The Ides of March trailer was released yesterday after the poster came out the day before. George Clooney is the director and he adapted the screenplay with Grant Heslov but even though Clooney is the big name, the story is all Ryan Gosling. It all hinges on Ryan Gosling. And this is why George Clooney handpicked Ryan Gosling. George, as you know, doesn’t f-ck around with his own sh-t. He has high hopes for his own sh-t. And he is resting those hopes on Ryan, even though every young actor threw themselves at him for this part (including, I’m told, John Krasinski with whom Clooney had previously worked in Leatherheads), it was Ryan he always had in mind. Just like Steve Carell for Crazy, Stupid, Love. I love how Ryan can disengage for a few years and tinker around with his band and then come back, fully committed, and work on passion projects right away, without having to resort to any shenanigans. Ryan Gosling is why Kellan Lutz will never amount to anything.
The Ides of March looks smart and sharp; it doesn’t seem to, at least so far, talk down to the audience; there appears to be a focus on dialogue, and, naturally, as is expected from a Clooney project, it will likely be performance-driven . I mean, you need to bring your game. You better bring your game. That’s Paul Giamatti and there’s Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Crazy, Stupid, Love opens tomorrow. The reviews have been decent so far. Gosling will join Clooney in Venice to open the festival with Ides. Then they will hit Toronto where they will both have two features – for Ryan it will be Ides and Drive which continues to generate critical acclaim. People don’t just like this movie Drive, they LOVE this movie Drive. You will love Drive.
Right now though he’s in Upstate New York, with hair coloured shock blonde, on the set yesterday of The Place Beyond the Pines, directed by his Blue Valentine friend Derek Cianfrance. Obviously not my favourite look but the entire outfit is hilarious, from the eye tattoo to the pants. I wonder if he’ll be finished by the time festival season rolls around. Can you imagine him like this on the carpets?
Photos from StClair/Massie/Splashnewsonline.com
