The Ides Of March synopsis/preview

October 7

Directed by George Clooney ( Good Night and Good Luck )starring Ryan Gosling, Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood and Marisa Tomei, written by Clooney and Grant Heslov, cinematography by Phedon Papamichael ( Sideways ) edited by Oscar winner Stephen Mirrione ( Traffic, Babel, 21 Grams ) and original score by 4 time Oscar nominee Alexander Desplat ( Benjamin Button, The Queen )


Plot: Stephen Myers (Ryan Gosling) is the Junior Campaign Manager for Mike Morris (George Clooney), Governor of Pennsylvania and a Democratic presidential candidate, competing against Arkansas Senator Ted Pullman (Michael Mantell). Myers and Senior Campaign Manager Paul Zara (Philip Seymour Hoffman) are attempting to enlist Ohio's support for Morris, which would nearly guarantee his nomination.

After a debate, Myers is approached by rival Campaign Manager Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti), who offers him a position in Senator Pullman's campaign. Myers refuses, and asserts that he believes in Morris' political views. Duffy tells Myers that his optimism won't last, and that Myers will eventually be cynical and corrupt like the other candidates.

Myers starts a sexual relationship with Molly Stearns (Evan Rachel Wood), an intern for Morris' campaign and daughter of Jack Stearns, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee. One day, Myers discovers that Molly is trying to call Morris. She and Morris had an affair six months before, and Molly is pregnant with Morris' baby. Myers helps her raise money for an abortion and drives her to the clinic. While he waits, Morris and Zara call him, and reveal that his encounter with Duffy was leaked to the press and published by Ida Horowicz (Marisa Tomei), Myers' friend and a reporter for the New York Times.

Myers is fired for betraying their trust. He attempts, unsuccessfully, to win back his job by revealing that Duffy told him that Senator Pullman intended to guarantee his victory by offering Senator Thompson (Jeffrey Wright), whose endorsement will be vital to the eventual nominee, the position of Secretary of State.

Myers offers his services to Duffy, but Duffy doesn't want to hire Myers. He engineered the leak to lure Myers from Morris' campaign. Meanwhile, Molly learns that Myers has been fired and, fearing that he will use her secret to get revenge on Morris, commits suicide. Myers feels guilty about this, as he did intend to expose Morris' affair.

Myers later confronts Morris, and tells Morris that he will expose the affair if Morris doesn't restore his job and fire Zara. Morris relents, and Zara compliments Myers on using his own secrets to his advantage. Myers convinces Morris to offer a better position to Senator Thompson in his administration and secure Thompson's support, increasing his chances of securing the nomination.

Now Senior Campaign Manager, Myers attends a press conference organized by Ida. He suddenly realizes that Duffy was right, and he has betrayed everything he believed in for success and revenge. Disgusted with himself, Myers considers revealing the truth behind his return to Morris' campaign and exposing Morris' secrets.

The movie ends before Myers' decision is revealed. The film has received a good approval rating and will most likely earn some Oscar nominations.

Rated R for pervasive language. 101 minutes.