The 15 Best George Clooney Movies

Critics were certainly more kind to Intolerable Cruelty upon initial release than time has been. The Coen brothers' rom-com stars George Clooney as a popular divorce lawyer whose client's ex-wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) seeks to exact romantic revenge on him for defeating her in court. This was the Coens' first project that they didn't create and that was reflected in some of the reviews, noting that their signature tone was slightly obscured in this slick studio package. Critics mostly praised the two leads of this broad battle-of-the-sexes comedy, but wished that the story and execution would have reached the heights of earlier Coen classics like Fargo and The Big Lebowski. 

"A thoroughly entertaining comedy about love, lawyers and fat divorce settlements. While a slight imbalance in the romantic formula stops it just short of truly soaring, the crackling dialogue and buoyant wordplay make this a delightful throwback to classic screwball comedies." —David Rooney, Variety

The kids film franchise that also doubled as an early CGI testing ground for writer and director Robert Rodriguez's Austin, Texas Troublemaker Studios, Spy Kids is ostensibly a wish-fulfillment adventure in which retired super agent parents (Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino) are abducted and must be rescued by their children (Alexa PenaVega, Daryl Sabara). Clooney did a solid for his former From Dusk Till Dawn director and has a small role as Devlin, the head of the OSS (Organization of Super Spies), who enlists the spy kids, Carmen and Juni for another mission. The film received generally solid reviews, with most critics pronouncing it an above-average kids' movie. 

"It's funny and exciting on enough levels that adults are likely to enjoy it just as much as the rug rats." —Andy Klein, Dallas Observer

Clooney would once again work with frequent collaborators Joel and Ethan Coen on this satire of early 1950s Hollywood filmmaking. Clooney stars as Baird Whitlock, a bright star of an actor—but dim bulb of a man—who's working on a biblical epic at the studio and is abducted and eventually turned to Communism by blacklisted screenwriters. This late-period Coen Bros. star-studded ensemble comedy (that also features Josh Brolin, Scarlett Johansson, Ralph Fiennes, and Tilda Swinton) would be their last for a traditional studio (before moving to Netflix with The Ballad of Buster Scruggs) and received mostly positive notices. 

"Star-studded and stylish, this addition to the brothers' acclaimed canon is a looker with laughs and, alas, dull stretches. It's fun and entertaining — no more, no less, no exclamation point." —Joe Dziemianowicz, New York Daily News

Trey Parker and Matt Stone's irreverent animated comedy South Park became a sensation in the late-'90s, partly aided by Clooney's championing of the series by sending out hundreds of videotapes to friends of their "The Spirit of Christmas" short. This led to the series getting picked up, and it is still airing and currently awaiting its 27th season (due in early 2025). Feature film spinoff South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut was an R-rated musical romp that lampooned Satan, Canada, and Uncle Fuckers alike. Clooney, still on his star-making ER series (and years removed from his non-star-making E/R series), plays another doctor, this time the inept Dr. Gouache, who replaces Kenny's heart with a baked potato and kills him in the process. (That bastard!) The positively-reviewed film took the series and creators to another level, showing us another side to their creativity. The song, "Blame Canada" was nominated for an Oscar, and Matt and Trey would eventually co-create (with Robert Lopez) the 2011 Broadway musical The Book of Mormon, which is still touring to this day. 

"Nonstop crudeness, vulgarity and unpleasantness. It's without any redeeming social value whatsoever. And it's funny from beginning to end." —Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

Clooney stars as the titular Danny Ocean, leading a pack of mostly equally likable criminals with the goal of pulling off the heist of the villainous Terry Benedict's three Las Vegas casinos: the Mirage, MGM Grand, and the Bellagio. Danny teams with the constantly eating Rusty (Wolfs co-star Brad Pitt) and Matt Damon's Linus, and together they recruit eight more gentlemen of various talents to join the team and also help Danny reunite with his ex-wife Tess (Julia Roberts), who's conveniently dating Mr. Benedict (Andy Garcia). The rare reboot that's better than the original (1960's Ocean's 11), the entertaining 2001 film was largely praised by critics and launched a franchise trilogy and a spinoff (Ocean's 8); rumor has it that Ocean's Fourteen might be in the works. 

