As part of the LAMB Acting School 101 on George Clooney, I thought I’d review two of his recent films, one of which garnered him an Oscar’s Best Actor nod. Now, the idea of this monthly LAMB event is to highlight a different actor/actress whose performances, for better or worse, have left a mark on the cinematic landscape.
Truth be told, I’m not as enamored with 50-year-old actor as most people. Yes I think he’s dashing but for some reason he’s not the kind of actor whose film I’d go see just because he’s in it. That said, I understand his appeal and he’s played his card right in the business, rising steadily from his days as a TV actor to becoming quite a Hollywood royalty if you will. Plus, the man knows how to pick good films and in the case of The Ides of March, he knows how to make a decent one.
So in honor of his Oscar nomination, here are a double reviews of his two latest films:
The Ides of March
I’m generally not a big fan of political films. Heck I’m not into politics in general, call me cynical but I feel that for the most part, there are just so much unethical stuff going on and it’s just a matter of what people can get away with and how much they’re willing to sacrifice to gain power. This political drama directed by Clooney is full of such back-alley dealings and takes its name from a historical event from the Roman Calendar. It’s a date commonly associated with the death of Julius Caesar, who was stabbed to death in the Roman Senate by a group of conspirators led by his most trusted allies and long-time friend Brutus.
There’s a loose connection between that event and what happens in this film, but a theme of betrayal is certainly ripe in the story. To understand the plot, we’ve got to meet the players: Pennsylvania Governor Mike Morris’ (Clooney) is campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination, and his campaign is led by a world weary campaign veteran Paul (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and his second-hand-man, an idealistic and ambitious 30-year-old Stephen (Ryan Gosling) who’s shrewd at handling the communications with the media. Morris’ biggest rival remains faceless throughout the film but his campaign is run by the cynical and ruthless Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti). Caught in the center of it all is one of Morris’ 20-year-old intern Molly (Evan Rachel Wood) who has the hots for Stephen.
Stephen ends up getting himself in two major predicaments involving Molly and Duffy, two separate occasions that both threaten not only his political career but also the career of his big boss, Morris. Loyalties are tested and the game of survival of the fittest are full on, lives are at stake and not just in political sense. This is a movie where there are no real heroes or villains, just a bunch of ruthless people who’s really tough to root for, in my opinion anyway. None of the characters are really sympathetic as they’re only concerned about themselves and how to get ahead. Perhaps the only person whom I despise the least is Paul who at least still strives to play by the book, perhaps too much for his own good.
I don’t think this film tells us anything new or fresh perspective that we don’t otherwise already know about politics. If anything it just reaffirms the ‘dirty politics’ reputation of every political party. Career victory wins over virtue, that seems to be the message, which is hardly surprising. Still I think overall I think it’s a decent film that offers intriguing dialog and a great deal of intellectual suspense. I like the subtlety of Clooney’s direction, he doesn’t show every single thing to the audition but instead scenarios are implied in a clever way, such as when Paul enters the big campaign SUVs with Morris in a back alley, it’s clear that his fate within that campaign is sealed. The face-off between Stephen and Morris in a dark kitchen of a restaurant is also shot in a sinister way that shows their faces in the shadows most of the time.
The performances are top notch and that’s another props from Clooney to draw sharp performances from his cast. Gosling is sleek and confident in this role, but I feel that he has that same cocky aura he displays in those DRIVE trailers and movie posters. Clooney doesn’t have as much screen time here but he certainly makes for a believable Obama-like figure, and seems like he’s likened his character to Obama as his campaign posters are done in the exact same way. To me, the two scene-stealers are the actors playing the campaign managers of both parties, Hoffman and Giamatti. They don’t share a screen together however, but their scenes with Gosling are quite memorable. Evan Rachael Wood proves that she’s one of today’s brightest young stars, she embodies her role with sheer drive and youthful recklessness that plays a key role in the downfall of the political candidate, as well as her own. Marisa Tomey is good but it’s a nothing special as she’s done a similar type of supporting roles in other films I saw recently.
Final thoughts:
I think fans of political films will enjoy this one and those who are already fans of the cast will definitely appreciate them all the more. I appreciate Clooney’s direction and the performances, but the film itself is not entertaining or even compelling enough for me to want to watch again.
