"The Expendables" in business suit

Whatever you want to say about this movie, you can't fault its choice of cast: Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, and Marisa Tomei. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti are hands-down the two favorite contemporary actors of mine, I mean, gosh, you can make a movie of these two scrubbing the floor for two hours and I'd be watching it from beginning to end full of benefit of doubts. And if they throw in a line or two, a little witty jabs and spars across the floor, I might just believe I am watching the modern day "Wait for Gordot." George Clooney should be given credit for simply thinking of putting these two together. But that's also the exact problem of this movie -- it packs so much star power in such a tighly-wound story,nobody is really given the necessary length and breadth to shine. I mean, "Ides of March" is like "The Expendable" in business suit -- they might be aiming at different group of junkies, but it's pulled from the same bag of trick .

Shakespearean reference and election backdrop aside, the movie is not politically ambitious in any real sense. Rather, it's just another little drama based on the drummed-up but dumbed-down hollywood concept of political conspiracy. A cliche. The movie is full of cliche . In the only scene that really involves Paul Giamatti, he bellowed: "If you stay in this business long enough you'll get cynical and jaded!" I mean, the guy himself is a walking definition of cynicism and jadedness. But making him utter so lame a line is like asking Van Gough to compose a kid's song about sunflowers. He might as well be yelling at Gosling "Cookies are delicious!", with the same indignation and conviction, and it won't feel any more hollow or comical. Other than this supposedly gut-wrenching scene,we see very little of Paul Giamatti.

Ryan Gosling, the modern day James Dean minus the sadness, is infinitely cool, which unfortunately, makes the scheming and plotting at the end of the movie unconvincing. But pit him against Hoffman is another great touch. The scene where Hoffman fired Gosling reminds me , well, just a little, the great Lester Bang telling the kid "they make you feel cool. Hey, I've met you, you are not cool. You are uncool".

And last but not least, man, Marisa Tomei has aged. And aged so well.

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