Clooney Goes to Washington in ‘The Ides of March’

No matter what day it is on the political calendar, election season is never far away. The instant a politician is elected to office, the next party seems to kick off simultaneously. How does one maintain their sanity, let alone their integrity, in the midst of such madness? How long does it take for a fresh-faced idealist to become an embittered cynic? And how much is one willing to compromise in the name of a cause?

These are the questions lying at the heart of Beau Willimon’s acclaimed play, Farragut North, which loosely based its sordid tale on the 2004 campaign of Howard Dean. The Ides of March is director George Clooney’s adaptation of Willimon’s play, but there’s little that’s political about it. Instead of painting a sprawling portrait of governmental corruption, March is more interested in backroom power plays and dirty double crosses. It’s a morality play comprised of truths that audiences are regrettably familiar with, but they’re still as relevant as ever. 

In his third major role of 2011, Ryan Gosling (the previously undervalued Oscar nominee from Half Nelson) stands toe-to-toe with four of the finest actors (not to mention two of the finest actresses) in modern film and proves to be every bit their equal. He plays Stephen Myers, a devoted staffer to the presidential campaign of Democratic Governor Mike Morris (played by Clooney with icy precision). During the pivotal Ohio primary, Myers goes against his better judgment to meet with Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti), the campaign manager for Morris’ rival. When Duffy attempts to sway the charismatic junior manager to join his campaign, Myers backs out instantly, but the encounter only proves to be the beginning of his problems.

What’s so morbidly fascinating about the movie is how everyone has a self-serving agenda wrapped in transparent moral justifications. Yet while greed and spin doctoring helps keep the system in motion, mere human fallibility can end a career in a heartbeat. Like many interns, Molly (Evan Rachel Wood) has ambition and assertiveness to mask her youthful idealism. Stephen is attracted to her, and they engage in some witty flirtatious banter that adds some levity to the film’s early sections. Though Wood has gone far over the top in recent pictures (justifiably so in HBO’s explosive melodrama Mildred Pierce), her work here is beautifully restrained and ultimately heartbreaking.

Also perched at the top of his game is Philip Seymour Hoffman as Morris’ paranoid manager who flips out when Myers tells him about his informal meeting with Duffy. Giamatti’s naturally endearing persona is put to particularly effective use here, since it helps to mask the cold-blooded calculation beneath his seemingly friendly gestures. The sublime Marisa Tomei is similarly well cast as a journalist who represents the opportunistic two-faced nature of the media, while Jeffrey Wright sleekly guides through the role of a senator whose endorsement will guarantee a nomination. 

Perhaps the only under-utilized member of the cast is Clooney himself, who mainly lurks in the background until a key climactic encounter (for a grander showcase of his talents, audiences will have to wait for The Descendants). As for his direction, the film marks an impressive return to form three years after his screwball misfire Leatherheads. Clooney makes the most of his splendid ensemble, while keeping attention rapt through expert pacing and some razor-sharp dialogue (co-authored by Willimon, Clooney and Grant Heslov). Stephen Mirrione’s elegant editing subtly intensifies the suspense in various sequences, while Alexandre Desplat’s hypnotically catchy score is bound to resonate with viewers long afterward.

Yet at March’s final fade out, viewers may find themselves asking, “Is that all there is?”  Lukewarm festival buzz criticizing the film for its inflated self-importance is fairly spot-on, since nothing earth shattering occurs during its swift 101 minutes. Yet changing the world doesn’t appear to be on Clooney’s agenda (as it may have been in his masterful Good Night, and Good Luck.). Rather than an incendiary indictment, March is a sad and occasionally chilling reflection of the times in which we live. The end may justify the means in the minds of many politicians, but what if there is indeed no end in sight?

The Ides of March opened Oct. 7 at the AMC Showplace Village Crossing 18 and Regal Gardens 7-13 in Skokie. It was at the number 2 slot on opening day behind Real Steel, earning $3.5 million according to Box Office Mojo. It is rated R.

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