Movies

On paper, The Ides of March seems to tread the same ground as the 1998 John Travolta film Primary Colors. A young, idealistic campaign worker becomes disenchanted with the corrupt internal politics of an election. There's the charismatic but flawed candidate, the thoroughly unpleasant advisors and the secrets that threaten to derail the campaign.

But while the movies aren't so different plotwise, The Ides of March is much better than its predecessor.

Based on the Broadway hit Farragut North, Ides tells the story of Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling), the passionate junior campaign manager of presidential frontrunner Mike Morris (George Clooney). After starting a fling with a 20-year-old intern (Evan Rachel Wood) and ill-advisedly meeting his opponent's chief advisor (Paul Giamatti), Meyers finds himself thoroughly compromised.

This is George Clooney's fourth film as director, after establishing serious cred with Goodnight and Good Luck. His influence is subtle but effective, especially for a film reliant on its solid script and superb cast.

Clooney gives a fairly pedestrian performance for most of the film, until a scene in the third act shows him pulling out the stops. For a brief few minutes he shows a side we haven't seen in any of his earlier movies, and it is startling and captivating.

Also good are the almost equally odious rival campaign managers, Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti. Jeffrey Wright also makes the most of a very small role, as does Marisa Tomei. Ryan Gosling's lead role caps off a great year after other stellar performances in Crazy, Stupid Love and Drive.

Clooney's father unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 2004 in a district across the river from Cincinnati, Ohio, where most of this film is set. It's easy to see how the impact of this affected Clooney's take on the corrosive world of politics.

The Ides of March may be a disenchanting look at the democratic process, but it's an engaging one as well.