The Ides of March

George Clooney's left-wing political views are on full display in his fourth feature directorial effort, the tight, engaging, and maybe a bit stingy drama The Ides of March. Don't expect any subtlety from this campaign. This is straight-up political ideology that doesn't care if you heard the point the first time, because it's going to yell it from the rafters (okay, the podium) again and again. And this isn't a sensationalized celebration of front-page headlines, either. Clooney has no plans to turn this into a rip-roaring thriller or a fabricated shock-fest. He just wants to tell a tale of how politics are fought in the trenches and how it isn't always pretty, nor is it very often spectacular. But somehow, in the midst of all this stone-faced seriousness and preachy commentary, Clooney manages to weave a tough thread of authenticity through a narrative that wants nothing more than to passionately tell the truth.

As a further indication of the movie's unglamorous look at politics, the story takes place entirely in Ohio during a single primary race. This isn't exactly a sexy location or a nail-biting leg of the race, even though we are constantly told that a win here could pave the way for Governor Mike Morris (Clooney, directing himself as he has a handful of times before) to claim the Democrat nomination and march all the way to the White House. So it's pretty much a done deal after this, apparently, which is all well and good since President Clooney, er, Morris does have a nice ring to it.

Occupying the protagonist spot in the narrative is press secretary Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling), who is utterly convinced that the Governor is the right man for the job and the only presidential hopeful who will actually make a difference in power. He has his boss on a pedestal and he is so dedicated to his job that he barely seems to exist outside of the campaign. Failure is practically incomprehensible to him and he walks around with a wide-eyed wonder that makes him look like the coolest Boy Scout in the room. Of course, he's the only Boy Scout in the room and that's where The Ides of March focuses much of its attention. The deeper Stephen gets into the campaign, the more he peels back the curtain and sees the ugly workings inside. And it starts to dawn on him that in order to play the political game, he's going to have to get his hands dirty.

But not too dirty. And it is here that the movie chooses to limit its sensationalism and keep the conflict at a low simmer instead of a furious boil. As Stephen deals with lies and corruption and betrayal, the story never succumbs to the temptation of exploring these themes in an overly dramatic manner that feels larger than life or out of our reach. As a result, the narrative feels quite small and perhaps almost inconsequential, but Clooney wisely deals with that issue by allowing the passion of the characters to remove the sense of triviality from the equation. And with Gosling turning in a solid performance alongside such trustworthy supporting players as Paul Giamatti, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Evan Rachel Wood, and Marisa Tomei (wonderful in her limited role as a hard-nosed reporter), the characters manage to be quite believable and consistently interesting to watch.

Tight editing and an unpredictable score by Alexandre Desplat help The Ides of March achieve an engaging level of entertainment throughout. Clooney doesn't break any new ground here or even flirt with the possibility of breaking any ground at all, but he does an excellent job of keeping the narrative on track and ensuring that the plot clips along at a comfortable pace. The juicy cast lends the movie a crackling quality that is otherwise absent and everyone does their part to ensure that there isn't a bad performance in the bunch.

Even though the movie's political views reside blatantly on the surface, Clooney does opt for some ambiguity when it comes to the heroes and villains of the story. While this is Stephen's tale and his arc is concerned with a muddying of morality, none of the characters in his way are reduced to being merely antagonistic. Everyone lives by their own values and the narrative is more interested in Stephen figuring out his personal definition of morality than it is in showing him plunge into murky darkness. This lack of a simplistic good versus evil mentality adds further weight to the aforementioned authenticity that ultimately operates as the movie's strongest asset. It also frees the actors to dig much deeper than mere caricature.

Giamatti's performance as a rival campaign manager is refreshing and inviting because he actually seems like a genuine guy. Just because he works for the opposition doesn't mean that he is automatically relegated to a villainous fate. But he doesn't go too far in the opposite direction, either. His character exists quite smoothly in the middle space where moral ambiguity resides. Tomei's reporter is always trying to sniff out a big scoop, but she isn't some soulless member of the press who exists only to be a thorn in the politician's side. Her sense of morality is likely of the ambiguous variety as well and it adds just enough complexity to her relatively small role to make the character memorable.

The narrative does stumble when it takes a dark twist that is all too contrived and obvious. It's the one point of the movie where it unnecessarily toys with sensationalism. It's not a horrible twist, but since it comes at the tail end of a successfully crafty plot development, it feels like a late mistake. At the very least, it still ties into Stephen's arc as it further challenges his understanding of how to properly play the political game. Watching Stephen navigate the ins and outs of his profession makes for solid entertainment and Gosling makes his journey appear realistically human enough to be relatable.

So authenticity and believability trump the staunch lack of subtlety in The Ides of March. It's easy to recognize Clooney's considerably blatant ideology. Even the title change (the play by Beau Willimon upon which the movie is based is titled Farragut North after a Washington, D.C. metro station) supports the absence of subtlety with its reference to Julius Caesar's political fall from grace that quickly concluded with his assassination. Yes, power corrupts. Nothing new there, of course. But with his excellent cast (including himself!) in tow and a dedication to grounded honesty intact, Clooney tells his story simply, concisely, and even insightfully. Clooney's political thoughts are heard loud and clear, but even though the volume is cranked up high, at least he makes his points passionately and has a voice worth listening to.