( CNN ) -- Fans of classic 1970 's films like `` Network '' and `` The Parallax View '' should flock to `` The Ides of March , '' George Clooney 's fourth outing as a director and second produced screenplay . It 's a taut and engaging political thriller that should resonate with Americans of any political persuasion . Liberal , left-wing Pennsylvania Gov . Mike Morris ( Clooney ) is in the fight of his life , running for the Democratic nomination for president . He leads in the polls and the delegate count , but anything can happen in the week before the primary and a potential spoiler/kingmaker waits in the wings in the form of North Carolina Sen. Thompson ( Jeffrey Wright ) . Stakes are high . The old saying of `` as Ohio goes , so goes the nation '' implies that a win in the primary is the key . However , Sen. Thompson controls a large group of delegates who are likely to go to whatever candidate he endorses . So while trying to win Ohio , both Morris and his rival are at the same time clandestinely courting Thompson 's favors , with New York Times reporter Ida Horowicz ( Marissa Tomei ) doggedly looking for the scoop . With so much of modern politics playing out in the media , the results often hinge on the dance between campaign and reporter . This complicated pas de deux with Tomei 's reporter is performed on the campaign side by grizzled veteran campaign manager Paul Zara ( Philip Seymour Hoffman ) and hotshot young press secretary Stephen Meyers ( Ryan Gosling ) . ( Which kind of makes it a pas de trois , but never mind . ) Gosling is at the center of the film , once again proving that he is more than capable of holding his own in a group of heavyweights , inhabiting Myers like he 's been playing him on stage for years . In fact , `` The Ides of March '' is adapted from Beau Willimon 's play `` Farragut North . '' Ambitious and aggressively idealistic , the only thing Myers cares about more than winning is believing in his candidate , which of course sets him apart from virtually all the real-world political operators working inside the D.C. Beltway and sets him up for a vicious life lesson . As Gov . Morris , Clooney is at his best , with his campaign speeches and television appearances echoing Bill Clinton , but with a charm that leans more towards the urbane than the folksy . At one point Morris flat out tells a debate audience not to vote for him if they do n't agree with his positions on the issues . Imagine ! It is in the private moments , however , that the true , cynical face of politics shows its face and it is in this cynicism that `` Ides '' finds its true footing . A throwback film in a sense , `` Ides '' is not the `` Pretty Woman '' look at politics and things get ugly . An old saw is that working in politics is a great place to meet women and this holds true here , as Myers meets young , aggressive campaign intern Molly ( Evan Rachel Wood ) and their short and rather unsubtle flirtation leads to a series of events that , before they conclude , affect virtually everyone involved in dramatic ways and shakes Myers ' beliefs to the core . At one point the 30-year-old Myers brags that he 's worked on more campaigns than most people have by the time they 're 40 , but Hoffman 's Zara and equally seasoned rival campaign manager Tom Duffy ( Paul Giamatti ) in turn play Myers like a violin , proving that `` The X-Files '' was right : Trust no one . To which I would add : and keep your mouth shut . In essence , `` Ides '' is about tests . A test of idealism in the face of reality and a test of political resolve in the face of events that shake conviction . Gosling 's Myers is playing with the big boys and navigating the often ethically muddy waters of presidential politics is not for the faint of heart . It is also about compromise . How much of your ideals , integrity and reputation are you willing to sacrifice for `` the greater good '' and does that greater good actually exist ? While the choices may be integrity vs. career and ethics vs. ambition , it 's not always clear which choice will produce which result . Despite Clooney 's outspoken left-leaning politics , this is a film without a partisan agenda and one that both sides of the aisle ought to see and in which they may quite possibly see themselves . It 's an entertaining , suspenseful and deeply cynical film , but politics is a cynical business and maybe this will be seen as a cautionary tale ... though I doubt it . Was that too cynical ?
George Clooney heads up a star-studded cast in `` The Ides of March '' The political drama follows the presidential campaign of a Pennsylvania governor . Philip Seymour Hoffman , Ryan Gosling and Marissa Tomei also co-star .