2011 will certainly go down in history as, among other things, The Year of the Gosling. When Ryan Gosling starred in every teen girl’s favorite movie, “The Notebook,” in 2004, many thought he was on the way to superstardom, but he defied expectations and instead took on a long chain of challenging roles in small indie films like “Half Nelson” (for which he was Oscar-nominated) and “Lars and the Real Girl.” He had become the darling of the indie world, the best-kept secret of cinema. But now, this year, with three vastly different but equally star-making roles in “Crazy Stupid Love,” “Drive,” and his newest movie, “The Ides of March,” he seems to finally be ready to take up the mantle of ‘It Guy’ he passed on all those years ago.
It’s appropriate that the final jewel in Gosling’s triple crown of movies this year is “The Ides of March,” as it is costarred and directed by the very man whose career Gosling is now primed to emulate: George Clooney. In the film, Clooney plays Gov. Mike Morris, a presidential hopeful on the campaign trail, and Gosling is Stephen Meyers, the whip-smart political prodigy whose job it is to get Morris elected.
It’s easy to make the connections to reality: Clooney as the well liked, experienced veteran and Gosling as the charismatic newcomer oozing talent and zeal. Sure, it probably wasn’t Clooney’s intention to present this film as an allegory for Hollywood ascension, but you can’t argue that it isn’t an uncanny and interesting coincidence, one that nevertheless adds to the film’s allure.
And even without all this external cultural context, “Ides” is well worth seeing. Clooney is really starting to come into his own as a director in this, his fourth feature. His unobtrusive, watch-what-happens style is refreshingly minimal and is peppered with just enough flourish to make it distinctly his own. There are several scene transitions where the sound comes first and the picture plays catch-up, subtly making all sorts of comments on media and info-spreading. The effect is small, but it’s a nice one, and it’s good to see that Clooney is still willing to experiment even when his career and position have led him to a place where he clearly doesn’t need to to get noticed.
And as most actor-turned-directors are, Clooney is great at pulling out from his cast great performances. Gosling is unquestionably the star here and, as I said in my “Drive” review but will say again (and again and again, as long as people will listen), is unparalleled in his ability to convey so much with nary but a glance. There’s a moment at the end of the film where he simply redirects his gaze that sent shivers down my spine. Clooney is also great here as a presidential candidate I would probably vote for—amicable, wise and ambitious, but with unknowable depths behind those kind eyes. Philip Seymore Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood, Mix Minghella and Marissa Tomei all also shine in the smaller roles of a stellar cast. (And really, good for Evan Rachel Wood, who keeps proving that she has way more to brag about than just being Marilyn Manson’s ex.)
Thematically, “Ides” isn’t treading any new ground (but if it _is_ news to you that power is corruptive, that loyalty is important, or that nobody’s perfect, then you should _definitely_ see this movie.) Nor is it trying to do.
What it does try to do is to comment on these tired maxims in new and unexpected ways, and in that endeavor it mostly succeeds. Some of the realizations are definitely more delicately handled than others, but on a whole the development from innocence to experience, from earnest naïveté to hardened understanding, is effective and heart-wrenching.
“The Ides of March,” then, emerges as a winner even when the outcome of its characters’ campaign is less certain. As a political movie, it is stirring and interesting, and as a mirror reflected back upon Hollywood it is even more so. But then again, any mirror showing Ryan Gosling is a very, very good thing.
4.5 out of 5