The Ides of March

Gone are the days of the so-so George Clooney, namely Batman and Robin, and the one he claims to his strongest dislike star vehicle that paired him with Michelle Pfeiffer "One Fine Day" (a personal guilty pleasure).

Besides winning an Oscar a couple of years back (for Syriana), he has done a fine job behind the camera, directing the "Let's Make a Deal" host Chuck Barris (Sam Rockwell) tale of Confessions of a Dangerous Mind as well as the Edward R. Murrow drama "Good Night, Good Luck" with Clooney, Robert Downey Jr., Frank Langella, Patricia Clarkson and David Strathairn as Edward R. Murrow.

In his junior effort behind the camera, he tells the story of Clooney's Gov. Mike Morris and his bid for the presidency. The story picks up in Ohio where troubleshooter Stephen Myers (Ryan Gosling) has to deal with a plethora of problems. This includes his own personal relationship with an intern named Molly Steams (Evan Rachel Wood),

Also, throw in a major no-no by visiting with rival opponent, Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti). He also has to deal with reporter, Ida Horowicz (Marisa Tomei). She goes to him for the real truth, not the candy-covered morsels that everyone else will get. This drama grabs hold of you from the get-go and never loosens up, because it does not insult the viewers' kntelligence by making them feel inadequate with the proceedings.

Clooney penned the screenplay along with his colleague and friend, Grant Heslov, as well as the original writer Beau Willimon and his play "Farraguit North." It changes a couple of aspects of the play, namely the appearence of Clooney's Gov.  Mike Mlorris, a character that was just mentioned in the play, not actually shown to the viewers.

Grade: B+