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The Ides of March
Dirty tricks stand to soil an ambitious young press spokesman's idealism in a cutthroat presidential campaign where 'victory' is relative.
2011 · Directed by George Clooney · 101 min · Drama · Screenplay in the scene database · 9 frames
Tagline
Ambition seduces. Power corrupts.
Plot
Stephen Meyers is a talented political staffer and the junior campaign manager for Pennsylvania Governor Mike Morris. Just days before the pivotal primary elections in Ohio and North Carolina, Stephen and senior campaign manager Paul Zara work to secure Morris the Democratic nomination for president and defeat rival Ted Pullman.
The New York Times reporter Ida Horowicz seeks an inside scoop on the Ohio primary. Paul is confident in Morris's odds from his career experience while Stephen believes deeply in Morris's political cause. Ida warns Stephen that Morris will disappoint him. Before leaving, Paul tells Ida off the record that they're pursuing the endorsement of North Carolina Senator Franklin Thompson, a DINO whose control over 356 pledged delegates would secure Morris the nomination.
Stephen takes a meeting with Tom Duffy, Pullman's senior campaign manager, who offers Stephen a job and calls him “the best media mind in the country.” Duffy claims the race is about to turn in Pullman's favor and reveals that they won Thompson's endorsement by promising him the post of Secretary of State. Stephen criticizes this kind of "dirty politics", but Duffy argues that it is necessary to win. Stephen admits that he met with Duffy, angering Paul, and shares Pullman's deal with Thompson. He encourages Morris to put Thompson on the ticket, but Morris refuses on principle.
Plot summary from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.
Crew
- Screenplay: George Clooney, Beau Willimon, Grant Heslov
- Cinematography: Phedon Papamichael
- Edited by: Stephen Mirrione
- Music: Alexandre Desplat
- Production design: Sharon Seymour
- Produced by: George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Brian Oliver
Cast
- Ryan Gosling as Stephen Meyers
- George Clooney as Mike Morris
- Philip Seymour Hoffman as Paul Zara
- Paul Giamatti as Tom Duffy
- Evan Rachel Wood as Molly Stearns
- Marisa Tomei as Ida Horowicz
- Jeffrey Wright as Senator Thompson
- Max Minghella as Ben Harpen
- Jennifer Ehle as Cindy Morris
- Gregory Itzin as Jack Stearns
Production
- Country: United States of America
- Language: English
- Studios: Appian Way, Crystal City Entertainment, Cross Creek Pictures, Exclusive Media
- Budget: $12,500,000
- Box office: $76,338,111
- Themes: politics, ohio, dirty tricks, cynical, presidential campaign, endorsement, campaign speech, presidential debate
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