Monday, February 20, 2012

Movie Review: The Ides of March

The Ides of March Poster
I had a long weekend so I spent some time when I wasn’t drawing watching some movies.  The first movie on my “to watch” list was The Ides of March starring Ryan Gosling and George Clooney.  Clooney also directs and writes.  The honest reason the movie drew my interest is that the main character’s name is Stephen Meyers.  Just in case it doesn’t translate to other languages well, that is pronounced the same as “Steven Myers”.  I figure if a movie involves a character with my name, I need to at least watch it once!  The bulk of the movie takes place in Ohio.  Which is the state in which I reside.  Hmm:  Stephen Meyers. Ohio.  Quite the interesting coincidence.  Perhaps this movie does have something to do with me?  Could it somehow be a message to me from George Clooney himself?  Maybe…who knows?  (Note to George: if you do want to send me a message, you don’t need to make a movie about it.  You could call, e-mail, or get a hold of me via Facebook.)
Still of George Clooney and Ryan Gosling in The Ides of March
But on to the movie itself!  The Ides of March is a political thriller.  It really keeps you guessing as to what is going to happen with all kinds of twists and turns.  I can’t say too much about the plot without giving things away, and I do so hate spoilers!  The movie concerns the political machinations surrounding a mythical Democratic primary election.  In this movie, all the Democratic politicians seem to hate each other.  This is rather interesting as it looks like the real life Republican primary election is among a group of guys who have nothing nice to say about each other.  There’s a lot of wheeling and dealing among the political teams in this movie, and our main character (Stephen) tries hard to keep his integrity despite all the rottenness that piles up around him.

 I don’t know if the movie would be interesting to someone who knows nothing about politics and campaigns.  I like to watch political coverage and I know a lot about our American political system and how messed up it can be at times.  It does make a good setting for a tale involving things such as dirty tricks and drama.  I’d recommend this movie to anyone who is interested in the genre.  It kept me interested throughout and guessing until the end.

Still of Ryan Gosling in The Ides of March
And I really need to review Ryan Gosling’s portrayal of me.  I mean, portrayal of Stephen.  I think he did a great job in this film.  He carries the movie and in this film it is very important for the viewer to understand the main character’s motivations and feelings.  And if, by chance, there was a movie made about me, I would be happy to allow Mr. Gosling to play me.  And he’d probably be an even better performance than Ides of March since he’s had practice as Stephen Meyers!

Ryan Gosling as Steven Myers?

It could happen…

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