With only one word am going to describe this film - AMAZING. I must admit that it is absolutely fantastic. From George Clooney directing to Ryan Gosling, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Paul Giamatti acting. It will definitely gonna be a strong contender at the upcoming award season.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I donâ… Expand

A perfect movie. Feels almost like a vignette in scope, kind of a truncated story that might have made a fascinating cable TV show, but it feels complete and it's satisfying. I've always had a love/hate relationship with Gosling - turned on by his talent, turned off by his hipster vanity. But this one won me over. He's perfect, as is Clooney who gives the best performance I've ever seen from him. Hoffman is impeccable, as always. My only complaint, why do they keep giving Jeffery Wright such WEAK ROLES. He's one of the most interesting actors in the game.… Expand

Once again we prove the even decent actors have no clue how to direct. an over performed, over dramatic and clumsy film. This film was just a movie for Clooney to get his poltical views across. hey Clooney nobody cares and nobody cares about this movie.

I'm pretty sure this entire film was made just so George could expose his left wing liberal views anymore than he already has. The movie was bland and very boring just like all the acting.

It was flat out stupid. It was soooooooooooooooo boring and was just an excuse to get his political views across. What a pathetic attempt. It wasn't even interesting. Doing the dishes is more exciting than this movie.

The Ides of March is one of the movies from the beginnings of George Clooney in the chair of director. As his other filmography here we notice topics of his own interest, in this case politics. The exciting part is the side that takes this picture when facing the government, because it is the same point of view that the people have; and this is: a tangled entity with dishonest relations where the public image means everything and does not matter what you have to do in order to maintain it.
This film tells the story of a humble and charismatic man with hunger for the truth that starts a politic career for president of the USA. What he does not know is that you cannot be a good man if you want to enter the tangled entity and there are steps to follow: you must be tough and insensitive, you must be careful with your actions, you must keep in touch with important personalities, you must be very close to the enemy and you must trust no one.
This movie has great performances, like the ones of George Clooney and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, but the best is Ryan Gosling. Also the script and montage are remarkable. The only thing that is not fulfilled is the direction, it is noticeable that Clooney is starting in this field and there are some details that he needs to solve.… Expand

Definitely not a "thriller" in any sense of the word. A leftist agenda is intertwined (not subtly) into this film that languishes over an hour and a half. If the movie was intriguing, I could look past the the liberal agenda Clooney is trying to push, but it is simply not.

The movie reaches a peak about halfway through as a political melodrama then meanders off into a machiavelian yawn. It's a B movie wrapped up like an A. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti get little air time but steal the acting chops. As they're up against "one expression Gosling" that's not hard to do. The problem is that this plot has been written out so many times in the media that it comes to the movies as stale as a day old croissant. That's too bad because all the ingredients are there: good acting, writing, firecting. It's just that the final product was taken out of the oven way too early.… Expand

A no non-sense realistic portrayal of the political circus. It doesn't condemn these people but it doesn't forgive them either. American mainstream filmmaking at its best. Strongly recommended.

Johnny Rotten asked at their last show if you had ever felt cheated? Well, this film almost left me feeling that way. I felt like I got the first draft of the script and half of a movie. Each star had a powerful scene with Gosling but that was really the entire film. Those scenes were great but could we have not gotten more with that much star power. I wanted more. "Moneyball" gave me too much Brad Pitt and not enough drama. This film did the opposite. Gosling is really shining as an actor. 'Michael Clayton", where are you?… Expand

This is an actors field day of a film. Director/actor Clooney and his company of actors sizzle. Gosling is on a real hot streak, and again gives a stellar performance. Hoffman, Giamatti, Tomei, turn on the heat, as does a beguiling Evan Rachel Wood. It's terrific entertainment and a better than average film but I couldn't help think that it could have been so much more of a penetrating look at the political mess we are in.… Expand

Although George Clooney directed this film and has a major role, it's really Ryan Gosling's movie. He plays a sharp, young press secretary to an idealistic Presidential candidate (Clooney) during the final days of a major primary. The story's revolves around the machinations of the campaign, the hard decisions that must be made and the politics behind politics. There's no action here, just an involving plot, intelligent dialogue and a terrific cast. A smart, well-made film.… Expand

