Stephen Myers (Ryan Gosling) — the precociously successful political media consultant at the center of The Ides of March — knows how to handle his business. Sure, he might believe that the man he’s working for, Pennsylvania Gov. Mike Morris (George Clooney), is the best candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination and the man who can do the most to make America better. But he’s also just fine with feeding a specious allegation about their opponent to the media, just so it will require time spent to fight it off.” If you’re looking for a starry-eyed idealist in The Ides of March, whose utopian dreams might be crushed by harsh reality, you best look elsewhere.  

Writer/director Michael Hoffman's film adaptation of Jay Parini's novel doesn't effectively rally the strength of its accomplished actors. Whenever the action abandons Leo Tolstoy (Christopher Plummer)and wife Sofya (Helen Mirren), it's as if the film regresses into a teen love story. Grade: C-plus.  

High on concept, low on execution, writer/director Sophie Barthes' gray comedy of postmodern, existential panic never finds its balance before falling off the same kind of narrative that 'Being John Malkovich' danced effortlessly on. You might get a chuckle from the idea of the movie, but you'll never get to laugh. Grade: C-.  

Writer/director Tony Gilroy ('Michael Clayton') runs his ship aground with a smarty-pants crime romance set amid the world of corporate espionage. Stars Clive Owen, Julia Roberts, Tom Wilkinson and Paul Giamatti all look great on the big screen, but that hardly makes 'Duplicity' anything more than a barely watchable crime thriller. Grade: C-.