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Wheelz 
"FWFR%u2019ing like it%u2019s 1999"
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 Posted - 10/25/2011 : 23:04:44
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This is a film about a politician who is running for President, and one of his top campaign aides has a secret meeting with the opposing candidate's campaign manager, and a reporter finds out about it, and ZZZZZZZZZZ....
Boy, does that sound like a snooze-fest, huh? But, somehow, it's not. It's gripping from start to finish, with terrific performances, particularly Ryan Gosling, to whom I'd never paid a whit of attention in the past; I will now.
I hesitate to say anymore, lest I spoil it for anyone who's stumbled into this this thread without having seen the film yet. Really, the less you know going in, the better. I'll just say that I'll be very surprised if this film doesn't pick up a Best Picture nomination.
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BaftaBaby 
"Always entranced by cinema."
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Posted - 11/08/2011 : 15:09:03
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quote:
Originally posted by Whee12
This is a film about a politician who is running for President, and one of his top campaign aides has a secret meeting with the opposing candidate's campaign manager, and a reporter finds out about it, and ZZZZZZZZZZ....
Boy, does that sound like a snooze-fest, huh? But, somehow, it's not. It's gripping from start to finish, with terrific performances, particularly Ryan Gosling, to whom I'd never paid a whit of attention in the past; I will now.
I hesitate to say anymore, lest I spoil it for anyone who's stumbled into this this thread without having seen the film yet. Really, the less you know going in, the better. I'll just say that I'll be very surprised if this film doesn't pick up a Best Picture nomination.
Just caught up with this one, Whee12 - and though I agree it's a fine piece of work in many ways, somehow I feel the Best Pic nom will head elsewhere. Why? Well, mostly it's the way the screenplay's been adapted from the stageplay Farragut North. The play was more or less written around and to coincide with Howard Dean's campaign in 2004.
Since then we've had several films about political, moral, personal compromises on the slippery road to power. So many of the film's twists and turns are predictable, and I think too many opportunities to delve deep into character are sacrificed to score political points -- not partisan points, but ones relating to the very nature of politics.
Technically, Clooney's turning into a fine director with a growing understanding of how each slice of a film frame can tell several stories - some complementary to the action, and some completely opposing it. That's sophisticated film-making, and I expect much from this intelligent man. But even he cannot overcome the essential weaknesses of the screenplay, nor can the actors.
In each major role they truly excel, often revealing an inner life that's only hinted at in the script. Gosling's always turned in performances that do just that; you get the idea there's a life going on when he's offscreen. It's a gift to you from good actors.
It's a shame Clooney hasn't given himself more to do - I suspect through a combo of modesty and the sheer exhaustion of helming such a demanding film. But, because of that choice, we also lose what might have been a source of a more non-political relationship of betrayal, namely of the governor's wife - played by the wonderful Jennifer Ehle - totally wasted in this role.
Nonetheless, I agree with Whee12 - it's certainly worth seeing.
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The Ides of March
