Fresh Reviews: "The Ides Of March"

Rated R for strong language and sexual situations (but no nudity).

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Ever since the first election in which I was old enough to vote (Nixon/McGovern), I've put in my share of time on the Minnesota campaigns of various presidential candidates as well as mayoral and senatorial races. So while I'm a long, long way from being a political insider, movies that purport to give us an inside look at the workings of such campaigns have long been of interest to me, mostly for how far off from the facts they actually are, with the rare occasional exception like Robert Redford's "The Candidate". Now, after almost forty years, we have the first movie in decades that deals with the topic in an at least similar fashion. It's also a bit of a thriller, so it's not quite pure... but considering the compromised characters of most of its cast, that seems strangely appropriate.

This is the story of the battle to the finish for the Ohio Democratic primary. Whichever of the two candidates wins is virtually assured the party nomination. We follow mostly the campaign of Mike Morris (George Clooney), a "hope and change" candidate not unlike Obama 08, and his staff member Steve (Ryan Gosling), who is thoroughly committed to the campaign because of his total belief that Morris is the only candidate who can bring the change the country needs. But the warnings Steve has been getting from a N.Y. Times reporter (Marisa Tomei) that "he's a nice guy, but he'll let you down... they all do" appear to be coming true as Steve learns that Morris has a major skeleton in his closet and he (Steve) has to decide whether he'll reveal it to the public or whether his dedication to Morris's campaign platform is deep enough to keep silent.

Now, I understand that politics is still a bit of a "boy's club", so I suppose I can see why Tomei's reporter has such a small role, but MAN... it's one of the best performances in a film teaming with them. Somebody has got to give this talented lady a LEADING role... seriously! At least Evan Rachel Wood, who has never quite impressed me much before, does some really touching work as the vulnerable intern who seems to be getting eaten up and spit out by the entire political process. Gosling really makes you understand the dilemma of a man who seriously wants his cause to succeed, but who might have to make some uncomfortable compromises in order for that to happen. It's also very interesting to see how quickly he appears able to throw aside a personal relationship when it becomes inconvenient for the campaign... he appears to have more of the "politics as compromise" gene in him than he realizes.

Clooney is someone I never used to care that much for, but whose work over the years I've liked more and more, for his willingness to take chances and actually say something in a major studio commercial film, and for his increasing directorial skills and ability to tell a story in inventive ways. The movie's opening, in which Gosling delivers Clooney's lines from his upcoming speech just as a sound check and keeps interspersing nonsense syllables illustrating how unimportant this whole thing really is, is followed immediately by Clooney's actual speech, and as powerful as it is, the direct contrast instantly makes you doubt the sincerity of what he's saying (later events convince me this is exactly what Clooney intended). And the way the film's closing scene ties back in to its opening to present a stunning image of exactly how much the campaign process has effected Gosling's character... not for the better... is emotionally devastating. Clooney is developing into a genuine master film maker.

As I mentioned, "The Ides Of March" is a thriller as much as it is political commentary, and while it works very well in that capacity, it does sometimes make the movie seem like two different films. The thriller aspect isn't quite as interesting to me as the film's observations about the political process, and the extent to which even the most high-minded candidates have to compromise their ideals to succeed. But I was never bored, the film never dragged, and an hour and 42 minutes could easily have been two and a half hours and I wouldn't have minded. When you have Paul Giamatti (as the rival candidate's campaign manager) and Philip Seymour Hoffman (as Clooney's manager) doing their best recent work in a strong story (or stories) as well directed as this, well, any complaints as far as I'm concerned are fairly small ones.

And in spite of what you might have read in some reviews, I did not see this movie AT ALL as being a piece of Democratic or liberal propaganda (not that I would have minded that as much as some would). Clooney is quick to condemn many of the members of his own side as he is the opposition, and makes it clear that lies and compromise abound on all sides in politics. And even that liberals could learn something by adopting some of the tactics of the conservatives. Whichever political side you're on, you want to believe that the people you're supporting are sincerely wanting to do their best for the country, and "The Ides Of March" basically says "a whole lot of the time they couldn't care less about that... so what are you going to do about it?" I'm reasonably sure that in 2012 I'll be back in the campaign headquarters as usual, but this film will certain give me different ways of looking at what's taking place there, and possibly a more realistic... though no less hopeful... outlook on the work. Or you can forget all of that and just let it be an entertaining, well made movie. Either way, the movie does its job.