Our take
A slow-burning US political drama, The Ides of March is a character-driven film with great performances from Ryan Gosling, Philip Seymour Hoffman and George Clooney (who is also the director and in part the writer) among many others. Taking place during the last days of the primaries, Stephen Meyers (Gosling) is an aspiring campaign staffer who uncovers a dirty truth about his candidate (Clooney). When Meyers confronts his boss (Hoffman), moral issues arise that collide with the political profession but which are not only limited to it. A smart film, The Ides of March is less of a political thriller and more of a really well made drama that delivers.
Streaming arrival
What it won
Oscars
1 nom
Venice
1 win
Golden Globes
4 noms
BAFTA
2 noms
Nat. Board of Review
1 win
The story
Dirty tricks stand to soil an ambitious young press spokesman's idealism in a cutthroat presidential campaign where 'victory' is relative.
Elsewhere
"A dark drama that gleams with pure quality."
— Jonathan Crocker
"With the constant backroom arguing and threats of media scrutiny, the plot plays out like political intrigue on autopilot; it shouldn't work as well as it does. The greatest credit goes to a widely agreeable set of performances."
— Eric Kohn
The details
Who picked it
Bilal Zouheir is the founder of A Good Movie to Watch. He is based in the US and a member of the Nevada Film Critics Society. He grew up in Morocco, where he learned English from watching movies. Bilal's work with A Good Movie to Watch is focused on offering an alternative to streaming algorithms, which are often used as commercial tools by streaming services.
This film got me where it counts. George Clooney delivers as does the rest of the cast. Intriguing and excellent, this is a must-see!