The foundation of this film is truly in the actors that portray these characters. Gosling, Hoffman and Clooney are definitely the backbone of the film. Each of them do a great job with the material they're presented. Unfortunately, the unraveling of the film is the poor execution of a story that could have been much more powerful. All the dramatic moments seem to fall flat and are simply underwhelming. These flaws could have been fixed by a more experienced director.While Clooney has some experience in the director's seat, I just don't think he has the resume or skill to attack such a dense story. Maybe in the future he will.
While it's a decent movie , I never felt absolutely engrossed in the story. Typically, I enjoy political dramas like these. The Ides of March is just lacking that certain dynamic that sucks me in.