Good solid film with very good performances. It isn't great - I don't want to run out and buy the blu-ray when it becomes available, but it was entertaining. I just wish the writers would have come up with something other than the obvious soapy twist about someone getting caught sleeping with someone else. Ho hum. Too predictable. Still, really good performances all around.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This film is very dark and not very interesting... we like George Clooney and many of the other fine actors in this film. Unfortunately, the movie plods forward at a tedious tepid pace, slowly boringly and inexorably dissolving any reason for bothering to follow or care about he arc of any charter in the movie. If the intent of the plot of this movie was to be an unrelieved bummer without a cause, it is a success. If you were to paint this movie it would have to be as non-descript homely plain brown canvas, without a frame or even a dot... as it has no useful point to make. The simplistic and transparent plot is nothing more than an weak attempt to portray the axiom "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely" . All of the characters start out as seemingly actually trying to do good, and to a character they all end up as their own diametrically opposed mirror image, actively trying their best to do bad... wow, point made.
This film is a glacially slow paced, depressing, and derivative remake of every potboiler political downfall story ever written. This film swings for the infield and can;t seem to even manage that, You can't make a home run movie using a whiffle ball plot. and plastic cookie cutter characters. The story breaks no new ground, mainly it breaks wind, leaving the wonderful talented cast to struggle with arcs that begin and end without a whimper, and embarrassingly weak and boring dialogue. The opening and closing scenes are are jejune junior high level bookends, restatements of the already all too painfully obvious plot... We meet and leave our failed protagonists standing largely exactly where we had the misfortune to meet them they where when first we saw them... but as their own now negative mirror images. The good now bad, the naive now jaded, and the new replacement groupie serving coffee and waiting to be noticed and despoiled. It's a great weekend, take a walk instead... or watch a rerun of Mr. Deeds Goes to Congress... you might like a character or two, and you won't need an anti-depression tablet.

Oh, just so you'll know when to be ready for the movies heart pounding pivotal scene... it involves an accidentally read text message... perhaps the socially redeeming merit here is as a cautionary tale on the dangers of texting while cheating. No, really, that's it. This film isn't likely to be a box office success, or a ballot box stuffer come Oscar time. In fact the only buzz for this film might be the sound of the film flapping on reel the theaters rewinding machine... Oops, that's right, they don't use those anymore, so maybe it will just be the sound of silence.… Expand

A script risky, envelope, a story that plays with characters who begin to love and then despise the scum they are, the double standards, lack of loyalty, mistrust and manipulation makes this film a true delight.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Up until the suicide, it was a good movie. After that, it was only a shallow attempt at bashing politics and politicians. Politicians just like everyone else use leverage, there is nothing wrong with that. Why would you get into politics if it weren't for a chance to do what you think is right ? We need to demystify power as something evil. Because it is not. This movie leaves you with a bitter feeling and nowhere to go.… Expand

Expect it to be nominated for awards. The glimpses of guilt, coldness, and desire in the actors' portrayals create a poignant study of power and the human need for redemption. In this film, salvation doesn't come from politics; it must be sought elsewhere, if at all.

The Ides of March is a great film about political ambition and the destruction of innocence. Seeing Ryan Gosling's bright eyed idealist fall into darkness makes for compulsive viewing. There are also a whole slew of great performances on offer too, including George Clooney, Marisa Tomei, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti. Great stuff!

