The Ides of March (2011)

Genre: Drama

Directed by: George Clooney

Starring: Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman

Running time: 101 minutes

Politics can sometimes be a very dirty game, and this 2011 political drama illustrates that point in a great way. Other movies and TV shows might have done it before, in some cases even better, but The Ides of March is very efficient.

Stephen Meyers (Gosling) is the junior campaign manager for Mike Morris (Clooney), the governor of Pennsylvania who is trying to become the candidate for the Democrats in the US presidential elections. Meyers is an idealist, fueled by ideas and convictions, but he will lose much of his innocence in the dirty process and he will come to realize that, sometimes, to get what you want, you have to get down and play the game.

George Clooney, who plays in the movie, is also the director. He fulfills both roles very proficiently. The story is told to us in linear fashion, very straight-forward, and the ensemble cast is well directed and offer some great performances. When you get such actors like Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ryan Gosling, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood and Marisa Tomei, you have all the ingredients for a great recipe. Then, the pressure is on you to bring it all together well. Mission accomplished. What we get is a very real look at politics through a compelling story brought to the screen by talented people.

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