George Clooney’s presidential campaign melodrama “The Ides of March”@@http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1124035/@@ is a cynical representation of the deceit behind the scenes of a political campaign. The characters play clever roles where they know exactly what they’re talking about when it comes to politics. The film is an enticing and riveting portrayal of one man’s use of blackmail to make it in a presidential campaign.
Ryan Gosling plays Stephen Meyers, a young but experienced press secretary for Governor Mike Morris (Clooney), who is in a close race in the Democratic presidential primary. Stephen uses his intelligence and the swagger that he’s mimicked from Gov. Morris to survive the corruption of the presidential race. The election and politics are his life; he says he is married to the campaign. Clooney’s character is a highly revered candidate who openly professes his beliefs. He holds the Constitution of the United States as his religion and believes that a woman has the right to choose. His banter is eloquent and sophisticated, and he presents himself in a way that any hopeful politician would to get people to think he’s the one to bring change. But it’s an indifferent journalist played by Marisa Tomei@@http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1124035/@@ who introduces Stephen to the heartbreak and unfairness that surround many politicians. Stephen unfortunately admires his relationship with Gov. Morris too much to listen to the reporter.
Clooney’s goal behind the film is to get his audience to look into their own moral standards.@@http://www.craveonline.com/film/interviews/175702-george-clooney-on-ides-of-march-and-the-descendants@@ The film is centered on Stephen’s loyalty to Gov. Morris, campaign manager Paul Zara (a paranoid maniac played by Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Tom Duffy (the deceiving campaign manager for the other presidential candidate played by Paul Giamatti). It’s entertaining to see the lengths that the two A-list actors go to display their utter disdain for one another while also competing for the loyalty of the young and witty Stephen. Evan Rachel Wood’s character, Molly Stearns, adds to the corruption of politics as she uses both her body and her political saavy to  seduce both Stephen and Gov. Morris. Molly and Stephen make intelligence and politics sexy.@@checked actor and character names in this paragraph http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1124035/@@
Gosling’s acting in the final scenes of the film is perhaps the most captivating. With tears filling his blue eyes,@@and streaking down his flawless skin and perfectly chiseled jaw,@@ Stephen discovers something that may be helpful to the campaign and to his ulterior motive. The tragic and abrasive ending will shock the audience. I’d like to think that Clooney, who directed the film, created this scene to be ambiguous. Is this good for the campaign? Is it devastating for the campaign? Who will actually run the country?
With depictions of the destructiveness of politics, “The Ides of March” is a realistic portrayal of how American ideals and politics have hit rock bottom. The characters are shown as passionate about the film’s message with their detailed knowledge of American politics. The seduction is addictive; it keeps your eyes peeled to the screen and puts you glued to the edge of your seat. You don’t have to agree with the politics represented in the film to see it as compelling, inspiring and at fascinating portrayal of American politics.