The Ides of March [2011]

It’s not particularly insightful nor does it bring anything new to the table. Hell, we can turn on the news any given day and find out this politician or that world leader actually did things way worse than what we see in the movie, but The Ides of March is a tense and engrossing political thriller. Based on Beau Willimon’s play Farragut North, Ides features excellent writing and a noteworthy ensemble where a charismatic George Clooney (practically a pleonasm), Paul Giamatti and Evan Rachel Wood are clear standouts. Ryan Gosling has been everywhere this year. In my opinion, his finest work was in the romantic comedy Crazy, Stupid, Love. You could say he turns in a good performance in Ides, but mostly he just opens his eyes real wide.