Evan Rachel Wood and Ryan Gosling in "The Ides of March"; photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

“The Ides of March” (Sony Pictures)

George Clooney has sometimes been more successful as a director than as an actor, even though his one Oscar win was for starring in the 2005 film “Syrianna.” Still most of the critical acclaim he has received has been for his directorial achievements. In his new film “The Ides of March” he both directs and stars in the film. His acting performance is brief and run of the mill while his directing talents once again shine.

The film focuses on Stephen Myers (Ryan Gosling) who is working as a staffer on the campaign for President by Democratic Governor Mike Morris (Clooney). Myers’ boss is Paul Zara (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), one of the best campaign managers in the business. The whole staff is working on the Ohio primary where Morris is facing stiff opposition from Senator Pullman (Michael Mantell).

Out of the blue, Pullman’s campaign manager Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti) asks for a meeting with Myers. This meeting sets in motion a series of events that change the face and outlook of the campaign. Myers quickly learns that the rules of the game never stay the same from one moment to the next.

The acting in this movie is top notch. Gosling, Hoffman, Giamatti as well as Marisa Tomei, who plays a reporter looking for the one big story, are completely convincing in their respective roles. However, Evan Rachel Wood is weak as an aggressive intern, and Clooney gets by in his role clearly on his looks.

Gosling’s status as the next big actor continues to elude me. He is a good actor, no doubt of that, but he doesn’t possess that special quality he needs to be a super star. At least not yet. Perhaps he is destined to be an amazing character actor along the lines of Hoffman and Giamatti which wouldn’t be a bad thing. So far he doesn’t appear to have the charisma to carry a motion picture on his shoulders, just as Clooney doesn’t.

The movie is rated R for profanity and adult situations.

The first part of the movie drags a little but soon peps up and moves forward. Clooney knows how he wants the story told and he follows that plan as the director. Still when it is all over does the audience really care about what has transpired on screen? For many the answer will be no.

I scored “The Ides of March” an et tu 6 out of 10.