Ides of March is a political drama about a candidate (George Clooney) seeking the Democratic nomination for President while his campaign managers (Phillip-Seymour Hoffman and Ryan Gosling) try to lock up an important state race and a key endorsement. At least that’s what happens in the first 45 minutes. After that drama ensues in the form of problems you would expect a political candidate to have (no spoilers). But even though the film is full of big actors like Clooney, Hoffman, Paul Giamatti and Evan Rachel Wood, the film focuses mostly on Gosling. Already having success with Crazy Stupid Love and Drive, Ides of March is a strong vehicle, which falls somewhere between the comedy and intense drama in the spectrum.
Since this is a movie and not the story of a real political candidate, there cannot be too much focus on the talking points the characters make. But come on, there is no way a candidate so close to the white house would speak in such extremes. Outlawing the internal combustion engine? He might as well outlaw cars and demand a horse-only transportation system. It just gets weird there for a while. The film would do better to leave real-life politics out because that’s not the point of the feature.
But that is the ultimate question: what is the point of the feature? There is an interesting glance into how political campaigns run, but the drama that ensues weakens any claim at authenticity. The development of Gosling’s character is far and beyond the best aspect of Ides of March. The character is well written, even though it deals with extremes in personality. He may not look like a real campaign manager, but his talent allows him to drop seamlessly into the role. Another important question: Is George Clooney more believable as a soon to be President or Batman? (7.9 out of 10)
No comments:
Post a Comment