One of the most famous actors, directors, producers, and movie stars of the last several decades,George Clooneyis one of the hardest working men in the industry right now. Although Clooney is now defined by a reputation of class that is a result of his soft, gentle charisma, it’s easy to forget that his star power in mainstream film wasn’t always guaranteed. In the wake ofFrom Dusk Till Dawn, it seemed like he was destined to be more of a “cult star” than anything, and the complete failure ofBatman & Robinsuggested that he never should have left the world of television to begin with.
However, Clooney began taking his role in the industry seriously within the late-1990s and early-21st Century thanks to a few key collaborations withdirectors like Steven Soderberghand the Coen Brothers. In addition to raising the profile of his collaborators, Clooney also began directing films of his own. The Academy Awards were overwhelmed by the work he did in 2005 alone; in addition to winning Best Supporting Actor for his role in the oil dramaSyriana, he also received nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay for the historical journalism dramaGood Night, and Good Luck. He has continued to move forward with his career primarily as a director, although he will still take on surprising acting roles every once in a while.
One of the best things about Clooney is the sense of humor he has about his own failures; heonce joked that“when you destroy a franchise the way I did, usually they look the other way,” in reflection on his role as Bruce Wayne, but that was prior to his surprising cameo appearance at the end ofThe Flash. While hopefully Clooney has more exciting projects on his radar other than appearing in a sequel tothe doomed DC film, it’s nice to see him honoring his comic book roots. Here are some underrated George Clooney movies that deserve more credit.
8The Perfect Storm
History and true stories seem to always fascinate Clooney, and he gives one of his best performances in this tragic tale revolving around the crew of the commercial swordfishing boatAndrea Gailwhen it is caught in a “perfect storm.” Clooney’s resilient performance inThe Perfect Stormas the ship’s captain shows the dedication and bravery that these men had up until the bitter end.
Related:The Best George Clooney Movies, Ranked
Remaking a classic as beloved asSolarisis no easy task, asAndrei Tarkovsky’s original masterworkis considered to be one of the greatest science fiction films of all-time. However, Soderbergh recruited hisOut of SightandOcean’s Elevenco-star in for a more emotional take on the material that focused on astronaut Chris Kelvin’s (Clooney) relationship with his long-departed wife Rheya (Natascha McElhone). The result is an even more emotional (and perhaps better) outer space epic.
6Intolerable Cruelty
Intolerable Crueltyisn’t often cited as being one of the Coen Brothers’ best films, but the film is not without its qualities. It was evident that the Coens wanted to replicate the vibe of old school slapstick comedies likeHis Girl FridayandThe Philadelphia Story. Clooney got the chance to co-star alongside Catherine Zeta-Jones a year before she joined the cast ofOcean’s Twelveas Brad Pitt’s romantic partner.
5The Good German
The Good Germanis the most underrated film that Soderbergh ever made. Although it’s partially an homage to World War II romantic films likeCasablanca, the film examines the political vacuum that resulted from the end of the war and the role that America had in filling the gap left behind the Nazis. Who better to do a Bogart impression than Clooney?
Related:10 Major Roles George Clooney Turned Down or Didn’t Get
4Burn After Reading
Burn After Readingis among the Coen Brothers’ most undervalued films; the notion that everyone involved with spycraft, surveillance, and national intelligence is an absolute idiot isn’t an unbelievable one. Clooney gives one of his most hilarious performances ever as the incompetent spy Harry Pfarrer, and shares some of the funniest romance scenes of his career with Frances McDormand.
3The Men Who Stare at Goats
Another work of anti-war satire,The Men Who Stare at Goatswas inspired by Jon Ronson’s 2004 book of the same title, which explored the use of psychic powers within the military. Absurd and satirical,The Men Who Stare at Goatspresents a much more grounded version of the conflict than the type that mainstream Hollywood films generally presented.
2The Monuments Men
The Monuments Menbecame the laughingstock of Clooney’s career, and that’s a shame; while the film is flawed, there are much worse films worthy of far more derision than Clooney’s well-intentioned historical drama. Clooney adapted, produced, directed, and starred in this true story about the American World War II soldiers that traveled the world in search of artifacts from history that could be destroyed by the Nazis.
Although it’s often criticized for being a box office failure of a colossal work of “award season bait,”The Monuments Menis classically charming and benefits from the obvious passion that Clooney had for the material.
1The Midnight Sky
Clooney has always been best at comedies and dramas, but occasionally he will try his hand at the science fiction genre.The Midnight Skywas an ambitious production on his part that despite its flaws, deserves recognition for its sheer ambition. Clooney directed and starred in this Netflix 2020 film about a doomed researcher who remains on Earth, left only to communicate with the crew of an outer space vessel that has already departed.
Considering it was released towards the end of 2020 directly to streaming,The Midnight Skymay have fared better if it has been given a theatrical release to show off the beautiful landscapes and visuals that Clooney captured with his sci-fi vision. Hopefully, he will consider directing more genre films in the future.