The Ides of March zeroes in on the rise and fall of Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling), media relations manager for the campaign of presidential hopeful Governor Mike Morris (George Clooney). Although
Morris is a nominally a Democrat, his political allegiance is immaterial. The film's core question is whether changing the person at the top makes any difference - is Morris a paradigm shifting candidate
you can believe in, or is he just the same old wolf in particularly well tailored sheep's clothing? The source material Beau Williams' 2008 play Farragut North named after a metro station which serves K Street, the dark heart of Washington DC's political lobbying industry, and loosely based on Howard Dean's bid for the 2004 Democratic Presidential nomination. It's no small irony (on several levels) that Williams, who worked with Clooney to adapt his own play, himself later worked as a press secretary for Hillary Clinton's 2008 campaign. Initially Ides feels overwhelmingly like a campaign trailer for Clooney's own run for elected office (despite numerous denials both before and after the release of Ides that he harbours any kind of political ambition). It's hard not to interpret Ides as a 2012 warm-up ahead for Obama, if not Clooney when it's so liberally peppered with Vote Morris campaign materials that so ostentatiously mimic Obama's 2008 posters, right down to the pithy one-word slogans. Rousing stump speeches are strewn across the film: clarion calls for clean power, ending American dependence on oil and restoring the US to it's rightful
position as world leader could all be drawn from Democratic Campaigning 101. Interestingly, with hindsight, the film even appears to keep a distance between the feel good flag waving of Morris' public campaign,and the cynical manoeuvrings taking place behind the scenes. It's only a third of the way in, once the film starts to mine a rich vein of cynicism that it becomes clear that this is no rabble rousing, feel good cheerleading effort. After initial scenes of bonhomie and even a whiff of romance, the rug is swiftly pulled out from under the audience as Morris and his public campaign move offscreen, becoming a catalyst rather than a locus for the film's backroom action.Instead, rival campaign managers, Paul Giamatti and Phillip Seymour Hoffman are given free rein to chew up the scenery whenever they appear on screen, even as they disabuse us of any lingering belief we might naively hold in the fairness of a democratic system. However, there's no denying that it's Gosling's sensational turn which gives the film its centre of gravity.His metamorphosis from a superficially cynical but naive believer, to a deadened manipulator
(warning: pretentious film analysis ahead) that serves as a depressingly fitting metaphor for modern Western political democracy. It's a powerhouse performance, and his transformation from sleepy eyed
charmer to dead eyed power broker can be justly compared to Al Pacino's rise and fall and rise in The Godfather (the final shot of Ides is eerily reminiscent of Pacino's final blank eyed expression in Coppola's classic). Gosling deploys his trademark internalised style to devastating effect, a muted performance that makes his Bambi eyed response when his house of cards starts tumbling down all the more painful to watch. For all it's subtlety, it's at least as layered as some of the more bombastic performances, adorned with Obama-esque body language and fleeting twitches in facial expression. But what really differentiates Ides from the (many) politically inspired films before it is the refusal to sugar the pill. Visually Ides doffs its cap to the stoic investigative and campaigning films of the Seventies, as the colours and sets reflect the growing bleakness of the films events (the end credits look as though they belong to a film starring Warren Beatty or Gene Hackman in their heyday). But by
eschewing the paranoia of films like Nixon or The Parallax View, and the cynical humour of Primary Colours, Wag the Dog or Bulworth, Ides delivers an even bigger sucker punch.

Ides strips away the usual Hollywood figleaves to expose the dirty reality of the complicated mind games being played in pursuit of dubious ideals (one of the many quandaries of the film being whether ugly wrongs can be overlooked in the name of what is right). Even more refreshingly, it refuses to spoonfeed moviegoers the narratively convenient answers to such questions. Go for the performances and
Clooney's bleakly assured direction, but prepare to have the curtain pulled back to reveal something very ugly - you definitely won't be in Kansas any more.… Expand

Tell me the truth, it's movie about politic or thriller? The truth is the movie is compelling, smart, well-directed, well-acted, funny and has powerful score. Politic is religion, ask Clooney.

Dialogue is sharp and for once Clooney seems to be a match to his role. Great actors -- everything seems to point to a complex, insightful look at politics. And what do you get as the pinion bolt to this whole creaky scheme? A knocked up intern and a clandestine meeting/ job interview that I still can't figure why it was so earthshaking and eventful. For me the twists didn't make a good enough of a hangman's noose at the end.
Clooney was able to have his character make some choice political arguments.… Expand

Physically compare experienced political operatives with their interns. More than wrinkled faces and less hair up top separates them. The interns still have fresh ideals and expectations of the candidates they choose to support; the experienced staffers know better. There was a point on a campaign in their past where their own ideals took a left turn; a point where reality jumped up and showed them no candidate is perfect and a time when it became less about the future of tomorrow and more about just beating the other guy. Stephen Myers (Ryan Gosling) is at the intersection. He is the number two on Governor Mike Morrisâ… Expand

A tense and gripping political thriller. It may seem obvious that this happens behind the scenes in politics, but that doesn't make it any less emotionally riveting. Great writing, superb acting, (especially by Seymour Hoffman and Clooney), and an interesting lead in Ryan Gosling make this 2011's best adult thriller.