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| 3.5 out of 5 reels |
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The Descendants
I went to see this film largely because of Clooney’s casting and the fact that he was nominated for an Oscar for his performance. I’ll tell you right off the bat that I think his nomination is well-deserved, and it’s perhaps one of my favorite roles from this actor to date.
The story from writer/director Alexander Payne (Election, Sideways) is centered on the life of Matt King (Clooney), a workaholic attorney living in Hawaii. His life is turned upside down when his wife Elizabeth suddenly fell into a coma following a boating accident that leaves him to care for his two daughters. At the same time, Matt is also at the crossroad involving the decision to sell his family’s 25000-acre land that’s been handed down from his ancestors of Hawaiian royalty and missionaries, hence the film’s title. As the trustee of the estate, Matt torn between his family who want to sell the land and the rest of the island who wants him to preserve it.
The film opens with Clooney narrating the story, it’s done in a matter-of-fact manner refuting the common preconception that people who live in a place like Hawaii is devoid of personal problems. His friends seem to think that life in this tropical paradise must be equally perfect, not lacking anything. “Paradise? Paradise can go f*** itself.” Matt scoffs. That is such a perfect opening as it sets the tone to the whole film and how Matt’s life is definitely far from the pristine look of his surrounding.
Prior to Elizabeth being in a coma, Matt was an absentee father, he’s the ‘back-up parent’ that’s how he describes himself, thus his relations with his daughters is obviously not going to be easy, especially when he takes 17-year-old Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) home from her private school in the last days of her mother’s life. Alex seems like a typical rebellious teenager but when she tells her father a secret involving her mother’s infidelity, it’s clear life hasn’t been easy for her either.
This story could easily be overly sentimental and unbearably glum, but yet Payne somehow manages to inject subtle humor and the way Matt deals with his seemingly endless quandaries is often funny without diminishing the weight of those circumstances. The scene of Matt running to his neighbors’ house in a drab polo shirt, shorts and sandals is shot almost like a comic sequence even though he’s about to question them about his wife’s affair. The same with the scenes when Matt is spying on the man his wife is cheating on and when he pays him a visit. The script and Payne’s direction perfectly capture such complicated and extremely awkward situation with dexterity that makes you go, ‘wow, I sure hope I’d never end up in such predicament.’
Though I haven’t seen Payne’s previous work, I’ve read enough reviews about them that makes me think he like to incorporate all kinds of quirky characters in his films, though not to the degree of Wes Anderson. This film is no exception, Alex’s friend Sid’s stoned-like mannerism provides comic relief, but later we reveal that he too is not exempt from personal tragedy. In fact, the variety of characters in this film is what makes this film so wonderful to watch.
What I like about Clooney in this role is how far it is from his glamorous movie-star persona. In a lot of his films, one could argue that he’s just playing a variation of himself but I can’t say that it’s the case here. I feel that he’s able to epitomize the pathos and the personal hell his character goes through with precision and care. A less capable actor could easily resort to overacting, but fortunately Clooney manages to avoid that and the astute script definitely helps him achieve that. The rest of the performances is good as well, even the small roles by Beau Bridges as one of Matt’s cousins and Judy Greer as the oblivious wife of Elizabeth’s lover. I’m impressed with relative newcomer Shailene Woodley who’s done mostly TV work by this point. It’s touching to see Alex’s emotional growth that helps repairs her relationship with her dad, and that subtle transformation is believable.
The seemingly two separate storyline about Elizabeth’s coma and the sale of his family’s land somehow connect together at the end as Matt finally comes to a unexpected decisionIt’s not entirely unpredictable as we’ve sort of been cajoled to root for the King family to keep the land, but it’s a satisfying ending nonetheless. There’s no fairy tale ending but it’s a heartwarming one that definitely puts a smile in my face as tears run down my cheek.
Final Thoughts:
This neatly-paced drama boasts wonderful performances and carries an inspiring theme about second chances and forgiveness. The message about the importance of family over wealth is also quite strong which is always nice to see in today’s films. On top of that, it also boasts a beautifully-shot scenery of the island of Kauai that lends an authentic flavor to the story instead of becoming a distraction.
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| 4.5 out of 5 reels | ||||
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Well, have you seen either one of these films? I’d love to hear your thoughts on them and also on Mr. Clooney.
FLIXCHATTER FILM BLOG 
Do you think maybe the point of The Ides of March was to show that none of them were characters to really root for as politics corrupts everyone?
