For a couple generations back, George Clooney is that handsome guy from ER. These days, he’s a powerhouse in Hollywood, both in front of and behind the camera. It’s no surprise, then, that he was the recipient of the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2018. He’s worked with the best filmmakers out there today, such as Steven Soderbergh (Ocean’s Eleven), Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity), Alexander Payne (The Descendants) and the Coen brothers (Burn After Reading, Hail, Caesar!). He’s also an Oscar-winner for both acting and producing, and one of these days, he’s sure to be a contender for the Best Director trophy. We can’t wait to see him share the screen (again) with Julia Roberts in Ticket to Paradise. In the meantime, here’s our top-five list when it comes to Clooney’s efforts behind the lens.
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5 The Midnight Sky (2020)
Smokehouse Pictures
For starters, there’s that recent double-duty effort of his. Based on the novel by Lily Brooks-Dalton, Clooney’s sci-fi epic follows a terminally ill scientist and returning spaceship in the aftermath of an apocalyptic event on Earth. The Midnight Sky opens with a frenzied evacuation at an arctic research station. As the scientists race to escape an unnamed cataclysm, Augustine Lofthouse (Clooney) refuses to leave. He monitors humanity’s dwindling radio signals as survivors try to hide from impending doom. Augustine’s lonely schedule of medical treatments and nausea is interrupted by a shocking surprise. He finds a young girl (Caoilinn Springall) has been accidentally left behind. The Midnight Sky tries to address heady themes artfully. The technical aspects are first-rate, despite the so-so storytelling and mixed reviews.
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“Originally, the narrative was about regret and seeking redemption,” Clooney once told W Magazine about the film, which was completed during the COVID-19 pandemic. “But as the pandemic took over, the film became about our inability to be home and hug the people we love.”
4 The Tender Bar (2021)
The Tender Bar follows a boy named Jr. (played mostly by Tye Sheridan) who seeks a replacement for his father who disappeared shortly after his birth. Jr. finds himself bonding with his uncle Charlie (Ben Affleck) and the patrons at a bar in Long Island. Uncle Charlie is a charismatic individual and all of his friends are eager to initiate Jr. into their rituals. Jr. listens closely to the stories of these men and relies on these stories for guidance on how to live.
William Monahan’s moving screenplay here is an adaptation of the 2005 memoir of the same name by J. R. Moehringer, where he recounts life growing up on Long Island. Clooney’s laugh-out-loud film also stars familiar faces Daniel Ranieri, Lily Rabe and Christopher Lloyd in juicy supporting roles. Overall, the small film received mixed reviews from critics, though Affleck was nominated for Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards for his performance.
3 The Ides of March (2011)
Columbia Pictures
Adapted from the 2008 play Farragut North, The Ides of March follows Stephen (Ryan Gosling), the junior campaign manager for Gov. Mike Morris (Clooney), who is running in the Democratic Presidential Primary. The storyline is full of fun twists and turns, which are effectively highlighted by an all-star cast that also includes Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei, and the late, great Philip Seymour Hoffman. Overall, it’s a complex tale of political intrigue that was various backstabbing just to get to the top. In addition to holding his own on-screen, Clooney shows here that he wears the director’s hat well.
2 Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)
Section Eight
Television made him famous, but his biggest hits happened off-screen. This is the story of a legendary showman’s double life — producer by day, C.I.A. assassin by night. At the height of his television career, Chuck Barris (Oscar-winner Sam Rockwell) was recruited by the C.I.A. and trained to become a covert operative — or so Barris claimed. As Clooney’s directorial debut, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind was written by Charlie Kaufman and also starred Julia Roberts and Drew Barrymore. It’s based on Barris’s 1984 “unauthorized autobiography” of the same name, in which he claimed to have been an assassin for the CIA in addition to his show business career. These allegations have been denied by the CIA, while Barris throughout his life generally refused to say whether the claim was true or not.
1 Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005)
2929 Entertainment
And then there’s Good Night, and Good Luck., which was a heavy-hitting contender at the Oscars that year. The clash between mainstream media and government has been a cornerstone of American society since its conception. The media’s role as a watchdog has helped to shape society and brought common sense when policy has gone dangerously awry. Good Night, and Good Luck. is the story of such an event. McCarthyism pit legendary newsman Edward R. Murrow (played by David Strathairn) against the rabid anti-communist senator from Wisconsin, Joseph McCarthy.
“When we did Good Night and Good Luck, the reason we shot it in black and white was because I’d never seen a color picture of Edgar R. Murrow,” Clooney once told EW. “We only knew him in black and white.” Murrow spoke to America at the dawn of the television age. He was a trusted voice of reason that reached out to a massive fifty million viewers. Good Night, Good Luck. is a behind-the-scenes look at the CBS studios newsroom during this confrontation. In addition to co-starring, Clooney is director in peak form here. We can’t wait to see what’s next for the Academy Award-winner.