The performances are all good as one can imagine with a cast such as this....probably four of this era's best actors. This film hits in the spots that most political dramas neglect to focus upon. To be honest, I felt this film was a shade too short......what it does, it does well. However, with the acting chops present on screen, and a super-fiery plot that never really materializes into something "super-fiery", we are left with wanting more. I suppose that's where Clooney wants us to remain, but that doesn't make it a spectacular film.… Expand

This was a really good and suspenseful movie. Award deserving performances all around, from George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Ryan Gosling. This movie was excellent. I had sudden and unexpected endings though, but i enjoyed every minute of this movie. Must see film, 9.5/10

This is a film that does not have a great story that does not build up drama from it's premise, The film solely relise on the strength of it's actors. So the bottomline for this film is how great was the acting. To call the acting great would be pretentious. The performances in the film don't even compare to the best of the year. Brad Pitt in Moneyball. Michael Shanon in Take Shelter. The films week story stops the film from greatness.… Collapse

At last, a movie that Ryan Gosling actually doesn't ruin. In fact, he gives a pretty good performance up against the fine acting of George Clooney, Paul Giamatti and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. The script is first rate although I found a few holes in the plot that aren't important to the movie's message. Nevertheless, once you buy into their world of dirty politics you can accept the characters' conduct and an ending which I personally found (in spite of my own political past experiences) to be quite chilling.

The weakest part of the movie is the performance of Evan Rachel Wood, who seems to be getting steady work in Hollywood even though she is probably the worst actress under the age of 30. I would much rather have seen Jennifer Lawrence or Blake Lively as the seductive political intern, who turns a mundane campaign movie into a morality play that says a lot (and maybe too much) about the broken system of choosing our government's leaders. George Clooney keeps trying to make statements with many of his films and this one will hit a real sore spot with political purists. Whether you line up with the "Red Staters" or the "Blue Staters" the mud being wallowed in by these characters is really apolitical even if their politics tend toward the left. Governor Moore (Clooney's role) could just as easily have been a flaming conservative from Texas as a liberal from Pennsylvania. The game is the same on either side of the aisle and the temptations and rewards are just as great.… Expand

The word "friend" is used loosely in this tense political thriller. It allows for surprises, twists, turns and leaves you questioning who to trust in this ensemble. The Ides of March was an extremely entertaining fair. Its smart, well structured, startlingly cynical and filled with a series of good performances. The film started fairly slow though, but it gradually and effectively picks up pace, and Clooney's revelatory directing delves into the harsh realities of campaigning and dirty politics itself. This is a solid film by any means.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Excellent characterizations, fine plot, and terrific acting. The critics sometimes just do not seem to "get it". One notable critic described this movie as "flat". What was he seeking? I am not sure how this film could have been much better.… Expand

For too much of the running time, this plays like an episode of a TV drama. But it heats up in the last 20 minutes, thanks to the acting especially by Gosling, Giamatti, and Hoffman.

It's amazing to me that The Ides of March, with all the things it wants to say about modern politics, not only says what it needs to, but turns some great performances out of it.

Performances is the first of many great things this drama has to offer. Aside from the impressive performances by Paul Giamatti, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Evan Rachel Wood, Ryan Gosling has the main role in this film, as he did in two other films of last year, DRIVE and CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE. Even though the role he had assumed wasnâ

Very gripping movie about loyalty and betrayal. Gosling and Clooney succesfuy lead the incredibly well picked cast. It keeps you in the whole time and sets up perfectly for the final shot that will leave you thinking. Should have been nominated for best picture. (A-)

The Ides of March is good political film . The way Clooney put it was amazing . It does gives some amazing example of life . The opening was mixed , after that it turned out great but Ending was a bit disappointing. It felt like they just stop the movie . The Ides of March was good but could be better . Clooney's acting and directing was awesome . Ryan was really made this year . Crazy,stupid,love and Drive & this . he had an amazing year .… Expand

http://themuddoctor.blogspot.com/2011/12/ides-of-march.html
The Ides of March wants to pull the curtain back on Americaâ

Rent-it - This mysterama about the frantic final days of the ever-important Ohio presidential primary won't win an Oscar for Best Picture -- but George Clooney and Ryan Gosling might!

