Arts & Entertainment
Mr. Clooney Goes to Washington in 'The Ides of March'
Clooney brings doom and gloom as the bad guy in this political thriller.
Hollywood superstar George Clooney stars in and directs "The Ides of March," a political thriller that reveals a dark underbelly of our ever-changing democracy. Clooney plays Democratic presidential candidate Mike Morris, a man who isn't what he appears to be in this political thriller.
The movie also features rising star Ryan Gosling. Gosling plays Clooney's hot-shot media strategist Stephen Myers. Gosling's character butts heads with the campaign manager (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and the opposition's campaign manager (Paul Giamatti). Marisa Tomei stars as the New York Times reporter who plunges them all down the slippery slope of tragedy and sleaze.
Without giving too much away, the story does loosely follow a Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky story line. Evan Rachel Wood plays a small role as the pretty intern who has quite a secret. The game of politics is dirty and this film does a brilliant job of pulling back the curtain. The timing is perfect too as we approach what will likely be a highly charged, polarizing presidential election season.
This film is smart and witty and the acting is great, but the corrupt politician storyline is well-worn and dated. It would have been nice to bring something new to the genre -- at least something that hasn't already been played out, to an extent, in real life.
The flick-o-meter gives "The Ides of March" a solid four out of five. The film has nothing to say about American electoral politics we don't already know. I was hoping that it would. In any event, it is a pretty good movie. Some are even giving it Oscar buzz.
Be sure and let us know what you think of the movie by posting a comment below.
Click here for showtimes for 'The Ides of March' near Lilburn.
About this column: Brett Martin is a familiar face in the Atlanta area. He was the Entertainment reporter and Road Warrior for Fox 5 and Good Day Atlanta for many years (1999-2007). Brett continues to be a film critic and a member of the BFCA (Broadcast Film Critics Association). He has personally interviewed nearly every major movie star and academy award winning actor and actress over the past two decades. You can catch all his reviews and find out more about Brett on his two websites. His movie reviews can be seen at www.flickedup.com. His video production business, which specializes in online commercials, can be seen at www.brettervideo.com. If you have any specific questions contact Brett through his email. flickmeup@gmail.com or friend him on Facebook www.facebook.com/brettervideo. You can also follow him on Twitter at @imbrettmartin.
