Finally got around to seeing “The Ides of March” this past weekend with Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Richard Wright, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and just about everyone else who probably deserves an Oscar and hasn’t received one yet.
It’s a very interesting, if not overly dramatic film based on the play “Farragut North” which, if it’s not loosely based on the name of that very busy Metro subway stop on K Street in Washington, D.C., then is really loosely based on the 2004 Democratic campaign of Howard Dean.
While the acting is outstanding and will likely get Clooney some type of nod for best directing or best impression of a Howard Dean/Barack Obama hybrid on screen, the film itself leaves any politically inclined person with a lot of unnecessary questions. Decisions are made that don’t make sense, even in the world of politics, and in the end you wonder if anything has really changed or if we’re just expected to believe that politics is professionally shady (in addition to being a snake pit morally). Either way, it’s one of the better political films to come out in awhile so it’s worth your 12 bucks. Just understand that the film is just a few steps above a quality direct to HBO film.
This article originally appeared at Politic365.com.
