ELLIOTT MILLER'S MOVIE REVIEW
THE IDES OF MARCH

Starring: Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Directed By: George Clooney.

Runtime: 101 minutes Rated R for pervasive language.

Political thrillers are incredibly difficult to commercialize. Most people who casually visit the movie theater won’t be too interested in movies about something viewed as very uninteresting to a lot of people. Politics are convoluted and downright puzzling much of the time, especially to outsiders. However, the new George Clooney film “The Ides of March” does a fantastic job of maintaining realism while remaining an interesting and engaging thriller, even without extensive knowledge of the movie’s setting.

The film itself revolves around a campaign manager (played by the brilliant Ryan Gosling) working for a presidential candidate (George Clooney, in a surprisingly small role) who is trying desperately to win over Ohio so that Clooney can get the nomination. Gosling visits with a campaign manager (Paul Giamatti of “Sideways”) employed by a rival democratic candidate who asks him to come work for them. When another manager employed by Clooney (Philip Seymour Hoffman) finds out, Gosling must deal with the ripple effects of this miniscule mistake that threaten his entire political career.

The cast in this movie is a total powerhouse, and everyone brings their a-game here. Even the supporting characters (including Evan Rachel Wood, Marisa Tomei, and Jeffrey Wright) deliver stunning performances despite their scant screentime. Gosling in particular gives a multilayered, enthralling performance that glues your eyes to the screen even when you haven’t the slightest idea what’s going on in the movie. Philip Seymour Hoffman also stands out, especially in a monologue he gives halfway through the film that reminds you of why he’s been getting jobs for as long as he has.

The first 20 or so minutes of this film had me very worried. The pacing was weird, and Clooney’s idea to start in medias res with a political thriller resulted in far too many scenes of characters namedropping people we haven’t heard of and having entire discussions that go over the audience’s head. However, once the plot kicks in, the film becomes a very interesting and twisty thriller with the political backdrop only really there to bring home the film’s message at the end.

However, there lies the biggest problem of “The Ides of March.” It is the kind of film that seems to think it is much more profound and deep than it is, and as a result exudes a subliminal sense of aloofness and pretention that detracts from the real emotional punch the film should have had. All the movie really seems to demonstrate is how politicians are people too, and their flaws and personal issues are what really lead to a corrupted system. However, I don’t think I know anybody over the age of thirteen who hasn’t realized this already. “The Ides of March” is an extraordinarily well-made film with beautiful cinematography and fantastic acting, and contains enough genuine surprises to be worth the price of admission, but it won’t change your life in the way it seems to think it will.