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Parents' Guide to

The Ides of March

By S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Smart, cynical thriller deals in political excesses.

Movie R 2011 102 minutes
The Ides of March Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 18+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Concerned Parent 101
Concerned Parent 101 Adult
February 3, 2012
age 18+

Great excuse to go out on your own

I knew this was going to be very explicit with loads of bad language so it gave me an excuse to go watch something by myself for once, whilst not feeling bad for the kids. Although I was disappointed that there new ideas in this film. American politics should not be forced on people and cats.

This title has:

Too much swearing
jwade123
jwade123 Adult
October 18, 2011
age 18+

Great political thriller

Since the other two reviews are both by teens younger than the age that they recommended I figured that I would post one that actually might help. The only reason that I say it is not for kids is because I highly doubt that anyone without at least a general knowledge on politics and publicity revolved around that it will be hard to understand and come across as a very boring movie. For politics fans, the movie is thrilling and powerful. It is very well acted. The language is extremely vulgar with frequent use of F**k, S**t, Godd**n, etc. I do not see anyone under the age of 17 enjoying this film except for maybe some smart teens who love Politics.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

At 30, Stephen Myers (Ryan Gosling) is at the top of his game, handling media strategy for Pennsylvania Governor Mike Morris (George Clooney), who's the Democratic presidential candidate. Myers thinks that Morris is the real McCoy, a veteran who's mindful of the devastation that war brings; speaks his mind even on controversial, unpopular matters; and is so principled that he won't play political ball, even to garner crucial votes. Under the mentorship of Morris' campaign manager (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), Myers is allowed to flex his considerable mental muscles. He even gets to flirt with a promising intern (Evan Rachel Wood). But then he gets a surprise call from the opponent's camp. Their lead strategist (Paul Giamatti) wants to poach Myers from Morris' side, telling him that they have a number of political tricks up their sleeve that could crush the governor, so why not move to the winning side? The call leaves Myers reeling -- and sets in motion a chain of events that keeps him on shifting ground.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (8 ):

This movie's a piece of work, really -- in a good way. There's so much that's so good about THE IDES OF MARCH: some genius mood-setting, compelling acting (especially from Gosling, Giamatti, and Hoffman, and, to a lesser extent, Clooney -- who also directed and co-wrote the script), and dialogue that rings so true that it both stings and depresses.

But while there isn't a lot that's wrong with the movie, the disappointments weigh heavily. The heavy-handed noirish-ness of it all, for starters, which tamps down the power of the Beau Willimon play that inspired it. Dress it up in Hollywood lighting and off-kilter, purposefully tense camera angles, and it wilts. The machinations are meant to shock -- and they do, but not as much as the filmmakers seem to expect. At a time when the real-life political buffet serves up all sorts of scandals, is the one that pops up in the movie all that surprising? Or even damaging? Perhaps that's the salient question.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how the movie portrays politics. Do you think it's accurate? Do you think there's room for idealism in the political world?

  • What role does the media have in the political process? How would you describe the relationship between media and politics?

  • Are political scandals all that surprising in this day and age? Why or why not? Do you think there are more scandals now than there used to be, or is it just a case of more media coverage/awareness?

Movie Details

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