I couldn’t watch this movie without drawing
parallels between Governor Mike Morris (Clooney) and President Barack Obama, between
the inevitable clash of political ambitions and moral abilities. I couldn’t
help but wonder what burden success bears on one man’s integrity. And more than
that, what a truly idealistic, shallow and ultimately disappointing political
process we live in today.
Governor Morris, with the help of his campaign director Paul
Zara (Hoffman) and hotshot senior staffer Stephen Meyers (Gosling), is in the
midst of battling for the Ohio Democratic primary, a fulcrum that will
essentially decide the Presidential election. Morris promises no more
combustion engine cars by the turn of the next decade. He pleads for peace in
the Middle East by severing our dependence on oil. He promotes religious
freedom and an end to minority persecution. He pushes for an all around green
environment and reinvigoration of the American spirit. Hell, even Morris’ “Believe”
campaign posters are a blatant echo of Obama’s “Change” campaign. Essentially, Morris
is as close to Obama 2.0 as we’ll get without explicitly dropping Obama’s name.
This is all good and dandy; Morris is shown briefly but to
potently rousing effect in the first half of the film. This backseat approach
allows for the real mastermind behind the campaign, Meyers (Gosling), to take
center stage. But after an ill-advised strategic move pushes Meyers into the
darkest corners of the campaign machinations, the shine of the entire political
landscape which he’s so steadfastly supported fades to nothing more than a façade of lies and deceit.
Ultimately, I think what got under my skin the most about
this film wasn’t actually the film itself. Sure, the performances were solid
across the board. Clooney (here playing writer, producer, actor, and director)
has mastered the seething anger-scowl as well as Gosling has mastered the
contemplative distant-stare. And much like the master-apprentice relationship
their two characters share in the film, Clooney and Gosling appear to be
winking at the proverbial passing of the torch from established star
to hottest up-and-comer in Hollywood. On top of that, the script itself is
nothing short of pure drama and deceptive power plays, politically charged and
emotionally conflicting.
But really, the best part of this film, as it should be with
any great work of art, is the relevance and poignancy of its ideas. From the
opening scene, we are introduced to the exacting preparation of Morris’
upcoming debate – a process as premeditated as it is artificial. From then, we
are given repeated glimpses into the dirty workings of the political machine,
into the real incentives behind each character’s journey and the costs
of success. So in a time when moral character seems to directly conflict with
political will, The Ides of March comes
along and paints a portrait of not one, not two, but arguably an entire nation
of people who will stop at nothing to gain power. Backs are stabbed as easily
as souls are sold. Personal gains are weighed swiftly and effortlessly against
the greater good – and the results are not always what you might expect.
At one point in the film, Meyers describes why he works for
Morris. It comes down to a simple yet achingly naïve sentiment: he believes in
what Morris stands for. Yet as the screws turned tighter and tighter, at first crippling
Meyers’ professional goals then threatening his personal life, I began to
wonder not if Meyers truly believed in Morris’ political agenda, but if he
believed in anything at all. It was obvious to me that Meyers – or arguably any
character in this film for that matter – was not meant to be painted as the
villain. Indeed, he was meant to be a real human being – the perfect example of
a double-edged sword – a man whose own convictions had inarguably gotten him to
where he was but whose future now hung in the shadow of his own hubris. It’s all a
sticky and jumbled mess I know. And I’m veering head-first into deeply cynical
territory. But for as dramatic and (semi-)fictional this all seems, The Ides of March really just goes to
show how truly fucked up our current political landscape really is. That’s what I
believe.