Great political drama. All the actors did an amazing job, the directing is nice but the script is the highlight. Watch it if you like poker (or bluffing).

Not bad, but certainly not good. It just meandered over the course of a very long-feeling 102 minutes without saying anything new or interesting. The real shame is that Philip Hoffman and Paul Giamatti weren't given more screen time, because they gave fantastic acting performances. This film felt like it was an episode of a TV drama, but packaged into a first-run movie. It had good ingredients, it looked good, it smelled like it would be delicious, but after a few bites I realized just how bland and boring it was to my taste buds. Question: How long is it going to take Hollywood to wake up and realize that Ryan Gosling can't act?… Expand

As a directorial debut, this film shows that George Clooney is multitalented, and we have not yet plumbed the depths of his genius. And the role of Governor Mike Morris is certainly a more flattering role for Clooney than the role he played in The American, which could be retitled, "The Spy Who Shot Me." In that film, Clooney shoots his lover in the back, and then inexplicably falls in love with a prostitute while brutally sidestepping another beauty who is a trained assassin. His image survived that film, and there is probably nothing that could tarnish Clooney's glamour for long.
Nevertheless, The Ides of March, well acted and well conceived, has a lot of problems as a political thriller. We are watching the Democratic primaries in this film, and the ambition is so ruthless that there are no ethical principles, and this dirty campaign is just within the Democratic party--we haven't even met the Republican candidates. The role of the campaign manager is overblown, creating the impression that campaign managers are superstars like managers of baseball teams. I have never once been aware of who the campaign managers were for the various candidates--before the primaries are over, it's hard enough to keep track of who the candidates are, much less who is managing their campaign. These political impresarios stay in the background, and they are anonymous. Clooney has said in interviews that he's a democrat and a liberal, but the film greatly oversimplifies the liberal, left-wing agenda, making it sound trite and predictable. The Republicans are actually admired by the competition in this movie. In one scene, Paul Giamatti's character, another campaign manager, says of the Republican party, "They're meaner, tougher and more disciplined than we are."
Ryan Gosling is another bonus for this film--his character, Stephen Meyers, is effectively dedicated, shrewd, and controlling. But unfortunately, he has to clean up an indiscreet mess left by the Governor, and in this role where Gosling is The Voice of Morality, he makes the prophetic pronouncement, "you can bankrupt the country, but don't f*** the interns," an insightful remark that refers us back to both Presidents Bush and Clinton. When it comes to morality, neither political party gets off scott free. Loyalty is a major theme is this film, but loyalty gets thrown out the window the moment it is tested, because ambition and a sense of destiny are the order of the day. These are not political candidatesâ… Expand

A brilliant cast with writers George Clooney/Grant Heslov (from the great "Good Night & Good Luck") that simply did not meet expectations. It was as good as it could be given a not-so-thrilling plot. Highly predictable at every turn, only the great cast makes it a marginal winner. I give it a B just shy of a B-.

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Its well acted but that's about it. There's nothing new here. This should have been a TV movie. To be honest I don't think it was that good. Its a waste of two hours. There's no risks being taken here. This should never have been made into a movie. Its more like a documentary than a movie.

George Clooney's new political thriller is both entertaining and thought provoking. Ryan Gosling plays Stephen Meyer, assistant campaign manager for Governor Mike Morris (George Clooney), vying for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. Not only does Stephen excel in his role, but he is committed to the principles of Morris' campaign and believes him to be a principled candidate. However, through a series of Romanesque betrayals, Stephen evolves from idealistic staffer to political gamesman.

Ryan Gosling carries off the role of Stephen quite ably, but the most mesmerizing performance of the film is that of Philip Seymour Hoffman as Paul Zara, the campaign manager who chillingly delivers retribution for Stephen's costly misjudgments. Paul Giamatti also respectably portrays Tom Duffy, Zara's counterpart in the rival campaign, but unfortunately, George Clooney puts in a mono dimensional performance as Governor Morris to portray a candidate lacking in both personal charisma and dichotomy of character, so much so that when Morris' deep flaw threatening to derail the campaign is revealed, it seems a non sequitur. Marisa Tormei is effective as the journalist Ida Horowicz whose only loyalty is to a good scoop. Finally, Evan Rachel Wood is the pleasant surprise as the campaign intern who becomes a lightening rod for the events leading to the denouement.

