Here at GFR we take the term "Geek" very seriously. We use it to describe who we are. We also think it's a broad term open to many uses. We are genre geeks, horror geeks, fantasy geeks, sci-fi geeks and yes, even film geeks. Whether it's Carpenter or Kubrick, Cameron or Tarantino, we live and breathe this stuff, and each of us has our specialty. One of our resident film Geeks (and Core 6 member) Rob, will be offering an occasional series of reviews that focus on artier fare from some of our favorite auteurs. Today he gives us The Ides of March, directed by and starring George Clooney! Rev up the Oscar buzz!
When a film is well-written it can be as thrilling as an action movie filled with explosions and car chases. I keep returning to movies like Glengarry Glen Ross, Network and The Insider because the pleasure of hearing their crackling dialogue spoken by a seasoned cast of actors can hardly be matched by the latest big budget extravaganza by Michael Bay or his ilk. To that canon of exciting, "all talk" movies I submit The Ides of March, a smart, cynical, and thoroughly satisfying political thriller that moves like a freight train even though there's not a chase scene in sight.
The film takes place in the days leading up to the Ohio Democratic presidential primary. Steven Meyers (Ryan Gosling, who can also be seen right now beating people to death in Drive) is a hotshot advisor to Pennsylvania Governor Mike Morris (George Clooney, who also co-wrote and directed.) Meyers is young, but he's canny enough to know how to sell his extemely idealistic candidate on some of the thornier issues of their platform.
Meyers may advise Morris, but he works for Paul Zara (Philip Seymour Hoffman, used to far better effect here than as mopey Art Howe in Moneyball), the Governor's campaign strategist. Although they are fighting for Ohio, Zara already has his sights on North Carolina, where a powerful Senator (Jeffrey Wright) can make or break Morris or his opponent with his delegates. While Zara is off courting the Senator, Meyers meets with Zara's counterpart in the other campaign, Tom Duffy (a dynamic Paul Giamatti). Duffy likes Meyers' style, and since he's sure Morris is going to lose, he makes a simple offer: jump ship.
With all this political intrigue going on, you would think sex would be the last thing on anyone's mind. But Meyers still finds himself seduced by a young intern (Evan Rachel Wood) who's harboring a secret that could bring down the campaign. (Not to give anything away, but Wood's character simply doesn't ring true because it's hard to believe she would act so free and easy knowing what she knows.)
Now all the pieces are in place for a tense chess match being played by smart people who are driven to win and aren't afraid to hurt other people in the process. The film hinges on questions of loyalty, idealism, and how the decisions you make now can have far reaching effects on your future. Meyers is torn in several directions at once: he believes what Morris is selling, but he also knows a lot more about the Governor than he probably wants to. The offer to switch sides is tempting. But so is the chance to be a kingmaker with an office in the White House.
All this put across by some of the sharpest, tastiest dialogue I've heard in a long time. The cast has a field day saying the snappy lines written by Clooney, Grant Heslov, and Beau Willimon on whose play, Farragut North, the screenplay is based. You can almost imagine the actors high fiving each other once they finished their takes.
And what actors we get to watch! Giamatti and Hoffman get the best lines as they try to manipulate Gosling for their own ends. Clooney isn't in the movie all that much, but he does a fine job playing a man who's mastered the art of hiding his true self behind a facade of fancy ideals. Against these big names, Gosling acquits himself well; we believe his change from hot young buck to ice cold manipulator.
Even the smaller roles are perfectly cast: Marisa Tomei pops up in a small role as a New York Times reporter, but her wardrobe and attitude add all the touches we need to understand who she is. The only weak spot is Wood as the intern; she's adequate, but it's hardly her fault that her character is really just a plot device.
And that's where my only caveat comes in. The film takes such a smart, cynical view of the political process, you kind of wish Clooney and Company hadn't felt the need to resort to hoary plot points. But the movie is so exciting otherwise it hardly matters. The Ides of March isn't perfect, but it will get your pulse racing and your brain thinking. What more do you want for your 10 bucks?
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