FILM REVIEW: THE IDES OF MARCH
Review By Duncan McLeod
Director: George Clooney
Cast: Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei, Jeffrey Wright, Evan Rachel Wood
Synopsis: The Ides of March takes place during the frantic last days before a heavily contested Ohio presidential primary, when an up-and-coming campaign press secretary (Ryan Gosling) finds himself involved in a political scandal that threatens to upend his candidate’s shot at the presidency.
Review: George Clooney is all over this movie. He writes, directs, produces and stars. Although he may be the central character, the film is not “about” him. The Primate believes this is Clooney’s finest role, and he is playing it straight. UP IN THE AIR was close, but there were romantic interludes at work there. Dramatically, MARCH is his royal flush.
The action is the media circus that propels Governor Morris’ (Clooney) campaign. Paul Giamatti, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ryan Gosling are excellent. Giamatti follows the emotionally charged BARNEY’S VERSION playing a callous “fixer”. He is terrifying and casual all at once and plays off Hoffman with great intensity. There is enormous potency created between these two actors, with Gosling playing the third wheel and subsequent ‘babe in the woods’ against these old hands at political spin. Hoffman’s character here is probably two-parts the jaded music journo he embodied in ALMOST FAMOUS and would suggest to be channelling Dick Cheney.
He and Gosling’s character don’t see eye to eye, but work on the same side. This friction is evident throughout and never abates. This makes for captivating viewing. When young gun Gosling takes matters into his own hands life turns ugly fast. He cleans up on behalf of the Governor and does what he believes to be right, though endeavouring to have his cake and eat it too. Said cake comes in the form of an intern. This paves the way for jokes at a former President’s expense, but they don’t harp on the issue.
This piece is very much a melange of WAG THE DOG and THE WEST WING. Clooney and fellow scribe Grant Heslov, have crafted a taut script. They successfully invoke the tainted and underhanded, and oddly sexy, world of politics.
The only major disappointment lies in the closing scenes. The Primate wishes it hadn’t ended here. Gosling’s character is robbed of a telling monologue and the film’s climax would have been the place to deliver it. That being said though, the fact that it is left open ended leaves the audience wondering and wanting. This reviewer hasn’t felt that for a considerable time. So it was refreshing to feel so invested in the action that you feel a sense of anxiety when the credits role, as opposed to disappointment and disbelief.
Forget DRIVE. This should be the film that Gosling is nominated for come Oscars time. Then we can finally disassociate him with THE NOTEBOOK.