In this day when so many actors also consider themselves political activists, Clooney's work in The Ides of March is most intriguing. Although the screenplay is based on former campaign staffer Beau Willimon's play Farragut North, which was loosely based on the 2004 campaign of Howard Dean, one cannot fail to notice the very clear parallels to the campaigns of Governor Mike Morris and that of then Senator Barak Obama, including the posters of Morris looking skyward, the vague but altruistic campaign slogan ("Believe") and the class warfare rhetoric of the stump speeches, but in his personal failings, Morris is portrayed more as Bill Clinton than Barak Obama. It is reported that Clooney held off production and release of this film in 2008 because the political climate in the wake of the Obama campaign was too hopeful, but in 2011 audiences are now cynical enough to be receptive. It's not only an astute commercial decision but an interesting statement about how Clooney perceives his target audience. I would like to give the average movie-goer more credit, but unfortunately, Clooney may be right. Mature observers have always understood politics is a high stakes game, and regardless of platform or ideology, only the most skilled players survive. Clooney seems to conclude that his target audience has now matured into this perspective. Letâ… Expand

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Thoroughly enjoyable and absorbing exploration of personal and political betrayal. Clooney is as watchable as ever, PSH suitably grizzled, and Ryan Gosling pretty captivating. For a Brit, any exploration of the crazy American electoral process is entertaining.

Me gusta. A solid piece of entertainment. I'm definitely not in love with it, but I'd go for a second date for sure. All actors live up to their names, the plot keeps you interested for the whole time. Some moments and dialogues are cliche and too shallow, but as a package - it totally works.
Back to the actors - I have a problem with Clooney and Gosling. I like them, I really do. But I just get the feeling that they are great at playing every part the same way.
It's entertaining, but hardly surprising or astonishing. That's why it's only a 7.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This film is gripping. Although it starts off a little slowly, it soon gets going and brilliantly conveys the harsh and slimy political world. Ryan Gosling is excellent in the lead role, convincingly acting out the slow deterioration of his character, from an honest politician to the typical vengeful and ruthless one. George Clooney also produces a good performance; his character shows the smooth politician with great PR skills, who is essentially flawed behind the scenes. Perhaps the movie could move a little more quickly. At times it feels a little slow. Having said that, for the most part it is exciting, and successfully delivers a powerful message about the politics of today.… Expand

A very solid all around political movies, the performances are excellent as you would expect from such a fantastic cast and it really conveys just how dirty politics seem to be.

George Clooney directs and stars in The Ides of March, a film that leaves the viewer wondering just where the silver lining is when it comes to politics. In a cleverly crafted and well written piece, trust, loyalty and greed are all explored in this excellent film.
Ryan Gosling is hotshot junior campaign manager Stephen Meyers, who is working for hopeful Democratic Presidential candidate Mike Morris in the Democratic primary in Ohio. Meyers is working primarily for Paul Zara, played by the fantastic Philip Seymour Hoffman, who is the senior campaign manager.
But when a meeting between Meyers and the senior campaign manager of the opposition, Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti) sends out all the wrong signals, especially in Meyers own head, he must try and take control of the situation which he himself created, but throw into the mix his relations with intern Molly (Evan Rachel Wood), which continues to cause more problems for his reputation, and he must try and figure out a way out of a situation he didn't create.
The film does show a very shady and at times awful glance into the state of politics, the devices used to gain votes, the distaste for the press and how feeding them information can have all sorts of repercussions, and of course the personal politics that go on within a campaign itself. Gosling expertly portrays an individual who knows he is at the top of his game, but can only go higher, perhaps he wasn't going to jump ship, but its was his actions of actually meeting with the opposition that shows his character flaw, he is just too big for his boots.
George Clooney's character brims with confidence and flare at every opportunistic moment, whether he is speaking to the press or his 'brain trust' there is rarely a moment where his guard is down. Philip Seymour Hoffman is on excellent form, the veteran of the fold who knows what is what, and doesn't take kindly who to betrayal.
But I think creating such an array of goal oriented characters can leave a sour taste for them in your mouth. Basically its hard to feel any sort of emotion towards them, simply because action after action is selfish, all to benefit number one. Not a massive drawback of the film, but certainly something to ponder.
A thought provoking and clever political caper, shady, intelligent and overall very enjoyable.… Expand

Dont really see why this movie got under 70% on metacritic. It had great acting, good dialogue and was fun to watch. Solid 8/10 for me. I expected an average movie but in the end it was very above average.

