The Ides of March

Friday 19th September 2014

Director: George Clooney
Year: 2011
Stars: Ryan Gosling, Paul Giamatti, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman

A movie I missed when it was first released at the cinema, The Ides of March tells the story of an idealistic staffer (Stephen Meyer, played by Gosling) for a presidential candidate (Governor Mike Morris, played by Clooney).

There aren't really any surprises here. Meyer learns that politics are dirty, and even the people you look up have their own (often not particularly moral) secrets. No surprises there then - although the movie seems to portray it this way; like this is something you might not know. Which makes it all feel a bit trite in my book.

If Clooney had chosen to tell this as a straight story, it would have been interesting enough. But he hasn't. Instead he's rammed the message that "politics is dirty, you know?!" in your face. Which just makes me feel like I'm being treated like an idiot.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

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About Me

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I live in Bristol with my husband Dan (who I married in July 2007), my son Joe (born 2012) and daughter Jess (born 2015). I work at UWE (the University of the West of England) in Bristol as a Research and Open Access Librarian. I'm orginally from Exeter, so moving back to Bristol is a bit like coming home - especially as I studied for my undergraduate degree here (also at UWE). I love travelling and movies, although I get to do a lot less of both since the birth of our children. Although we have still managed to fit in holidays to the Isles of Scilly, Chamonix and a summer in California since Joe was born.