My Awards Season Movie Catch Up - The Ides Of March

I have a weird relationship with movie awards shows. I watch the Golden Globes and The Oscars but I really don't care who wins or loses YET, I find it important to see as many nominated movies as possible before these shows take place.

I used to go to the movies multiple times per week. I now have a 20 month old and have seen 7 movies in the theater since then. So it's been increasingly more difficult. But luckily I was sick this week so I put the kid in daycare and called in to work so I got to see Ides of March.

I'm not a movie critic and I'm going to keep these spoiler free (in case I bump my head and forget I saw it since I'm under the assumption I'm the only one who reads this.) but while the movie was decent it got me asking the question, "Is good acting enough to get a movie in to the Best Picture discussion?" Because honestly the story was nothing special. I've seen plenty of better political dramas. But at the same time I think the cast acted the hell out of it. You want to put Ryan Gosling in the running for Best Actor I'd have no problem with that. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti were both solid as rival campaign managers and Clooney was Clooney. This movie was able to get a Globe nom because of the two separate best movie categories but I can't see it sneaking in to the top 7 or so Oscar nominations (that's the number I'm hearing with gain enough votes). If it does, like I said, it'll be on the strength of the acting and not the story and I would give it a roughly zero percent chance of winning.

Little side thought: Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Marisa Tomei had a scene together in this movie sitting around the table. Hoffman seems like the consummate professional but as a guy he had to be looking across that table and remembering the last time they worked together, right? That opening scene of When the Devil Knows Your Dead was pretty intense.

And just for the record, so far I've only seen: The Help and Young Adult as far as movies that might have a shot for movie or acting nominations. And I guess Bridesmaids too if you believe some of that hype. My priorities are Moneyball, The Descendants and The Artist in that order.