It’s weird, man: here I am writing about a political movie, and I don’t give a fuck about politics. (At least, I’m trying not to.) Thankfully, though, this film will appeal to those disillusioned by the bullshit that politics entail.  

The Ides of March stars Ryan Gosling. He’s a political consultant. He’s a pleasant, happy-go-lucky guy, and he’s invested a lot of time, faith and money in his client, a Democratic presidential candidate played by director George Clooney. All’s going well for him and Clooney’s campaign, until he discovers shocking information that could destroy the entire campaign and everyone involved. What is he going to do?

This movie draws a lot of parallels to Barack Obama’s campaign, from the posters of Clooney to even some of his facial expressions. But what the movie seems to touch on most is the competitive nature of political races and how far people are willing to go to “win”. (For example, Paul Giamatti plays the manager of the Republican campaign, and he pulls a trick at one point that is so dirty that it’s almost hard to believe.) Also, there’s the element of honesty within this political race: after the winning candidate has pulled out all the stops and succeeded, will he still hold true to his beliefs and promises? From the way the characters behave after all is said and done, it’s safe to assume the worst.

From a technical standpoint, the film has great, snappy dialogue, and the acting is spectacular, especially from Ryan Gosling. Also, the way the story establishes its characters slowly but convincingly to make way for the film’s ultimate resolution is masterful; George Clooney really has a knack for filmmaking.

This is a great film all around and easily one of the best films I’ve seen so far this year.