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 Democraticnomination 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, 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. Morris refuses to make a backroom deal, valuing a “clean” campaign.
Stephen begins a casual sexual relationship with Molly Stearns, a young intern and daughter of DNC Chairman Jack Stearns. One night while Molly is sleeping, Stephen answers her phone to discover Governor Morris on the line. Molly confesses to a one-night stand with Morris that has left her pregnant. She asks Stephen for money to get an abortion, too afraid to ask her Catholic family. Stephen’s faith in Morris begins to fade as he scrambles to avoid the scandal. He allocates funds for Molly’s abortion and fires her from the campaign, claiming that mistakes mean you “lose the right to play.”
Meanwhile, Ida confronts Stephen about his meeting with Duffy. Paul reveals that he leaked the story to Ida and fires Stephen for disloyalty. Enraged, Stephen goes to Duffy to join Pullman’s campaign, promising dirt on Morris. However, Duffy declines, nervous about Stephen’s desire for revenge. He again praises Stephen’s talent but admits that he sabotaged Stephen just to gain a political edge in the campaign. Duffy finally encourages Stephen to leave politics before he grows cynical and jaded.
After her abortion, Molly learns secondhand that Stephen was fired and swore to destroy the campaign. Fearing exposure of her affair and abortion, she fatally overdoses on post-abortion pills. Stephen discovers the scene and blackmails Governor Morris with a fictional suicide note from Molly.
To avoid the scandal, Morris fires Paul and promotes Stephen to senior campaign manager. He invites Thompson to become his Vice President, securing Thompson’s delegates and becoming the de facto Democratic nominee for President. On the way to a press interview, Stephen stonewalls Ida. Following a speech from Morris on dignity and integrity, Stephen prepares to explain how they secured Thompson’s endorsement.
The theatrical release failed to recognize Cincinnati in the credits as a filming location. Producer and screenplay co-writer Grant Heslov said that "the omission of Cincinnati in the credits was an inadvertent mistake, something that slipped through the cracks." He also said that the credits would be corrected for the home release of the film.[19]
The Ides of March premiered on August 31, 2011 as the opening film of the 68th Venice International Film Festival.[20]Sony Pictures Entertainment bought the distribution rights for the United States only, while Alliance Films bought Canadian distribution. Sony wanted Clooney to keep the play's title, but The Ides of March was picked as the title.[13]The Ides of March was originally planned to have a limited release in December 2011 and a wide release in January 2012.[13] However, Sony eventually moved the film's opening date to 14 October 2011.[21] This was later moved again, to October 7, 2011.
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 84% based on 243 reviews, with an average rating of 7.38/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "While not exactly exposing revelatory truths, The Ides of March is supremely well-acted drama that moves at a measured, confident clip."[22] On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 67 out of 100, based on 43 critics, indicating "generally positive reviews".[23] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.[24]
Some critics gave the film mixed or even negative reviews.[25][26]A. O. Scott of the New York Times wrote, "But it is difficult, really, to connect this fable to the world it pretends to represent. Whatever happens in 2012, within either party or in the contest between them, it seems fair to say that quite a lot will be at stake. That is not the case in The Ides of March, which is less an allegory of the American political process than a busy, foggy, mildly entertaining antidote to it."[27]
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