Lend Me Your Ears

The Ides of March

*** out of ****

Directed by: George Clooney

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Philip Seymour Hoffman, George Clooney, Evan Rachel Wood and Paul Giamatti

Running time: 101 minutes

The Ides of March refers to the date when, in 44 B.C., a group of Roman conspirators stabbed and killed their king, Julius Caesar.

Political intrigue was plentiful in the year Caesar fell, as well as in the late 15th century, when Shakespeare put ink to parchment and wrote one of his greatest tragedies. The times haven’t changed very much. In George Clooney’s latest drama, the constant media attention and scrutiny of potential presidential candidates ensures that any person in the running has much to beware.

The battle in this Coliseum, though, is between two Democrat hopefuls for the White House: the idealistic Gov. Mike Morris (Clooney) and Sen. Pullman (Michael Mantell). They are facing off in the Ohio primary, which could be a game-changer for each candidate if they win. As one character remarks, “This primary is the presidential.”

Nobody knows the pressure needed to win more than Morris’s campaign managers, the powerful Paul Zara (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and his suave and idealistic protégé, Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling). Stephen is “married to the campaign,” and so attached to his candidate’s zeal and drive for change that his middle name might as well be “Hubris.”

Although Morris is ahead in the polls and a likely endorsement from a popular senator (Jeffrey Wright) will only guarantee him more votes, a rival campaigner (Paul Giamatti) has a few tricks ready for the primary date that could shake up the election.

The Ides of March doesn’t navigate alongside Morris—although there is plenty of George Clooney shouting left-wing rhetoric, if that gets you off. (An oft-seen campaign poster featuring the character blatantly resembles Shepard Fairey’s iconic “Hope” design). Instead, the film follows Stephen as tries to keep a tight race from getting out of control when he makes a few pivotal blunders, one involving an office intern (Evan Rachel Wood) whose father is the head of the Democratic Convention.

Gosling is sharp in the role, and like he did in his excellent performances this year (in Drive and Crazy Stupid Love), he lets his face do much of the talking. Rounding out the ensemble, Hoffman and Giamatti’s supporting work is as fiery as we’ve come to expect from their immense talents, while Marisa Tomei and Jeffrey Wright do well in walk-on roles.

Since the film, based off of the play Farragut North by Beau Willimon, tends to closely align itself with Shakespeare’s revered text, one shouldn’t be surprised to find that there are loyalties, betrayals and dramatic ironies to spare on screen.

But watching the film isn’t too different from watching a play. The camera is static, the dialogue crackles, and the only form of conversation seem to be in two- or three-person settings. Considering that the stakes are not low in Ohio, Clooney should have racheted up more tension and delved deeper into the characters (he adapted the script with Willimon and Grant Heslov).

The Ides of March may go down smooth with a snappy script, elevated by the virtues of the film’s ensemble. But when you attempt to parallel history, as well as Shakespeare, with your title change, one wishes Clooney’s ambition was made of sterner stuff.