Yeah I think so, and Clooney did a good job portraying that. That tells me to stay away from politics, ahah.
I think I had similar opinions of both of these films. I enjoyed The Descendants more I must admit. Mainly because of Payne though, such a great director.
Thanks for sharing these review my friend
Yep, Payne’s direction is definitely the main draw for me just from what I’ve been reading. Thanks matey.
Well done. I think most folks liked the Descendants more than The Ides of March. As you say – politics is an unethical dirty business. Give Clooney credit for taking on a role where his character’s motivations are clearly not noble. I also loved the Giamatti role of Tom Duffy.
As for the Descendants, even though Clooney’s character, Matt King, is
a) living in a paradise
b) a successful attorney
c) has control of a huge parcel of land
his life is anything but easy. But this only goes to make the character someone we can identify with despite the above advantages that he may over us.
Your reviews were terrific. Thanks.
jmm
Thanks Mike! I’m glad I saw The Descendants on the big screen. I kind of had to get over my indifference to Clooney ahah, but he really was good in this film.
Yep, the story has a good message that money/wealth/power isn’t everything without love and family, but yet it’s done without being preachy.
You’ve never seen any of Payne’s other films? You gotta see ‘Election.’ You’d like that one – full of great dark humor.
Election is da best!
I want to see more Payne’s films now, and since it came so highly recommended, I’ll start w/ Election. Thanks guys 🙂
Both of these are buried somewhere in the Netflix queue … I’m with you on Clooney. I actually enjoy him more as a personality than as an actor. Thanks for the good reviews!
Ahaha Iba, The Ides of March is buried at the TOP of my Netflix queue lol. Netflix absolutely refuses to send me my top 5 or 6 choices for the past couple months, that’s absolutely ridiculous lol
Btw Cas, that’s not Iba, it’s Sam 🙂
That’s weird why Netflix won’t send you your top picks, do they just have a long wait?? Good thing I’ve canceled my subscription then.
Actually I don’t really pay attention to Clooney in general but from the little I’ve seen, he seems to have that movie star charm. I don’t think The Descendants is even available on Netflix yet since it’s still playing in theaters, but yeah, I highly recommend it.
I liked The Descendants, it was poignant and well acted. I just didn’t think it was all that memorable so in that regard, I think it’s somewhat overrated (Best Pic nomination and all). Clooney and Woodley give strong performances but I would have liked to see more dry humor to compensate for all the sadness. It felt a bit heavy-handed at times.
Well if that Extremely Loud movie could get in, why not The Descendants? 🙂 I think if the number of films nominated were only 5, no I don’t think it should be included but I don’t have a problem it being one of this year’s top 10. I actually think there is a nice balance between the humor and the sad parts, after all the subject matter IS quite heavy. I feel like the humor felt natural and not tacked on just to make the movie ‘lighter’ y’know.
I was wondering what you were gonna think of them, as i know you’re not big on Clooney or Gosling.
Well wonder no more, I think I made it quite clear how I feel about both of them 🙂
Hi, Ruth and company:
Two very good, intriguing reviews. Well detailed and well executed.
George Clooney is more miss than hit with me. Caught The Ides of March a few weekends ago. And still think the film is the next step up the political ladder of glad handing, image control and deal making that Robert Redford’s far superior, grittier The Candidate revealed decades ago.
I’ll wait for HBO on The Descendants . The film strikes me as a platform for an actor revels in the sound of his own voice.
Great touch with your Final Thoughts . A great way to wrap up a film!
Hello Jack, thanks for the kind comment. Well I’d agree with you about Clooney, I even turned off The Good German after watching him and Tobey Maguire in the first 15 minutes! That’s why I said in the post how I feel about him generally, in fact, I gag every time I hear people compare him to Cary Grant or [gasp] Gregory Peck, no way in heck is he in the same caliber!
In any case, I do think The Descendants is a good film, but perhaps more because of Payne’s direction, but to Clooney’s defense, I think he doesn’t seem like he’s playing himself here, at least not as much as he is in other films.
Thanks for noticing the Final Thoughts, I might add that to my future reviews from now on 🙂
I haven’t seen either of these films but might rent them someday when I’m in the mood. I think the last Clooney film I saw was The American.
Oh I heard The American was damn boring. I think I’ll skip that one. It’s a cool concept if it had a different lead actor.
