The Ides of March


Much like how most of what I know about Hollywood comes from watching Entourage, the vast majority of my political knowledge comes from watching The West Wing.

The final two seasons of The West Wing focuses on a Presidential race with a heavy focus on the Democratic Primary.

The Ides of March focuses on the Democratic Primary election being held in the state of Ohio. Governor Mike Morris (George Clooney) is ahead in the polls thanks to the help of his two top aides Paul Zara (Philip Seymour Hoffman), and Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling). When Meyers decides to take a secret meeting with the campaign manager for his candidates opponent, Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti) all sorts of political trouble starts brewing.

George Clooney hasn't had the best success with movies that he has directed or produced (The American, The Informant, Men Who Stare at Goats) but by scoring a great cast in this movie he finally has a movie that he can hang his directing hat on. Gosling, Giamatti, and Seymour Hoffman are fantastic in the movie and they are also joined by Marisa Tomei who does a great job in a smaller role playing a newspaper writer for The Times.

Even though in the past I may have poked fun at Ryan Gosling, he has been great in the past two movies I have seen him in (Drive being the other). The most shocking part of this is that he didn't even need to take his shirt off for that to happen. Kris Humphries Taylor Lautner could really learn a thing or two from him.

The Ides of March has a great political storyline that is fun to follow, and provides twists throughout the movie that will keep you plenty entertained. It certainly gets my vote for what you should see this weekend.


The Ides of March
Directed by: George Clooney
Written by: George Clooney, Grant Heslov, and Beau Willimon
Starring: George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Ryan Gosling
My Rating: 4 out of 5
Would Gene Pick it?: Yes

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