Top 5 George Clooney Movies

Money Monsters comes out this weekend and I had every intention of seeing it but I had my final exam in American Sign Language Class, which I couldn’t skip.  So in honor of Money Monsters I decided to make a list recognizing its lead.  A top-five for the movie star incarnate: Mr. George Clooney.
​
Honorable Mention: South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut

The only reason this didn’t make this list is because Bigger, Longer, Uncut isn’t a George Clooney movie, per say. Sure he’s in it, but Clooney has been a leading man since leaving TV, and here he is providing the voice for one character in one scene. But did I laugh at this scene. Reprising his role as an ER doctor, he does his best to save Kenny’s life but it does not go well. There are a lot of funny moments in the South Park movie but this is a personal fav. Fun fact: The first time he worked with the South Park guys he played Sparky the gay dog, and was brought in solely to bark.  

5) Perfect Storm

It was really close between this and Three Kings, but if the two were playing on TV at the same time I would pick Perfect Storm nine out of ten times. Maybe it’s because of Clooney; maybe it’s Marky Mark; or it could be because of that epic wave on the film’s poster, but whatever the case I prefer this movie. Most likely it’s because of the fantastic cast overall, which includes Wahlberg, Diane Lane, John Hawkes, and John C. Reilly. But Clooney tops them all as the ship’s captain. The performances generate sympathy for this group of guys who are just trying to earn enough to money to survive the off-season. Which makes what these men go through all the tougher to watch, but that doesn’t take away from the incredible story, even if it is sensationalized. 

4) From Dusk Till Dawn

I never knew Clooney as a character on ER, but a lot of people who did were concerned he couldn’t pull off the role of total bad ass. Well let me tell you—George Clooney can kill a vampire with the best of them. The movie has kind of a split personality to it; perhaps that’s because it’s rumored that Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino split directing duties. The first half of the movie is a bank heist thriller and then, on a dime, it turns into a gory vampire flick with black comedy running throughout. To some the movie seems uneven, but to me this just means From Dusk Till Dawn has something for everyone.  This was Clooney’s breakout role and helped turn him into the movie star we know today.

3) Up in the Air

I feel Clooney is typically known as a serious actor, with movies like Michael Clayton, Syriana, and Good Night and Good Luck on his resume (the latter also really close to making the list). But Up in the Air has stuck with me the most. Fresh out of the economic downturn we experienced in the mid 2000’s Clooney plays a man who goes around firing people. He is the typical suave Clooney we have come to know him as, not a care in the world, above it all. But as the movie progresses his character’s desires shift and out comes hurt, puppy dog-eyed Clooney, and that look in his eyes still haunts me.   

2) O’ Brother Where Art Thou

Upon deciding to make this list I immediately knew what my top two movies were going to be; it was just a matter of what order to put them in. The Coen Brother’s take on Homer’s The Odyssey is fantastic. Three members of a chain gang—Clooney, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson—go on an epic quest to find Everett’s treasure. Every character our three heroes meet along their journey brings something entertaining to the story. Not only that, but the soundtrack is fantastic. Full of wonderful bluegrass music, I have no problem playing this album the whole way through. In fact, you put a couple beers in me and point me towards a mic I will rock out to “Man of Constant Sorrow” with the best of them.

1) Ocean’s Eleven 

I thought about swapping my number one and number two movies as to not go with the obvious choice, but I just couldn’t do it. Ocean’s Eleven is so far and away my number one that I really wanted to include Ocean’s Thirteen on the list. My love of movies may have been birthed from Danny Ocean and the gang. I was supposed to see this with a group of friends but for some reason it wound up just being just me and my friend Jim. I sat in the seat right next to him, saying, “We can’t tell anyone about this man-date.” I was in middle school and I didn’t know any better. But what transpired in front of my eyes was something special. It was funny, it was action-packed, and it was terrifically acted. I loved it. I couldn’t stop gushing about it. We named people in our group of friends after characters in this movie, which now seems kind of weird but I couldn’t help it. I was infatuated and that feeling has not left since.  

What is your favorite Clooney movie?  Let me know in the comments section.  And thanks for reading.