Clooney takes a look under the political carpet in ‘The Ides of March’

The Ides of March, the new film from director George Clooney, takes a very Aaron-Sorkin-like look at American politics. It’s a clever film based on a clever play, and for most its 101 minutes, it proves to be thrilling, cerebral entertainment. Think The Contender meets The West Wing and you have a good idea of what to expect.

Ryan Gosling, who is having an impressive year at the cineplex, plays Stephen Meyers, a sharp, young campaign adviser to Gov. Mike Morris (Clooney), who is fighting a grueling primary for the Democratic presidential nomination. Philip Seymour Hoffman plays Paul Zara, Stephen’s boss and the governor’s right-hand man. Paul Giamatti is campaign manager for the opposition, while Marisa Tomei turns up as a cliche reporter for The New York Times.

The plot surrounds the quick-paced, often-brutal decisions made by both campaigns. The Morris camp needs to decide how far they are willing to bend their ethics to win the hearts and minds of the voters. On the surface, the governor is a stand-up gentleman, refusing to buckle to special interests or politicians snooping for cabinet seats. However, it doesn’t take long for the façade to crumble and the cutthroat nature of American politics to show its ugly head.

The focus falls on Stephen and his rookie mistake: He takes a phone call from the opponent’s campaign and actually sits down with Tom Duffy (Giamatti) to talk strategy. The meeting serves as the impetus for an unlikely turn of events that shake both campaigns to the core.

The acting throughout the movie is enjoyable. Gosling does a decent job of humanizing a difficult character. Hoffman and Giamatti fare better, mostly because of their plum roles. These two character actors are deservedly the most sought after names in Hollywood. They are able to bring to life so many great portraits of broken men pushed to the extremes. Their respective film resumes are becoming legendary.

Clooney is likable as Morris; however, he’s one of those pivotal characters that doesn’t get much screen time. Tomei is given the throwaway role of the campaign journalist. It doesn’t add much to the movie, and it’s the definition of ubiquitous. Evan Rachel Wood also offers some of her best work in years as a young campaign staffer with a dark secret.

The movie was adapted from the play, Farragut North, which only featured a handful of characters. Serving on the screenwriting team is original scribe Beau Willimon, plus Clooney and Grant Heslov. They are all dedicated students in the school of snappy dialogue (founded by Sorkin and David Mamet), but oddly The Ides of March doesn’t achieve perfection. There’s something too plot heavy about the entire story that holds the movie back. The revelations and turn of events all seem a little too convenient. There’s not much natural progression; instead, the characters seem to be the victim of expectation and contrivance.

I’m not sure if The Ides of March comes close to displaying the actual nature of presidential campaigns. It feels inauthentic, and, in the back of my mind, I hope that my suspicions are true. Few people in the movie come out with their head held high. They are reduced to the lowest form of humanity, and some of the characters don’t even blink an eye.

• The Ides of March

• 2011

• Directed by George Clooney

• Written by Clooney, Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon; based on Willimon’s play, Farragut North

• Starring Ryan Gosling, Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei,, Evan Rachel Wood and Jeffrey Wright

• Running time: 101 minutes

• Rated R for pervasive language

• Rating: