(Photo by DreamWorks Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection)
All George Clooney Movies Ranked
Having the #1 TV show to fall back on when starting a movie career was a good thing for George Clooney, especially when he was alternately starring in groovy, off-beat genre flicks (From Dusk till Dawn, Out of Sight) and helping destroy a comic book franchise (Batman & Robin). But by 1999, Clooney was ready to cut the cord on ER, paving the way for immediate movie breakthroughs in comedy (O Brother, Where Art Thou?), blockbusters (Ocean’s Eleven), and even as a director himself, with Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, which we’re including on this list because he also stars.
As seen beginning with Confessions, the cross-section of politics and media would be a driving concern for Clooney’s acting choices, such as Syriana, Michael Clayton, The Ides of March, Money Monster, and Good Night, and Good Luck. Yet he also switches to the broad buffoon with ease, especially with the Coen brothers, as in O Brother, Burn After Reading, and Hail, Caesar!. Somewhere in between this Bawdy George and Serious George, you’ll find material that has drawn Clooney some of his highest marks: Fantastic Mr. Fox, Up In the Air, and The Descendants, the latter two for which he was Best Actor Oscar-nominated.
Clooney actually hasn’t appeared in a narrative feature since 2016, keeping busy with his producing job (he won an Oscar for Argo) and seated in the director’s chair. He’ll direct himself again for the post-apocalyptic The Midnight Sky, which has a tentative release for this year. Until then, we’re looking back on all George Clooney movies, ranked by Tomatometer!
#34
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: It has been 25 years since the last Killer Tomato has been squished into sauce. To this day the tasty...
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#33
Adjusted Score: 16.545%
Critics Consensus: Joel Schumacher's tongue-in-cheek attitude hits an unbearable limit in Batman & Robin resulting in a frantic and mindless movie that's too jokey to care much for.
Synopsis: Batman & Robin try to keep their relationship together even as they must stop Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy from...
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#32
Adjusted Score: 39.941%
Critics Consensus: Its intentions are noble and its cast is impressive, but neither can compensate for The Monuments Men's stiffly nostalgic tone and curiously slack narrative.
Synopsis: Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history, The Monuments Men is an action drama focusing...
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#31
Adjusted Score: 38.798%
Critics Consensus: Though Steven Soderbergh succeeds in emulating the glossy look of 1940s noirs, The Good German ultimately ends up as a self-conscious exercise in style that forgets to develop compelling characters.
Synopsis: "The Good German" takes place in the ruins of post-WWII Berlin, where U.S. Army war correspondent Jake Geismar becomes embroiled...
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#30
Adjusted Score: 51.648%
Critics Consensus: While the special effects are well done and quite impressive, this film suffers from any actual drama or characterization. The end result is a film that offers nifty eye-candy and nothing else.
Synopsis: In October 1991, a dying tropical hurricane from Bermuda collided with a cold front from the Great Lakes, resulting in...
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#29
Adjusted Score: 61.38%
Critics Consensus: Ambitious and visually stunning, Tomorrowland is unfortunately weighted down by uneven storytelling.
Synopsis: From Disney comes two-time Oscar (R) winner Brad Bird's riveting, mystery adventure "Tomorrowland," starring Academy Award (R) winner George Clooney....
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#28
Adjusted Score: 56.815%
Critics Consensus: Though The Men Who Stare at Goats is a mostly entertaining, farcical glimpse of men at war, some may find its satire and dark humor less than edgy.
Synopsis: Reporter Bob Wilton is in search of his next big story when he encounters Lyn Cassady, a shadowy figure who...
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#27
Adjusted Score: 51.293%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Jack is a reporter who's work occupies 100% of his time. Melanie is a busy architect who is trying to...
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#26
Adjusted Score: 57.126%
Critics Consensus: Despite a good premise and strong cast, this pro football romcom is half screwball and half fumble.
Synopsis: Dodge Connolly, a charming, brash football hero, is determined to guide his team from bar brawls to packed stadiums. But...
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#25
Adjusted Score: 60.072%
Critics Consensus: While some have found the latest star-studded heist flick to be a fun, glossy star vehicle, others declare it's lazy, self-satisfied and illogical.
Synopsis: After pulling off the heist of their lives, Danny Ocean and his pals unexpectedly find themselves back in harness in...
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#24
Adjusted Score: 56.226%
Critics Consensus: Contains some funny moments, but it's still a very lightweight comedy.
Synopsis: A group of likable losers try to pull of what by their standards seems like a major heist in this...
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#23
Adjusted Score: 69.801%
Critics Consensus: Money Monster's strong cast and solidly written story ride a timely wave of socioeconomic anger that's powerful enough to overcome an occasionally muddled approach to its worthy themes.
Synopsis: Lee Gates is a bombastic TV personality whose popular financial network show has made him the money wiz of Wall...
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#22
Adjusted Score: 65.304%
Critics Consensus: A pulpy crime drama/vampire film hybrid, From Dusk Till Dawn is an uneven but often deliriously enjoyable B-movie.
Synopsis: In this action-horror flick from director Robert Rodriguez and screenwriter Quentin Tarantino, Tarantino stars with George Clooney as a pair...
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#21
Adjusted Score: 71.569%
Critics Consensus: As beautifully shot as it is emotionally restrained, The American is an unusually divisive spy thriller -- and one that rests on an unusually subdued performance from George Clooney.
Synopsis: Story: Academy Award winner George Clooney stars in the title role of this suspense thriller. As an assassin, Jack is...
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#20
Adjusted Score: 71.912%
Critics Consensus: Slow-moving, cerebral, and ambiguous, Solaris is not a movie for everyone, but it offers intriguing issues to ponder.
Synopsis: A therapist travels to a distant space station to treat a group of astronauts traumatized by mysterious entities -- and...
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#19
Adjusted Score: 76.59%
Critics Consensus: Ocean's Thirteen reverts to the formula of the first installment, and the result is another slick and entertaining heist film.
Synopsis: Cinema icon Al Pacino joins a powerhouse cast headed by of George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Don...
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#18
Adjusted Score: 79.601%
Critics Consensus: Ambitious, complicated, intellectual, and demanding of its audience, Syriana is both a gripping geopolitical thriller and wake-up call to the complacent.
Synopsis: From the players brokering back-room deals in Washington to the men toiling in the oil fields of the Persian Gulf,...
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#17
Adjusted Score: 80.236%
Critics Consensus: Though more mainstream than other Coen films, there are still funny oddball touches, and Clooney and Zeta-Jones sizzle like old-time movie stars.
Synopsis: Joel and Ethan Coen take on the classic battle-of-the-sexes screwball comedy with Intolerable Cruelty. George Clooney plays Miles Massey, a...
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#16
Adjusted Score: 82.318%
Critics Consensus: Though not as good as Coen brothers' classics such as Blood Simple, the delightfully loopy O Brother, Where Art Thou? is still a lot of fun.
Synopsis: In the Depression-era deep South, three escapees from a Mississippi prison chain gang: Everett Ulysses McGill, sweet and simple Delmar,...
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#15
Adjusted Score: 87.288%
Critics Consensus: With Burn After Reading, the Coen Brothers have crafted another clever comedy/thriller with an outlandish plot and memorable characters.
Synopsis: At the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency in Arlington, Va., analyst Osborne Cox arrives for a top-secret meeting. Unfortunately...
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#14
Adjusted Score: 83.498%
Critics Consensus: Rockwell is spot-on as Barris, and Clooney directs with entertaining style and flair.
Synopsis: Chuck Barris is best known to most Americans as the guy who used to host The Gong Show. He was...
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#13
Adjusted Score: 85.582%
Critics Consensus: The Thin Red Line is a daringly philosophical World War II film with an enormous cast of eager stars.
