by Kate Rohr

Imagine Ryan Gosling. Now imagine George Clooney standing right next to him. I’m normally not a political drama type of person, so they were really the only reasons why I saw “The Ides of March.” But Ryan and George were not the only reasons I left smiling.

“The Ides of March” follows Stephen (Ryan Gosling), a political campaign manager who is the mastermind behind Governor Morris’s (George Clooney, who also directed “Ides”) presidential campaign. Stephen is an idealist, not quite naive, but truly believes in Morris’s honesty and integrity. Yet over the course of the film, Stephen discovers the corruption deep inside Morris’s campaign and the political system at large.

The acting in “Ides” is superb, with a rock star cast including Gosling, Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Evan Rachel Wood, Paul Giamatti and Marisa Tomei. The only downfall to the casting of “Ides” is Ryan Gosling. Don’t kill me yet – just listen: His acting was phenomenal, but he physically just doesn’t look the part of someone idealistic and a little naive. Honestly, he’s just too cool to be innocent. I love Ryan, don’t get me wrong, but he physically didn’t really fit the part.

The dialogue itself was both good and bad. The political dialogue can get rather boring sometimes, and for most of the film it didn’t provide much insight into characters or situations. Morris was an exception to this, as his lines often foreshadowed later events and his conversations with Stephen were some of the best. The title’s meaning is wonderfully chosen, as it refers to the day that Julius Caesar was betrayed and murdered by other politicians and his supposed friends.

But the strongest aspect of “Ides” is its imagery. Director Clooney did a phenomenal job of creating images and scenes that just smack you with their brilliance. My favorite example is when Morris is giving a speech in front of this huge American flag. His speech is inspirational, powerful, and sounds so very sincere. Behind the flag, Stephen realizes that he has to convince the morally straight Morris to make a compromise to win a vital primary. Stephen stands with his head bowed in the shadow of the flag as Morris’s inspirational words ring out. This is the beginning of the end of Stephen’s political innocence, as he realizes what compromises have to be made in American politics for the ‘greater good,’ or Morris’s election. This image is perfectly juxtaposed later in the film, once Stephen’s lost all innocence, and he confronts Morris about one of his transgressions. Morris stands in the corner of a dark room, with half his face completely in shadow. Stephen, however, is now in the light, facing the truth when Morris wants to avoid it. OH! It gave me chills.

Despite its impressive imagery, “Ides” tends to be a little too vague sometimes. When one character unexpectedly dies, the death is never really explained and it’s difficult to understand what it means. While some elusiveness can be good, this was more confusing than artistic. The end of “Ides,” however, tackled elusiveness and won. It ends just before a crucial moment, leaving you thinking you know what’s about to happen, but do you really? It leaves you questioning for a long time afterward.

So I’m still not really a political drama person – I liked “The Ides of March” the first time I saw it, but I highly doubt I could ever see it again and remain interested. And while I definitely recommend “Ides,” I only give it a 7. Sorry “Ides,” but I don’t think you’re the One.

Now I know that this is a movie blog, but if you like TV, read my review of ABC’s new “Pan Am!” Go! NOW!