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The Ides of March

Gosling, Clooney, Hoffman, Giamatti, Tomei and Wood.  The bar was set so high before sitting down, I wonder if the movie ever stood a chance.  The political film takes a look at the nomination process through the eyes of campaign managers. Those who hide their candidates flaws and promote their strengths, despite whether they truly believe or not.

We're led to believe that Gosling is a morally sound, unflappable man, with high standards and integrity, but we soon see that he is all about advancement.  Although the movie seems to grasp to maintain his ethical makeup.  Hoffman and Giamatti are good as rival, veteran managers and they give subtle performances that, aside from one scene, left me wanting more.

Clooney is believable as the candidate, especially since he seems to be preaching his own personal beliefs within the films.  Tomei is solid, but I wish there was more to her character. Wood continues to shine, both aesthetically and in her roles, but she too wasn't a big enough character.  It's rare that I saw this, but at an hour and 50 minutes, I felt like I needed more. A little more character depth would have gone a long way.

In the end, the movie falls short of the greatness expected and basically becomes watchable and entertaining, but did little to make me love it.  When the greatest scene in a movie is one where two characters are not actually seen on camera, one has to wonder.  I have to believe this must have been a play that simply didn't translate to the big screen.  One other huge blunder was in the title, because it leads one to believe there might be a different ending, even if only metaphorically.

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