"It's a kick, it's a gas, and it gives the Rat Pack itself a run for its money." —Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle

Traffic writer Stephen Gaghan followed his Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar with a directing role on the forgotten Abandon, but would rebound significantly with Syriana. Loosely adapted from Robert Baer's nonfiction War on Terror book See No Evil and directed by Gaghan, the film has multiple narrative threads that show the impacts of the global oil industry and the corruption found within. Clooney plays a CIA agent that gets in over his head. The film and especially Clooney's performance (which includes an unforgettable torture scene) were largely celebrated. Come awards time, Clooney would win a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. 

"A bleak and powerful movie, made all the more sobering by how much of it isn't fiction." —Pete Vonder Haar, Film Threat

Moviegoers were treated to two compelling World War II movies in 1998 with Steven Spielberg's boldly populist Saving Private Ryan followed by Terrence Malik's more contemplative and philosophical The Thin Red Line. The latter was famous for a tumultuous development process and shoot that would see a cast of thousands whittled down to seconds of screen time or cut out altogether. But Clooney ultimately survived for a small role as Capt. Charles Bosche towards the end of the film. The much-anticipated return of Malick after a 20-year absence was warmly welcomed by many critics, but several were looking for more story and plot in the examination of man and nature—and found mostly nature. 

"Juxtaposes beauty and horror to fashion a savage and lyrical cinematic poem." —David Ansen, Newsweek

Clooney's second directorial feature after the underrated Chuck Barris sort-of/kind-of biography Confessions of a Dangerous Mind was the critically acclaimed biographical drama about TV newsman Edward R. Morrow's conflict with Senator Joseph McCarthy and his attack on so-called Communists. The black-and-white film, which functions as a workplace drama on top of a historical retelling, was well-received, and co-starred Clooney as Fred W. Friendly, co-producer of Murrow's CBS program See It Now. The film, David Strathairn (who portrayed Murrow), and Clooney as director were all nominated for Academy Awards. Clooney, keeping the goodwill going, will co-write and star in a version of the story on Broadway scheduled to open in the spring of 2025. 

"A passionate and rousing piece of filmmaking—a civics lesson with the punch of a good melodrama." —David Edelstein, Slate

In a legendarily good year for cinema—1999—David O. Russell and John Ridley's post-Gulf War heist movie Three Kings was certainly a highlight. Clooney plays a U.S. Army Special Forces Major who enlists a few good men (Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube, and director Spike Jonze in a rare major acting role) to help steal gold that was stolen from Kuwait. Their journey has them team up with Iraqi rebels, grow consciences, and change their lives forever. Unfortunately, Clooney's on-set feud with co-writer/director Russell (who allegedly yelled abusively at his crew) has since overshadowed the critically-acclaimed movie, with Clooney recently referring to Russell as a "miserable fuck." 

"A work of strangely bold, distinctly American pop art - proud to be ashamed, ashamed to be proud, unafraid to ignore its commercial bearings." —Wesley Morris, San Francisco Examiner

Clooney stars as the titular Michael Clayton, a fixer for one of the biggest law firms in New York. He is assigned a case that involves a corrupt toxic and deadly weedkiller corporation and an unstable litigator (Tom Wilkinson) who threatens to unravel a suit against them. As Clayton gets deeper into the case, he has a crisis of conscience and must choose between right and wrong. The Tony Gilroy (Andor) film was universally acclaimed and received many accolades, including seven Academy Award nominations in which Tilda Swinton (who played the nefarious corporation's general counsel) won for Best Supporting Actress. Her acceptance speech in which she referenced Clooney's Batman & Robin costume is worth checking out. 