Yeah I think I may have mentioned to you how boring it was, in fact I was still working Thomson when I saw The American. I wouldn’t recommend it, I don’t mind slow films if there’s something good going on and have a good payoff, The American has neither.
Even though my most recent post might make you believe that I am a fan of Mr. Clooney and Brad Pitt, the truth is that I find them both very capable actors but not ones that have managed to impress me time and time again. Far from being my favorites.
Brad Pitt has had, in my view, a very good 2011, probably better than Clooney’s. George did a decent job with Ides of March and I could not agree more with your review, but I have enjoyed previous directorial efforts a bit more, such as “Good Night and Good Luck”, just to give an example.
I can’t say more about Clooney because “The Descendants” is one of the Oscar nominees I have not had the chance to watch. I hope to do it as soon as it comes out on DVD. I doubt I will be disappointed though
Niels
Hi Niels, I guess we’d have to agree to disagree about Pitt, but who knows I might change my mind about him later on. As for Clooney, I know he’s directed other films before, I just couldn’t remember which ones. I might rent ‘Good Night and Good Luck’ at some point.
I think you’ll enjoy ‘The Descendants’ if you like his work, it’s really a well-crafted and well-acted film.
Thanks for reviewing both of these. I like Clooney for the most part. I don’t dis-like him! haha, although he did make for a pretty lousy Batman!
On The Ides of March, I literally hadn’t realized just how many high-caliber stars are in the film! While I’m not too keen on political dramas either, I’m glad to know that this one didn’t just focus on the candidate.
On The Descendants. Bravo. Glad you liked it. You’re right, it very well tells that even in “paradise” trouble can exist. A beautifully set film and a great review here Ruth.
Hi T, I don’t dislike him either, more indifferent I guess but I have to give him props where it’s due. But yeah, he definitely made the worst Batman, ahah.
If you’re not keen on political dramas, I’d say there are better ones to make exceptions for. I do love The Descendants, I guess paradise could be anywhere in the world as it’s all about what you make of your life.
I am going to pass The Ides of March, political movies bored me.
The Descendent, on the other hand, is worth to see (looking for the DVD) …despite the fact I am not into Clooney…the story sounds interesting.
I like the fact that you said he is not playing himself in that movie.
Great reviews, Ruth.
Ahah, what if both Benedict AND Cilian star in a political drama? 😉
I’m not into Clooney either Nov, but watch The Descendants for the story and Payne’s direction… and to be fair, he is actually very good here and makes the film work with his understated performance. Let me know what you think after you see it.
Hahaha…you know that’s an exception 😉
I will watch the movie, as well as The Artist, once the DVD is out.
See, I knew it 😀 Well to be fair, I probably would like it more if it had a different cast than Clooney/Gosling.
I havn’t seen The Descendants yet, but I loved the book. I hope the movie is as good as the book. They seldom are. The book is being reviewed on The book Report radio show, so you can listen to the archived shows on http://bookreportradio.com if you want to find out more about the book.
Hi Howard, welcome to FC! Thanks for the link. I wasn’t planning on reading the book but I’ll check it out. I can’t say if the movie is as good as the book but I think it’s quite well-done and well-acted. Perhaps you should check it out and let me know what you think. Thanks!
I thought The Descendants was superb. I love all of Alexander Payne’s work and this was a nice change of pace for the filmmaker. That final shot lives long in the memory. Great film.
It does indeed, Dan. I will check out Payne’s other work, a lot of people suggested ‘Election’ so I’ll go w/ that first.
Very nice double feature! I enjoyed both films, but I would give the slight edge to The Ides of March. I was happy to see that get a nomination for best screenplay. The Descendants was solid, but I didn’t fall for it like everyone else seemed to. I have to give props to Shailene Woodley, though. She was phenomenal.
Thanks Eric. So are you just more into political thrillers than dramas, is that part of the reasons you like ‘Ides of March’ better? Or you just think the performances/story is just superior? I do think both are good movies but I feel like the story of The Descendants resonated with me more. Agree w/ Woodley, I thought she’d be one of the nominees for Best Supporting Actress, they seem to like to nominated young’uns every once in a while, like Hailee Steinfeld for True Grit.
I think it came down to enjoying the story more. I despise politics, but I can get into a good political drama. Some aspects of The Descendants felt forced to me, and I didn’t like how the “will he or won’t he sell the land” subplot ended. Still a good movie, but I wouldn’t list it in my top 10 of the year.
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