Great story with it´s self ironie, but I was absolutely stunned and suprised by the play of ryan gosling and his character development. so the movie has it all: some drama, some characters you have to like and to dislike and a developement of the maincharacters, that absolutly fit in the plot.
I really loved every role beginning from the governor to the journalist to the naive campaign manager who trys to defend his personal beliefs, just to learn that it doesn´t fit into this world...
still flashed. great work.… Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A very well produced drama about dirty politics. This movie is not for everyone considering two reasons. One, it's about politics. Two, the film itself is very dark. At the end of the film you won't be cheering for anyone. There are no good morals or values to learn from the character's actions. I would also like to point out that this is not liberal propaganda. The film shows corruption on both sides of the political ideologies. If anything the Republicans got off easier because they weren't even in the movie. Although it is starring George Clooney, he doesn't get much screen time. Every actor did very well. It seemed as if each one got enough screen time. Molly's suicide was very disturbing. Also people may find the topic of abortion to be disturbing. To top-off this review I would like to say, "We're Catholic".… Expand

Political dirt at its best. The Ides of March depicts a modern Brutus-Gosling who loses his idealistic faith in politics. Although with some plot-flaws, this is a good piece of political cinema. Worth watching and worth wandering who is going to be the next Caesar...

Political thriller is generally favored by the orthodox mass, as it hinges on an abiding gist: the pitch-dark side of politicians and their marionettes. But as a fact it will never own the impact on an social level to substantially transform the framework, so it only function is to appease the jealousy and complaint from our average joe with a fawningly condescending feeling as such â

Like the Empire critic review said here, there's less to this movie than meets the eye. It's done in an engaging enough manner (perhaps Clooney the director's credit) but it absolutely says nothing new. Gosling is actually more interesting here than in his other recent movie DRIVE, but his character epitomizes the big hot air balloon that is this story. Whoop-dee-doo.

This is an ordinary and definitely non-surprising movie. Not bad, but not good either, obviously. We saw a lot of movies about politics and this movie hasn't got any differences with other movies. It could be watch with any expectations. I watched this movie because of the golden globe nominee, and i'm disappointed.

As a sixteen year old girl, political dramas do not typically fall in my area of interest, but, as a sixteen year old girl, I'll watch pretty much anything with Ryan Gosling in it. This movie was nothing short of excellent. The acting was superb, the story line was interesting and original, and the writing was phenomenal. Evan Rachel Wood was incredibly endearing, and Paul Giamatti did a wonderful job. I continue to be amazed at how much I enjoy Clooney's acting/directing - shocked that I liked Good Night and Good Luck as much as I did. Ides of March is a definite must see and I'd recommend it just about anyone.… Expand

This is one of those films that you might have to sit through twice, in order to appreciate all of the nuances. Further, I rarely look at detailed backup to the making of a film (often ruins the movie for me), but in this case a read through or watching (segment on the DVD) proved very useful. I rate the film a 7.5.

A movie that was simply made to showcase George Clooney's political views. I don't believe he had any intention on making a well crafted movie because it was boring, pathetically dramatic with over the top unnecessary performances.

The movie was dreadful. Very boring with no concept. It was sad to see such talent have gone to waste. It could have been a lot better if clooney was trying to force his radical views done our throats.

