the ides of march

The Ides of March

In this drama, Ryan Gosling stars as Stephen Meyers, an ambitious political strategist campaigning for charming presidential hopeful Mike Morris, played by George Clooney. When Meyers realizes that Morris isn't the picture of integrity and Meyers's job is compromised, he has to consider what he wants from his political career. Clooney also directed, and though this movie may not be a masterpiece, it's a fast-paced, entertaining thriller. Extras on the DVD include a commentary track with Clooney and two making-of featurettes.

85%

Abduction

Taylor Lautner steps out of the Twilight shadow to headline this action thriller, as a young man who discovers that he was kidnapped as a child and has been living a lie. When he starts asking questions about what happened in his childhood, he learns that he's a key in a CIA plot and has to go on the run. The DVD extras include a gag reel, Lautner's video journal from the shoot, and featurettes on the stunts and the making of the movie.

4%

You know Halloween is right around the corner when a horror movie dominates the box office, which is exactly what Paranormal Activity 3 did in its debut weekend. The scary flick took in an impressive $54 million, earning the record for highest Fall opening ever and best opening for a horror movie ever. Reel Steel was left in the dust, settling for a distant second with $11.3 million, while Footloose slipped to third with $10.9 million. Newcomer The Three Musketeers took fourth place with $8.8 million, and The Ides of March stayed in the top five by taking in $4.9 million.

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

It took fancy footwork to win the box office this weekend, but it was boxing and not dancing that got the victory. Real Steel got to the top of the box office for the second week in a row with $16.3 million. It just barely edged ahead of dance reboot Footloose, which earned $16.1 million in its first weekend out. Fellow new release and remake The Thing came in third with $8.7 million. Political drama The Ides of March stayed in the game at the No. 4 spot with $7.5 million, followed by Dolphin Tale with $6.3 million. Unfortunately, the Steve Martin/Jack Black/Owen Wilson comedy The Big Year didn't crack the top five; it came in ninth with a meager $3.3 million dollars.

Photo courtesy of DreamWorks

Boxing robots waged an admirable box office battle this weekend, even defeating a pair of ruthless politicians. Real Steel won the first place at the box office with $27.3 million, while fellow new release, political drama The Ides of March, starring Ryan Gosling and George Clooney, came in second place with a total of $10.4 million. Following them in third place was the previous box office winner, Dolphin Tale, which earned $9.2 million. Brad Pitt's baseball flick Moneyball came in No. 4 with $7.5 million, and cancer comedy 50/50, starring Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, completed the top five with 5.5 million.

Photo courtesy of DreamWorks

George Clooney takes the director's chair for political drama The Ides of March, which he also stars in as Pennsylvania governor and presidential hopeful Mike Morris. The real star of the film is Ryan Gosling, though, as a crackerjack strategist working on Morris's campaign during the Democratic primary. With that kind of star power behind and in front of the camera, I was expecting an immaculately crafted thriller, but The Ides of March doesn't live up to its potential.

The premise is as promising as Morris's Obama-esque campaign posters: Stephen (Gosling) is a key part of Morris's bid for a presidential nomination, not just for his savvy but for his optimism and belief in the candidate. When Stephen discovers a sticky situation the governor is involved in, he has to decide his next move. At the same time, he's being courted by a rival campaign, which also challenges his loyalty to Morris.

As Stephen transforms from an idealistic employee into a jaded cog in the machine, his trajectory is engaging, but could be more riveting. Though the plot keeps you intrigued long enough to find out what happens to the characters, there's not enough background or development to make you care about any of them. To find out what else I thought about The Ides of March, just keep reading.