The Ides of March (2011)

There is very little thrilling, or even surprising for that matter, in the new film from actor/director George Clooney, The Ides of March.

The premise of the film is simple. It takes place during the democratic primaries, the phase of the American election process when the official presidential candidate of the party is elected, and focuses on Governor Mike Morris and his young media relations specialist Stephen Myers. The story follows Morris's trail of corruption, perversion and campaign-changing mistakes, all of which entangle the lives of Myers, campaign manager Paul Zara and young intern Molly Sterns.

The Ides of March has an undeniably strong cast, full to the brim of A-list talents. The film's director George Clooney, whose previous directing credits include Leatherheads and Goodnight and Good Luck, takes on the lead role of Mike Morris. Clooney does a brilliant job as always, however the character seems a little on the one-dimensional side. It seems that all the action of the film happens around Morris, while he remains largely static throughout.

Local talent Ryan Gosling plays Morris's right-hand media man Stephen Myers, and he doesn't fail to deliver. Gosling brings the bulk of the drama to the screen, and he does a passable job of drawing the audience in and making them care about his troubles.

Another Hollywood heavy-hitter, Philip Seymour Hoffman, takes on the role of Paul Zara, and, as usual, Hoffman proves to be entertaining and intriguing. Freshfaced Evan Rachel Wood, who fans will know best from her role on HBO's True Blood, brings to life the young, naïve intern Molly Sterns. Wood gives a performance well beyond her years, and she more than holds her own alongside the massive talents with whom she shares the screen.

The flow of the film feels natural, if a little slow, considering the long process of politics. The trouble with The Ides of March is the film's predictability. Nothing that happens within the story is unexpected, but instead each and every event that occurs seems like the next logical step. Considering the film has been touted as the year's best political thriller, this proves to be the movie's downfall.

Sure, all the elements of a great film are seen in The Ides of March: a great score, brilliant editing and a powerful story, but something about it just fails to truly captivate the viewer. It doesn't make you empathize with the characters, and it doesn't have you on the edge of your seats wondering what will happen next. All in all, The Ides of March is less a political thriller and more a political how-to. The film clearly and concisely lays out how a candidate goes from Governor to leader of the Democratic Party. Sure, there are a few roadblocks along the way, but none that the candidate ever need know about and certainly none that the audience cares about.

Watching Clooney on screen is always a good time, but otherwise this film is nothing special.

Rating: 3 out of 5