Blu-ray Review: THE IDES OF MARCH And the Perils of Idealism

It's taken me a couple of weeks beyond my initial viewing of George Clooney's adaptation of the play Farragut North to come around to exactly what I thought about it. Certainly, it's my preferred movie featuring Ryan Gosling from 2011 (on the off chance that this is a category anyone out there is tracking with any kind of scrutiny). If you held my feet to the fire, I'd say it was a decent entry in the genre of political dramas about the messy parts of actually getting people into office. You can put this in the same pile with All the King's Men, Advise and Consent, City Hall, and really, most pertinent here, Primary Colors, which, like The Ides of March is as much about fighting for your guy on the left side of the aisle in American politics as it is about what we're always assured will be the ultimate disappointment in him (or her) when you hold them under too much scrutiny.

In this case, it's about Gosling's political strategist character, Stephen Meyers attempting to secure the Democratic nomination for his candidate, Mike Norris, a charismatic, straight-shooting governor (this is George Clooney, after all), and the story essentially hinges on a breach of trust between the two and that place where idealism and ambition collide. The message isn't really any more complicated than "politics makes whores of all of us" and I think that it's this surface-level thinking of the movie is the source of my ambivalence.

It certainly has nothing to do with the cast, which is excellent from top to bottom, with Gosling's usual tic as an actor who always seems to be aware of the character serving him well in this case. He's a slick political operative who, we're told, is pretty young, savvy, and hungry for his age, and hasn't yet built up the necessary feelers for loyalty or really simple wisdom.

These little life lessons are imparted on him by campaign manager Paul Zara as played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman who does rumpled dignity like nobody else. Hoffman's in an ongoing (and we're certain) long-running battle of wills with rival campaign manager Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti), who's working for the more center-leaning candidate in the contest. There are smaller, but no less meaty parts for Marissa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, and Jeffrey Wright, but I couldn't help but watch The Ides of March and wish on occasion that the whole movie was just the knock-down, drag-out counter-campaigning between these two guys given how lived-in both actors make their roles.

And maybe they touch on what's strange or lacking in the film: it's a movie about idealism when just about every character involved should damned well know better. Even Gosling who, again, we're told is still young and a little wet behind the ears, knows the game and knows what he's in for and what powerful men seeking more power are all about. His subsequent disillusionment and the (super-brief) foray over into the realm of suspense as Stephen tries to leverage some incriminating facts, partially to jockey for a better position, partially because he's feeling hurt and betrayed feels a little dishonest if you take in the character and how he's behaved up until later in the movie.

Up until that point, it's a very strong, vibrant movie, so you might not want to hold this inconsistency against it too much, particularly given how compelling the performances are throughout (and even after).

The Disc, Audio, Video

This isn't a techie's disc (which is to say it looks and sounds as crisp as a modestly-budgeted Hollywood drama looks on home video), but it is one for people looking for a bit of insight into the making of the movie. The best feature out of the batch is the commentary by Clooney and the film's co-writer, Grant Heslov, which actually spends a lot of time talking about Clooney's work with the cast and some of the technical elements of the production. The conversation is fairly brisk and never dry. Among the other features, you might also want to check out the short "What Does a Political Consultant Do" featurette that tries to get to the core of this relatively new and very nebulous profession.

The Ides of March is available on DVD, Blu-ray and VOD now.