This Is George Clooney’s Most Underrated Film as a Director

The Big Picture

• George Clooney’s The Ides of March effectively grounds the monumental issue of Presidential politics through the perspective of one character, allowing for greater audience investment in his decisions.
• Clooney’s casting choices, including himself as an unlikeable character and Ryan Gosling as the idealistic campaign manager, add depth to the film and showcase exceptional performances from the ensemble.

Despite earning the reputation as being one of, if not the most charismatic actor in the film industry, George Clooney’s work behind the camera has produced increasingly diminishing results. While he peaked with his impressive debut Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and his award-nominated biopic Good Night, and Good Luck, Clooney’s work as a filmmaker has continued to disappoint, as he’s failed to capture the same specificity that defined him as an actor. While he may be better suited to stick in front of the camera, Clooney proved himself as a filmmaker with his brilliant 2011 political thriller The Ides of March. With its incendiary depiction of a modern American Presidential election, The Ides of March indicated that Clooney could tackle the complexities of current events without sacrificing his film’s entertainment value.

‘The Ides of March’ Examines the Chaos of Modern Politics

Based on the Off-Broadway play Farragut North by Beau Willamon, The Ides of March chronicles a fraught Democratic Primary election campaign cycle from the perspective of a junior campaign manager, Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling). Meyers is a strong advocate for Governor Mike Morris (Clooney) of Pennsylvania. In addition to believing strongly in his virtues as a candidate, Meyers considers Morris to be a friend. While Morris’ senior campaign manager, Paul Zara (Philip Seymour Hoffman in one of his most underrated roles), still holds on to his skepticism about the nation’s future, Meyers is steadfast in his idealism. However, Meyers’ unflinching loyalty to the candidate he represents is cut short when he uncovers a secret about Morris that threatens to derail his campaign. An offer from a rival campaign manager, Paul Zara (Paul Giamatti), forces Meyers to question his loyalties.

Clooney does a great job at taking an issue as monumental as Presidential politics and grounding it from the perspective of just one character. Meyers’ perspective is essential to the film, as the audience is exposed to the information about Morris at the same time that he is. This allows the viewer to have a greater investment in his decisions. Meyers is faced with an impossible dilemma. Exposing Morris could hand the election over to a rival candidate, whose plans for the nation could cut short the wave of optimism that the Pennsylvania Governor planned to introduce. However, Meyers also knows that his consciousness could not live with the knowledge that he was depriving the public of information about the man that represents them.

Although the details of Morris’ past play a key role in initiating the film’s conflict, The Ides of March does not avoid showing the perspective of the victim. Meyers learns that Morris had an affair with Molly Stearns (Evan Rachel Wood), a young campaign staffer who becomes pregnant with his child. While the film analyzes the potential ramifications that this scandal could have on Morris’ public reputation, Molly is given enough screen time so that she does not just feel like a plot point. Wood does a great job at giving Molly agency over her decisions; both she and Stephen realize that they may have to sacrifice the future of their nation for the sake of personal ethics.

Clooney Gets Great Performances From His Ensemble

While he has not acted in all of the films that he has directed, Clooney showed bravery by casting himself as an unlikeable character in The Ides of March. On the surface, Morris is someone that resembles Clooney in real life. He’s effortlessly charismatic and has the ability to discuss nuanced issues in an insightful way that appeals to people outside the establishment. However, a few probing moments within Morris’ behind-the-scenes activities reveal him to be a shallow candidate who is willing to peddle the right talking points in order to appeal to key demographics. It was an interesting way for Clooney to subvert his own talents in order to become a villain. On top of being one of his greatest directorial accomplishments, The Ides of March is also one of Clooney’s best performances.

Clooney also showed incredible foresight in casting Gosling, who proved himself the same year with his breakout performances in Drive and Crazy Stupid Love. Meyers is the type of character that Clooney could have played earlier in his career. Perhaps Clooney saw a bit of himself in Gosling. Placing the moral quandary of the film on the shoulders of a younger actor was a bold creative mood, but Gosling does a great job at showing how much of Meyers’ life had been defined by politics. Despite his extensive knowledge of political tactics and campaign strategy, Meyers is still an idealistic character whose belief in the system makes him vulnerable. Gosling’s excellent performance shows how Meyers’ enthusiasm wanes as the election becomes more grueling.

‘The Ides of March’ Is Both Timely and Entertaining

A great director often gives their ensemble the freedom to chew the scenery, and Clooney gets excellent performances out of Hoffman and Giamatti. While the two actors play characters that are on opposite sides of the election cycle, Clooney does a great job at showing the similarities between them. Both Duffy and Zara simply desire victory, and don’t have the capacity for pathos that Meyers does. While the film has a rather uncomfortable message about the lack of emphasis on issues within modern elections, it does give both Hoffman and Giamatti a series of incredible monologues infused with dark humor. Their detailed work elevates The Ides of March from a great political thriller to a satisfying piece of entertainment.

While Clooney-directed films like the newly-released The Boys in the Boat and The Monuments Men did little more than adapt true stories from an objective perspective, The Ides of March challenges political idealism with its universal message about the corrupting nature of power. Despite being adapted from a play, the film feels inherently cinematic thanks to the attention-to-detail Clooney demands as a filmmaker. It’s a novel, often shocking statement of a film that has proven to be even more timely in the decade since its initial release.

The Ides of March is available to rent on Apple TV.

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