Clooney-Packed Weekend

This weekend I saw a lot of George Clooney.  Not that I’m complaining, mind you.  I could stand to see Clooney multiple times a day, let alone multiple times a weekend.  It’d be nice if “seeing him” didn’t mean on the TV screen or in the cinema, though.  Alas, we can’t always get what we want. 

I saw the Ides of March, which Clooney directed, co-wrote and acted in alongside Ryan Gosling (another actor I’m always up for seeing).  As expected, Clooney’s acting was great, but I was surprisingly impressed with his directing, as well. 

The movie is a dark look at the political campaign process.  Clooney, who plays presidential candidate Mike Morris, is his usual charismatic self in the flick.  His effortless and natural charm makes him compelling to watch.  Many times throughout the film I caught myself wishing that Clooney’s Morris was a real-life presidential candidate.  Maybe Clooney should run for president?  He'd have my vote.

Despite the film's somewhat complicated subject matter, Clooney’s directing made the film easy to follow, even for those of us not particularly up-to-speed on the presidential campaign process.  The shots were clean, the acting was sound and the film’s message: the futility of honest ideals in a corrupt political landscape was sophisticatedly conveyed.

I also saw The Descendants, which Clooney starred in. Clooney plays Matt King, a wealthy Hawaiian landowner whose wife falls into a coma after being in a boating accident.  With his wife in the hospital, King must forfeit his “backup parent” status and reconnect with his daughters.  Things get even more complicated when King discovers his wife had been cheating on him and he, with kids in tow, tries to locate her lover.

The film is wonderful.  It is heartfelt without being sentimental, and funny without making a mockery of its subject matter (I mean, it’s about a woman in a coma, for goodness sake).  Writer-director Alexander Payne did a fantastic job.  And his casting was spot-on. Case in point: George Clooney as Matt King.

Clooney's King is a man filled with regret who lives life with his guard up, never allowing anyone to get too close to him.  It's a role we're not accustomed to seeing Clooney in.  But it works.  He makes King likable, despite his cynical personality, and funny, despite his tragic circumstances.  Though I was initially surprised by the casting, after seeing the film I couldn't see anyone else in the role. 

Oh, and in case I forgot to mention: Clooney got a Golden Globe for his performance.  He's a winner.  And so is the film.  You should probably go see it.