"Gilroy's up to the challenge, as is his uniformly astounding cast--Clooney, especially, as the charmed and charming man stripped of his superpowers, but also Wilkinson and Swinton as the mirror images of each other." —Robert Wilonsky, Village Voice

Director Jason Reitman followed up his buzzy 2007 film Juno with an adaptation of Walter Kirn's novel about a corporate downsizer whose routine life on the road is threatened. Clooney's Ryan Bingham collects frequent flier miles while ruining lives in the process. He meets two women, his young colleague Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick), who (rather presciently) proposes that layoffs take place via remote digital conferencing, and Alex Goran (Vera Farmiga), a traveling businesswoman; both upend his life.. The film and actors were widely acclaimed and Air was nominated for six Academy Awards. Reitman and writer Sheldon Turner would receive several awards for Best Adapted Screenplay. 

"If Steven Soderbergh taught Clooney how to act in Out of Sight, then Reitman has taught him how to stop acting. This is the most vulnerable, the most playful, the most human performance of his career." —Robert Wilonsky, Dallas Observer

Clooney and Wes Anderson got animated in their adaptation of Roald Dahl's 1970s children's novel of the same name. The stop-motion animated film adapted by Anderson and Noah Baumbach is about Mr. Fox (Clooney) going back to his sly ways after taking it easy with his family which includes Mrs. Fox (Meryl Streep) and Ash Fox (Jason Schwartzman). The bespoke charmer, which also included characters played by Anderson regulars Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, and Willem Dafoe, was widely acclaimed, even bringing in critics who are usually immune to Anderson's stylized charm. This would be the only film to date on which Clooney and Anderson would collaborate, and Anderson would release another great stop-motion animated film, 2018's Isle of Dogs. 

"Genuinely original: a silly, hilarious and oddly profound adaptation for adult-sized children." —Ian Nathan, Empire

Cinematic dramatist Alexander Payne teamed with Clooney in this Hawaii-set story of a "backup parent" who must confront his life and family when his wife is critically injured in a boat accident. Clooney's Matt King must engage with his daughters (Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller), his father-in-law (the late Robert Forster), and eventually the man his wife was having an affair with. The film would appear on several 2011 top-ten lists and would be nominated for five Academy Awards, including a nod for Clooney as Best Actor. It would win for Best Adapted Screenplay for Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash (based on Kaui Hart Hemmings' novel of the same name). 

"The Descendants would still be a splendid movie without him; with Clooney, it's one of 2011's very best." —Steve Persall, Tampa Bay Times

George Clooney and director Steven Soderbergh collaborated at a crossroads for both of their careers. Clooney was making a play for big-screen stardom while starring on his successful NBC medical drama ER and Soderbergh was moving past independent features with a broader adaptation (by Scott Frank) of Elmore Leonard's novel about an attraction between criminal Jack Foley (Clooney) and U.S. Marshall Karen Sisco (Jennifer Lopez) while on opposite sides of the law. Out of Sight was well-received upon release and remains one of the best examples of great '90s filmmaking that combined art and commerce into a thrilling and unexpected package. 

"What makes Out of Sight a grown-up treat is that the mixture of lust and longing is as flawlessly proportioned as the ingredients in a perfect cocktail." —Charles Taylor, Salon

The last massive hit movie on Clooney's CV is also his best-reviewed. Gravity is Alfonso Cuarón's science-fiction stunner about a couple of astronauts (Clooney, Sandra Bullock) on a mission in Earth's orbit to repair the Hubble Space Telescope when an unexpected event occurs. The IMAX 3D experience was a visceral marvel that had to be seen (preferably in large format theaters) to be believed. The film, Clooney, and especially Sandra Bullock were all universally acclaimed. It would ultimately be the most-awarded film of the 2010s at the Academy Awards, winning seven of ten awards, including Cuarón for Best Director and of course, visual effects. 

"Gravity is about as visceral an experience as you can have in a cinema, it's a technical marvel, and it's a blockbuster with heart and soul in spades." —Oliver Lyttelton, The Playlist