George Clooney is one of the fortunate names in the business whose political views don't get in the way of his job. In fact, his views are an advantage for his directing contributions Good Night, and Good Luck and The Ides of March. But of course only one of these two works wonders.
As well as directing, co-starring and writing it, Clooney also enlists other talented actors like Ryan Gosling, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood to appear in The Ides of March. Of the sextet of actors, the best work came from Gosling, Clooney and Hoffman.
Of course The Ides of March has its flaws. I thought the first act was too slow and the ending was too abrupt. The rest of it is very good, but it felt like Clooney was trying to outdo Good Night, and Good Luck. And considering I don't follow politics closely, it kind of bored me. Still, it's quite good.
My Rating: ****1/2
Nice review. I am always skeptical about political movies, but this one does look good.
ReplyDeleteThis is entertaining even if suspense barely builds and pay-off revelations come with little surprise. Clooney, as a director, is also able to draw-out amazing performances from this whole ensemble cast. Great review. Check out mine when you get the chance.
ReplyDeleteI thought this was quite boring, I enjoyed the actors, but you're absolutely right. The ending was to abrupt and it does start off slow.
ReplyDeleteGood review. I agree that there were certain scenes where he definitely seemed to be channeling God Night & Good Luck, but luckily there weren't too many. I actually enjoyed the ending, but can understand why others didnt. But I agree that the middle is where most of the best stuff is.
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