Bradley Cooper is a name we’ve heard countless times before and a face we’ve seen in many popular films. You can find him in all The Hangover films, All About Steve, Yes Man, He’s Just Not That Into You, and voicing Rocket in all the Guardians of the Galaxy films. Although he has played many roles in the past, few people actually know that he also produces movies, with Joker ranking as one of his most popular titles. One film in particular that he’s currently producing, Maestro, has garnered a ton of attention ahead of its release.

Maestro follows the story of Leonard Bernstein, one of the most influential composers in history. Additionally, Bernstein is one of the first American conductors to be recognized across the entire world. His other ventures included teaching music, writing books, and playing the piano. Although Cooper is producing this film, that won’t stop him from playing a crucial part as well. Cooper has taken on the main role of Leonard Berstein, undergoing a complete transformation to fit the character. With all the deserved hype around his upcoming film, there’s no better time to dive into the best movies produced by Cooper, and find out what other movies you should add to your watch list.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

9 The Words

     CBS Films

In The Words, wannabe writer Rory (Cooper) finds an unpublished manuscript in a bag he purchases at a vintage store and passes the writing off as his own. Said book, titled The Window Tears, brings Rory astounding success — that is, until the actual author shows up and threatens to crumble Rory’s reputation. Not only does this author know he’s a fraud, but he also has an identical published book titled The Words. Unfortunately, this film hasn’t done great with critics and watchers alike. Collecting a measly 24% from Rotten Tomatoes, with a user score of 49%, this film was not well-received. Nonetheless, The Words marks one of Cooper’s earliest films as executive producer.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

8 Nightmare Alley

     Searchlight Pictures 

Nightmare Alley is a physiological thriller based on the 1946 novel of the same name, written by William Lindsay Gresham. The story follows a down-on-his-luck Stanton Carlisle (Cooper), who meets the clairvoyant Zeena (Toni Collette) and her husband Pete (David Strathairn) at a traveling carnival. There, he uses his newly found knowledge to swindle the wealthy elites of 1940s New York. While Rotten Tomatoes shows the film with a fresh score of 81% with critics, the audience score sits at 68%, which falls in the average category. Many users agree the movie keeps you guessing, but most feel it fell flat and didn’t surpass the original from 1947.

7 Limitless

     Virgin Produced

Limitless features another author-based story. In the film, we follow writer Eddie Morra (Cooper), who is facing conflict from his girlfriend, unemployment, and the general idea of having no future. The story takes another route when an old friend gives Eddie a drug that boosts his mental state. This drug takes Eddie to the top of the world, providing him with great success and attracting tycoon Carl Van Loon (Robert De Niro), who intends on using him to make a fortune. But when the drug falls in short supply and produces awful side effects for Eddie, his world as he knows it threatens to collapse. Roger Ebert voiced their opinion of the movie, stating: “The movie is not terrifically good, but the premise is intriguing; it doesn’t really set out to explore what such a pill might really to do a person. Limitless only uses 15, maybe 20 percent of its brain. Still, that’s more than a lot of movies do.”

6 War Dogs

     Warner Bros. Pictures

War Dogs is a film most have heard of. This comedy/drama follows Efraim Diveroli (Jonah Hill), who offers his childhood friend (Miles Teller) a chance to make loads of cash by becoming an international arms dealer during the Iraq war. Together, they exploit a government initiative that allows businesses to bid on U.S. military contracts. Eventually, they find themselves in over their heads when they land a $300 million dollar deal supplying Afghan forces. In the film, Cooper plays Henry Girard, albeit briefly. Hill and Teller were highly-reviewed for their stellar performance in the film, with some users saying they made the story more attractive and engaging.

5 Joker

For Joker, Cooper stuck to strictly producing on this film. As many know, this story follows failed comedian Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix), the two-sided man who seeks real connection. One mask is his day job as a clown. The other mask is his futile effort to feel included in the world around him. Bullied, mistreated, and disrespected, Arthur begins his downfall into madness and his rising as a criminal mastermind, known to the whole world as “Joker.” This film surpassed expectations, becoming the first R-rated film to hit $1 billion at the box office (via Variety).

4 American Sniper

     Warner Bros.

American Sniper is a war/biography film that follows U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle (Cooper) on his sole mission: to protect his comrades and become one of the hardest-hitting snipers in American history. His accuracy saves many lives, but also leaves him as a main target. Despite the dangers and his struggles to be a good husband and father, he serves four tours to Iraq, returning home to realize he can’t leave the war behind.

3 American Hustle

     Sony Pictures Releasing

American Hustle is a crime/drama film based around Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale), who finds himself committing forgery and being a loan shark. When he falls for a fellow swindler, Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams), his life changes in huge ways. When they are caught by FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Cooper), Sydney and Irving are forced to work undercover to stick the New Jersey mayor. Additionally, Irving’s ex-wife (Jennifer Lawrence) could be the reason everything comes crashing down.

2 A Star is Born

     Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Featuring Cooper and Lady Gaga, A Star is Born tells the story of musician Jackson Maine, who finds and falls for struggling artist Ally. She is close to giving up on her dream of making it into the spotlight when Jackson persuades her into fame. As Ally’s career takes off, their relationship struggles, while Jackson fights an internal fight with his own demons. Widely loved, and effectively marking Cooper’s directiorial debut, this film grossed $215 million at the box office, accumulating a solid rating of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, with The New York Times titling this film “A Gorgeous HeartBreak.”

1 Silver Linings Playbook

     The Weinstein Company

Topping off our list, we have Silver Linings Playbook, the most profoundly loved Cooper production. The film tells the story of Pat Solatano (Cooper), a man struggling after losing his job, losing his wife, and spending time in a mental institution, where he ends up living with his parents (Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver). Being at ground zero, he wishes to rebuild his life and reconnect with his ex-wife, but his parents have other plans for him. When Pat meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), his life gets complicated. Tiffany offers to help Pat reconnect with his wife if, in exchange, he does something extremely important for her. Many users feel the film was well written, the characters were cast perfectly, and the story is completely original and engaging.