The political thriller The Ides of March, which opens next Friday October 7, stars George Clooney and Ryan Gosling, and therefore seems designed to undermine the old adage that “politics is showbiz for ugly people.”

Ides casts Gosling as hotshot political operative Stephen Myers, who’s hard at work on the presidential nomination bid of populist governor Mike Morris (Clooney, who also directed the movie). The central conceit is that public figures like Morris are supposed to be the idealistic purists in this game, and behind-the-scenes types like Myers are all scheming Machiavellis. You can expect this moral order to be upended before the third act.

Beyond a cynical take on politics, though, Ides also offers audiences a chance to consider what makes the ideal politician, and the ideal man, as embodied by the two leads.

Clooney is well-cast as a popular politico. As both an actor and a celebrity, Clooney is basically The White Man Everyone Can Agree On. Guys like him, gals like him, the press loves him. Any political party would be chuffed to have a candidate with that kind of appeal.

Gosling, on the other hand, is more of an unknown quantity — although with about 15 dozen movies coming out this year, he may finally get to be known by his name, instead of simply as “that guy from The Notebook.” Hollywood, at least, seems to think that he is the model of manhood, as shown by his recent turns as a manliness-coach in Crazy, Stupid, Love, and a quiet, romantic thug in the art/action flick Drive.

It’s worth noting that neither of these guys, not in their celebrity “brands,” nor in the film roles they tend to accept, fall into the recently trendy Apatow-esque categories of wimp, man-child, geek, slacker, schlub, etc. You know: the kinds of characters whose recent rise is supposed to signal some kind of crisis in manhood.

Thing is, Clooney-the-mentor and Gosling-the-apprentice don’t fit into many of the old-school leading man boxes, either. They don’t do crazy — the kinds of twitchy, aggressive, unbalanced types that laid the foundations of the careers of your Pitts, Cruises and Gibsons. They aren’t closed-mouth toughies, like your Stathams and Stallones, whose appeal depends on their ability to conquer other men; when Gosling does turn on the violence in Drive, it’s fascinating because it’s unexpected. And Ryan and George are nowhere near the look-at-me comic/rockstar/artiste mode of your Stillers, Brands, Francos and Depps.

So if Clooney and Gosling — both poised comfortably at opposite sides of 40 — represent ideals of masculinity, what do they have that people might want from us regular guys?

Based on the evidence, and assuming that basic hygiene and decent clothes are a given, here are the other factors that strangers and acquaintances — your co-workers, your in-laws, women at a bar, voters — really seem to appreciate in a man or politician.

FOUR FEATURES OF THE IDEAL MAN/CANDIDATE (MANDIDATE?):

He enjoys himself
Clooney-the-celebrity is master of this. He always looks like he’s having a good time, and people eat it up. It’s what separates his public persona from Don Draper’s. Gosling has to work on this if he wants to fill the Clooney’s likable shoes down the way.

He has a social life
You could be in the middle of a swinging party, like Clooney in Ocean’s Eleven, or off in the corner with tonight’s one special lady, like Gosling in Crazy, Stupid, Love. The point is not only to not be the centre of attention, but also to help someone else have a good time.

He makes eye contact, delete and keeps his mouth shut at least part of the time.
Sure, they can both play sweet talkers, but these guys do a lot of just looking at people in their film. Theoretically, they are listening while they do it.

He keeps his @#$% together, as far any casual observer can tell.
Everyone loves to watch a scandal, or a breakdown, or a funny over-share, but no one wants the embarrassment of associating with the main players.

Sure, not every man can be George Clooney or Ryan Gosling, and not everyone can lead a country. Still, if a guy wants to know how to make a good impression, it wouldn’t hurt to take a few lessons from the masters.

——————–
Image courtesy of wvs.