“The Ides of March” contains over 100 profanities and obscenities, many strong, and more than enough to excessively bog down the script with distractingly cheap, manufactured emotion. Next time, write the dialogue in English instead of vomit, and the script will be stronger.
“The Ides of March” as a film presents such lovely potential: Billed as a “thriller” with an Oscar-studded cast (at least 3 award winners fill the screen), it promises to clash political idealism against the dirty world of insider politics.
And the actors in the film really deliver: Watching Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti duke it out as rival campaign managers – especially as both turn in great performances – is a movie lover’s treat.
The cinematography, the directing, the dialogue … all show marks of excellence.
Unfortunately, not even all Hollywood’s top talent can put lipstick on this pig of a story. For “The Ides of March” is a dark, cynical, thoroughly depressing movie that makes me earnestly wish I went to watch this weekend’s film on boxing robots instead.
Yes, I see that it’s a gripping tale, its characters are very gritty and real, they face difficult dilemmas and wrestle with powerful emotions. In short, it has all the “arsty fartsy” markers of a great movie.
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