The Ides of March
Political drama directed by George Clooney (Goodnight and Good Luck), about an idealistic staffer (Ryan Gosling) working for a newbie presidential candidate (Clooney) who gets a crash course on dirty politics during his stint on the campaign trail. Takes place during the frantic last days before a heavily contested Ohio presidential primary. Paul Giamatti, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Marisa Tomei also star.
Based on the play Farragut North by Beau Willimon, Clooney decided to change the title to The Ides of March, based on the day (March 15) that Julius Caesar was assassinated. In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, before being stabbed to death, Julius Caesar is told by a soothsayer: "Beware the ides of March".
2011Rating: M, for pervasive language101 minsUSA
AdaptationDrama
- Director:
- George Clooney ('Leatherheads', 'Goodnight, and Good Luck', 'Confessions of a Dangerous Mind')
- Writer:
- George ClooneyGrant Heslov
- Cast:
- George ClooneyRyan GoslingPaul GiamattiPhilip Seymour HoffmanMarisa TomeiEvan Rachel WoodJeffrey Wright
The Ides of March / Reviews
Variety
[An] intriguing but overly portentous drama, which seems far more taken with its own cynicism than most viewers will be.
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USA Today
It grows a little overheated but works particularly well as a morality tale about power and its tendency to corrupt absolutely.
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Roger Ebert
The movie's strength is in the acting, with Gosling once again playing a character with an insistent presence.
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New York Post
Smart and solidly entertaining, thanks to one of the year's top ensemble casts working at the top of its game.
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IndieWire
Has nothing new to offer in its portrait of the campaign trail, and doesn’t seem quite sure what story it really wants to tell.
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Empire Magazine
Entertaining while you're watching it but, as deceptive as a party's election promises, there's less to it than meets the eye.
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