Philadelphia Inquirer by Steven Rea

This taut cautionary tale explores the dark side of American politics. And leaves the viewer to wonder - if anyone's still wondering - is there a bright side?

Entertainment Weekly by Owen Gleiberman

Clooney certainly brings out the best in his actors, but his driving trait as a filmmaker is that he knows what plays - he has an uncanny sense of how to uncork a scene and let it bubble and flow.

New Orleans Times-Picayune by Mike Scott

Both taut and satisfyingly relevant, it presents a portrait of a compromised elections system -- one that should give the left wing, the right wing and the fringe-dwelling nutjobs something they can all agree on. Namely: We're in deep doo-doo.

Rolling Stone by Peter Travers

A big, bruisingly funny moral fable etched in acid and Obama disillusion.

Orlando Sentinel by Roger Moore

It isn't a great film. But it is a smart and high-minded one, wonderfully cast, with understated direction. Clooney is good enough in the lead to stir talk of a political future.

Observer by Rex Reed

A cynical, polished and deeply disturbing look at the kind of camera-ready liberal dreamboy who gets elected in 60-second sound bites, it is one of the most important films of the year.

ReelViews by James Berardinelli

This is a deeply cynical movie and, in that cynicism, it finds truth.

Portland Oregonian by Marc Mohan

A harsh self-examination of the cynicism that has crept into every cranny of the political landscape. As such, it's absolutely a story of our times.

Tampa Bay Times by Steve Persall

As a director, Clooney makes his most straightforward movie yet, although it's static at times due to the stage origins of Willimon's material.

IndieWire by Eric Kohn

The title suggests a dramatic Shakespearean twist, but Clooney's aims are much simpler. As he builds to a western showdown divorced from political specificity, the Manchurian-like manipulation turns Ides of March into an allegorical monster movie in which everyone's competing for the role of the monster and most people can't see it.