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The Ides of March Review

Release Date: Oct 07, 2011
Rated: Pervasive language
Runtime: 1 hr. 40 min.
Genres: Drama
Director:George Clooney
Cast:Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood. Full cast + crew

Movies.com Critics

3.0

Dave White Profile <h3>Dave White</h3> <p><strong>Your Movies.com Man at the Multiplex</strong></p> <br /> <p>Dave White's first movie review was of the animated feature Snoopy Come Home. He was seven years old...<a href="http://www.movies.com/movie-reviews/dave-white">Read full profile</a></p>

Getting down in the mud. Read full review

3.5

Grae Drake Profile <h3>Grae Drake</h3> <p><strong>Movie maven about town</strong></p> <br /> <p>Grae Drake began her love affair with cinema as a wee bairn, as she spent every weekend corralling her friends over to the local...<a href="http://www.movies.com/movie-reviews/grae-drake">Read full profile</a></p>

Clooney for Prez Read full review

Other Critics provided by Metacritic.com

Critics scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

4.0

67

out of 100

Metascore^®
Generally favorable reviews
based on a weighted average of all
critic review scores.
50

out of 100

Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern
That's one of the puzzles of this piece. You'd think a film with talent to burn - would provide some electrifying encounters at the very least. No such luck. Words fly, some of them medium-witty, but lightning doesn't strike.

Read Full Review
70

out of 100

The Hollywood Reporter
Classy and professional throughout, the technical work gracefully holds all the threads together.

Read Full Review

75

out of 100

USA Today Claudia Puig
Political scandals are standard movie fare, and this one, which hinges on sex and power, doesn't offer a new take. But that's the point: The all-too-familiar blend of hubris and lust for power makes the machinations no less poisonous and perhaps more regrettable for their sad predictability.

Read Full Review
91

out of 100

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
Clooney certainly brings out the best in his actors, but his driving trait as a filmmaker is that he knows what plays - he has an uncanny sense of how to uncork a scene and let it bubble and flow.

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See all The Ides of March reviews at Metacritic.com

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For Families provided by Common Sense Media

OK for kids 16+

Smart, cynical thriller deals in political excesses.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this engrossing, well-acted thriller paints an ugly picture of the political landscape; prepare to be disenchanted (if you aren't already). Teens drawn to the movie by co-star Ryan Gosling's presence may find it very cynical, insidery, and heavy-handed, unless they're students of election cycles. Expect frequent swearing ("d--k," "f--k," and more), heated verbal exchanges, a suicide (not graphic), and sexual content (including some suggested steaminess and references to affairs and their aftermath).

Families can talk about how the movie portrays politics. Do you think it's accurate? Do you think there's room for idealism in the political world?
What role does the media have in the political process? How would you describe the relationship between media and politics?
Are political scandals all that surprising in this day and age? Why or why not? Do you think there are more scandals now than there used to be, or is it just a case of more media coverage/awareness?

The good stuff

Messages: The movie is a pretty jaded look at the political and electoral process. If there's any positive message, it's that if you sacrifice your principles, you lose a piece of yourself.
Role models: One of the main characters is a politician who says what he thinks and does what he says. It's inspiring to hear him speak (even if he's just a movie character) because he's candid and devoted to the idea of social justice and service. His assistant also believes in him for this reason.

What to watch for

Violence: Verbal clashes are so stinging that they stun. A woman commits suicide.
Sex: Two colleagues sleep together; the audience sees close-up camera shots that hint at nudity, but no sensitive body parts are shown. Sexual banter. A liaison between a married man and a woman who works for him is discussed, and its unintended consequence has to be undone.
Language: Frequent use of strong words such as "f--k," "d--k," "a--hole," "s--t," "prick," "c--k," "t-ts," "hell," "crap," "damn," "goddamn," and more.
Consumerism: Logos for Nokia and GMC are visible.
Drinking, drugs and smoking: Social drinking by adults in bars; references to drugs, being drunk, and overdosing.

Common Sense Media

An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology.