FREE: The Ides of March (2011)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Wasn't Bored for a Second, and Ryan Gosling Is Definitely My New Favorite Movie Star,
Amazon Review By L. Erickson 2/5/2012
This review is from: The Ides of March (DVD)
I'm surprised at the negative reviews of this film, especially those saying it is boring, as I wasn't bored for a second. That is mostly because Ryan Gosling is in pretty much every scene, and he is superb, and fun to watch. He plays a deputy campaign manager, whose ideals and ethics are challenged as the political maneuverings of the campaign unfold and get progressively more cut-throat. The other actors - George Clooney as the candidate, Phillip Seymour-Hoffman as the lead campaign manager, Paul Giamatti as the opponent's manager, Marisa Tomei as a journalist, and Evan Rachel Wood as an intern, are all excellent as well. This is a 'tight' film, with most scenes focused on the actors' faces, so it's true that there is not a lot of 'action' a la chase scenes or physical feats. This particular cast is a group whose faces I could never tire of watching in a film, so their excellence keeps it from being boring to me.
As for this being an ideological movie, I really don't feel that is the case at all. It is a political drama, in that the setting is political, but it is more of a psychological drama than a political statement. Although we do see George Clooney's candidate making speeches that might very well reflect Clooney's liberal politics, considering the scandal that eventually unfolds I think it's hardly fair to say that the point of this movie is to somehow bolster a liberal position. If anything it is a fairly cynical, unflattering look at the game of politics overall, regardless of ideology. And as I said, it is more of a psychological drama than anything else, as Gosling's character struggles to reconcile his idealism with ethical reality.
So if you are looking for an intelligent, psychological film with a superb cast, this is it.