Reason Writers at the Movies: Peter Suderman Reviews The Ides of March in The Washington Times
Associate Editor Peter Suderman reviews director George Clooney's new political thriller, "The Ides of March," in today's Washington Times:
George Clooney's new campaign-trail thriller, "The Ides of March," has a difficult, possibly disturbing message to impart. You may want to sit down before hearing what it has to say. Ready? Here goes:
Politicians, even the ones we adore the most, aren't the squeaky clean heroes we sometimes make them out to be.
The individuals in whom we invest our greatest hopes for political transformation—not naming any names here—are not always the shining catalysts of change many hoped they would be.
Also: Working in politics will make you cynical.
As you may have noticed, this is not really news. But "The Ides of March" seems convinced it is. A competent, well-acted and generally entertaining thriller, it is also a movie that's not nearly as smart about its subject—politics—as it thinks it is.