The Ides of March

The Ides of March (2011) takes place inside a primary campaign. A gifted young press secretary believes in his candidate. Then a call from the rival campaign and a secret he learns inside his own leave him choosing between saving his career and keeping his convictions. The source is Beau Willimon's play Farragut North. Willimon had worked on Howard Dean's campaign in 2004 and the play came out of that. He would go on to create the American House of Cards, and it is possible to read this film as a rehearsal for it. George Clooney directed, co wrote the screenplay and plays the candidate. Ryan Gosling is the press secretary, with Philip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti as the two rival campaign managers. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Adapted Screenplay. It runs 101 minutes. Good for: political thrillers, backroom stories, and a strong ensemble. Less good for: do not expect a political position; the film keeps all its dirt at the level of process and never touches policy. The one significant woman exists to turn the plot, and that is a real weakness.