This movie was just Ok for me. It was very well done, yes. The cast was wonderful. George Clooney and Paul Giamatti did very well as well, but I do believe that Philip Seymour Hoffman was the one who deserves the best acting job in this film- just great. The cast and dialogue is what really put this film together nicely. Here are my criticisms and reasons why I gave the movie a lower score- Before I saw the movie, I read a brief synopsis about what the film was about. I was very interested and excited to find out what sort of "dirty politics" were going to be used in it. What I found out to be unfortunately didn't impress me and seemed a bit unrealistic to me. It took a very long time for the "problem" and climax to appear in this film as well, so as a result, it seemed to me that the first half of the movie dragged on. My final criticism for this film is the ending. Directors like to leave audiences hanging, yes, but in this film, it just lets you fall off of the cliff, not even knowing what to think. Yes, the ending made me think, but everything (the climax of the film) led up to nothing. It felt under-cooked and disappointing to me.… Expand

Normally I don't care much for political films but this one has realy very pleasantly surprised me as one of the best movies of 2011 and probably the best movie directed by Clooney. Ryan Gosling is exellent as always and the cast delivers superb performances allround. It's a disgrace that this movie was only nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay and not for Best Film, cause most films in that category aren't even close. So highly recommended!… Expand

Ya son cinco las ocasiones en las que George Clooney ha intentado reflejar desde el otro lado de la cámara y con desigual acierto su particular visión de la historia más reciente de los Estados Unidos. El polifacético actor, director, productor y guionista ha querido plasmar en celuloide el pervertido mundo de la televisión, la obsesiva lucha del gobierno contra el comunismo en los años cincuenta y el ridículo ambiente que rodea un partido de fútbol americano. De esta manera Clooney golpea en la línea de flotación del poder en America: los medios de comunicación, la política y el deporte.

Los Idus de Marzo es un nuevo intento del actor por mostrar el lado más oscuro de la política. Es en este terreno donde los personajes encuentran el barro sobre el que luchar a vida o muerte, el escenario donde sacar partido de sus propias fortalezas y de las debilidades ajenas. En la película, un político sin escrúpulos, ambicioso e hipócrita se rodea del mejor equipo de asesores con el único objetivo de llegar a la Casablanca. Durante la campaña, se ve obligado a descubrir el hombre que hay detrás de la imagen de los carteles publicitarios, sus miedos y sus pecados. El reparto, muy conseguido, brilla gracias a Philip Seymour-Hoffman (que de nuevo adopta un papel frío y decadente), Paul Giamatti y Marisa Tomei (en ella he visto a más de una periodista conocida). Asimismo la interpretación del inglés Ryan Gosling que le reclama un sitio entre las futuras promesas del cine independiente.

A mi parecer la película refleja la realidad de la política y los políticos, muy cuestionada y cuestionados en los momentos que vivimos. Proyecta la imagen de todos aquellos hombres y mujeres que se asoman a ella para buscar su propio interés guiados por una desmedida ambición. Serán capaces de todo por mantenerse a flote y seguir respirando, aunque con los pies y los brazos ahoguen al que tienen a su lado. Esa falsedad e hipocresía quedan bien patentes en las cada vez más marcadas arrugas de un político que no abandona la sonrisa. La buena actuación de Clooney sorprende a pocos.

No obstante la base argumental de la película es inestable y floja. Todo gira en torno a un hecho, que por casual e inocente, resulta poco creíble. Desde ese momento, la acción se desata de manera patosa y precipitada, caprichosa y forzada, desviando la atención de lo que debería ser el eje principal de la película. Yo, al menos, esperaba que la lucha de egos estuviera a más alto nivel tratándose de aspirantes a la Casablanca y no de una pelea entre jovenzuelos engreídos. A pesar de todo, bien vale la entrada, aunque lo más divertido, seguro, es el debate que provoca después.

WWW.SHARETHEROAD.ES… Expand

Mildly interesting; really had those tremendous supporting actors with Philip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giammati. Wonder if in a movie like this the stars know they are participating in something 'solid, everyone gets paid, not a CLM' or if they have hopes of producing something brilliant that falls short on outcome.

Doesn't offer anything revelatory, but reinforces just about every awful and negative thing you'd assume is true about politics. The phenomenal acting and sense of dread is what sets this above lesser political films.

"The Ides Of March" proves to be a very intelligently written, skillfully directed, and masterfully acted political thriller.

I really liked this one! Gosling and Clooney are both fantastic, as usual. I could not name the last sub-par film either actor has done recently. Well written, well directed, well acted. One of the best of 2011.