and Hoffman, who are underused. THE IDES OF MARCH is a very good film, just not the great one I was hoping for.

3 of 5 Stars