Synopsis: The return of director Terrence Malick to feature filmmaking after a twenty year sabbatical, this World War II drama is...
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#12
Adjusted Score: 87.775%
Critics Consensus: As fast-paced, witty, and entertaining as it is star-studded and coolly stylish, Ocean's Eleven offers a well-seasoned serving of popcorn entertainment.
Synopsis: A rag-tag group of con artists and ex-cons team up for the heist to end all heists in this high-profile...
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#11
Adjusted Score: 91.466%
Critics Consensus: While not exactly exposing revelatory truths, The Ides of March is supremely well-acted drama that moves at a measured, confident clip.
Synopsis: The Ides of March takes place during the frantic last days before a heavily contested Ohio presidential primary, when an...
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#10
Adjusted Score: 99.252%
Critics Consensus: Packed with period detail and perfectly cast, Hail, Caesar! finds the Coen brothers delivering an agreeably lightweight love letter to post-war Hollywood.
Synopsis: Four-time Oscar (R)-winning filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men, True Grit, Fargo) write and direct Hail,...
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#9
Adjusted Score: 96.204%
Critics Consensus: Funny, moving, and beautifully acted, The Descendants captures the unpredictable messiness of life with eloquence and uncommon grace.
Synopsis: From Alexander Payne, the creator of the Oscar-winning Sideways, set in Hawaii, The Descendants is a sometimes humorous, sometimes tragic...
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#8
Adjusted Score: 100.25%
Critics Consensus: Led by charismatic performances by its three leads, director Jason Reitman delivers a smart blend of humor and emotion with just enough edge for mainstream audiences.
Synopsis: Ryan Bingham, a corporate hatchet man who loves his life on the road, is forced to fight for his job...
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#7
Adjusted Score: 97.705%
Critics Consensus: Michael Clayton is one of the most sharply scripted films of 2007, with an engrossing premise and faultless acting. Director Tony Gilroy succeeds not only in capturing the audience's attention, but holding it until the credits roll.
Synopsis: Michael Clayton (George Clooney) handles all of the dirty work for a major New York law firm, arranging top-flight legal...
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#6
Adjusted Score: 99.687%
Critics Consensus: Fantastic Mr. Fox is a delightfully funny feast for the eyes with multi-generational appeal -- and it shows Wes Anderson has a knack for animation.
Synopsis: Mr. and Mrs. Fox live an idyllic home life with their son Ash and visiting young nephew Kristopherson. But after...
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#5
Adjusted Score: 100.638%
Critics Consensus: A passionate and concise cinematic civics lesson, Good Night, And Good Luck has plenty to say about today's political and cultural climate, and its ensemble cast is stellar.
Synopsis: In the mid-1950's Edward R. Murrow and his producer, Fred Friendly, help bring an end to the tyranny of the...
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#4
Adjusted Score: 97.743%
Critics Consensus: Steven Soderbergh's intelligently crafted adaptation of the Elmore Leonard novel is witty, sexy, suprisingly entertaining, and a star-making turn for George Clooney.
Synopsis: Steven Soderbergh directed this crime caper adapted from the novel by Elmore Leonard. When ex-con Jack Foley (George Clooney) robs...
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#3
Adjusted Score: 99.634%
Critics Consensus: Three Kings successfully blends elements of action, drama, and comedy into a thoughtful, exciting movie on the Gulf War.
Synopsis: The Gulf War is over, and three soldiers want to go home rich. Major Archie Gates retires in two weeks....
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#2
Adjusted Score: 110.007%
Critics Consensus: Alfonso Cuarón's Gravity is an eerie, tense sci-fi thriller that's masterfully directed and visually stunning.
Synopsis: Gravity stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney in a heart-pounding thriller that pulls you into the infinite and unforgiving realm...
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#1
Adjusted Score: 20.92%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A seemingly-minor electronic error sets the world on the verge of nuclear annihilation in this made-for-TV adaptation of the novel...
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