This Kentucky-born American celebrity is the only person who has been nominated for an Oscar award in six different categories! You guessed it right, it is none other than the Hollywood Hunk, George Clooney! With his dashing looks and a gallery of awards to his name, George Clooney has been an exceptionally successful actor, producer, and screenwriter. His unique quality of becoming more graceful as he ages has only made him more popular. For all the fans, girls who drool over him, and the guys who aspire to be like him, we have here a list of the 15 best George Clooney movies of all time:
15. The American (2010)
Directed by Anton Corbijn, this crime thriller is based on a novel by Martin Booth and features George Clooney and a gorgeous Italian Violante Placido in the lead cast. Clooney stars as a skilled assassin Jack, who is in Sweden on an assignment.
With some complications in the task, he moves to the Italian countryside and goes underground. Getting romantically involved with a beautiful local girl Clara (Violante), Jack prepares for his last job but resurfacing again might prove fatal for him.
14. From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
Featuring Harvey Keitel, the good-looking George Clooney, and the screenplay writer Quentin Tarantino himself in the lead cast, From Dusk Till Dawn is a mix of crime and fantasy/horror.
George and Quentin play Seth and Richard Gecko, two brothers who are on the move after a bank robbery in Abilene. Their stop on the way in a topless bar, along with their hostages, turns into a battle zone when they find out they have landed into a coven of vampires and they must survive till dawn.
13. Intolerable Cruelty (2003)
The Coen brother’s romantic comedy venture that rolls for 100 minutes features George Clooney as a highly successful lawyer, Miles Massey, who even has a prenup agreement named after him.
Everything he touches becomes his. With an outstanding court record, he wins a solid divorce case for his client against his wife, an extremely attractive and clever Marylin (Welsh actress Catherine Zeta-Jones). After losing the case, Marylin quickly devises a plot that involves Miles. What is even surprising is, that Miles seems to be attracted to her.
12. Syriana (2005)
Control oil and you control nations. This is the theme that the Oscar-winning Syriana is based on. Written and directed by Stephen Gaghan, this thriller is based on a book by Robert Baer starring Hollywood heavyweights including George Clooney as a field CIA operative and Matt Damon as an enthusiastic energy Analyst, eager to help Prince Nasir of a Persian Gulf country.
Without highlighting a protagonist, the movie gives an accurate insight into oil politics, the power of the stakeholders involved, and the lengths they would go to, to suit their agenda. The handsome and talented American George Clooney won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his astounding performance.
11. Hail, Caesar (2016)
One of the recent movies by George Clooney – Hail, Caesar – is a comedy, a project by the Coen brothers. Set in the 1950s, the movie shows a Hollywood fixer at Capitol Pictures, Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin), who has his hands full keeping the public image, with a variety of celebrity issues popping up on one really bad day.
To make matters worse, the biggest asset and star at Capitol Pictures, Baird Whitlock (George Clooney) is kidnapped and a ransom of $100,000 is asked for his release.
10. Burn After Reading (2008)
Featuring many renowned celebrities like Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and Frances McDormand in the lead cast, Burn After Reading is another high-rated comedy written and directed by Ethan and Joel Coen.
The main plot involves two gym workers, Linda and Chad who find a CD-ROM – a memoir of a CIA operative. Thinking they have landed a golden egg and hoping to cash on it, they try to trace the CIA agent.
9. O, Brother, Where Art Thou (2000)
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Coen brothers and George Clooney keep the actor-director partnership going strong with another comedy flick that is set in the 1930s era and based on the famous poem ‘The Odyssey’ by Homer. Everett is an escaped convict, a character played by George Clooney.
Along with two other escaped convicts, and his aides, the three look to reach Homer’s house to get their hands on the treasure money from a bank heist. The movie was nominated for two Oscars in Best Writing (Ethan and Joel Coen) and Best Cinematography categories.
8. The Ides of March (2011)
This critically acclaimed drama has George Clooney written all over it. The famous American has written, directed, and even starred in it as the lead character Mike Morris, a governor who is running for the presidency.
His enthusiastic but naïve politics press secretary Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling) believes firmly in his candidate’s integrity and democracy.
Stephen’s meeting with Morris’s opponent’s campaign manager, his blooming romance with an intern, and other events follow that make his introduction to the world of real politics. The movie was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Writing category.
7. Gravity (2013)
Starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney in lead roles, this sci-fi is arguably the most successful in its genre. Alfonso Cuaron’s writing and direction have received much-deserved recognition and admiration from critics across the board.
Sandra Bullock plays Dr. Ryan, a medical engineer, on her first-ever shuttle mission along with a veteran astronaut commanding the flight, Matt Kowalsky (George Clooney).
An unforeseen disaster strikes as their shuttle is destroyed and both of them are left stranded in space with no communication links. The movie has 7 Oscars to its name in categories including Best Direction, Cinematography, Film Editing, Sound Editing, and others.
6. The Descendants (2011)
The Hollywood hunk George Clooney takes the main stage in this drama venture by Alexander Payne. He gives one of his best performances as Matt King, a lawyer, and family man, getting nominated for an Oscar.
Matt is tested to his core when his wife lands in a coma after a serious boating accident and his cousins look to him to sell the family-owned land in Hawaii.
As he tries to look after his daughters, bringing the elder Alex out of college, some revelations are made that may affect his course of action regarding selling the land and his marriage. The movie won an Oscar in the Best Writing category.
5. Michael Clayton (2007)
The talented writer Tony Gilroy’s first attempt at direction has been a big hit. Playing the title character, George Clooney fits perfectly into the role of a ‘fixer’ for a law firm. A divorced, deep-in-debt man with a stalemate in his career, Michael Clayton is known for cleaning up the mess for his firm.
He is called in to cover up when his firm’s lawyer representing the sued company has a breakdown due to guilty conscience. George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, and Sydney Pollack are best suited to their respective roles, giving the movie its much-needed depth and seriousness in characters.
Tilda Swinton won an Oscar based on her impressive performance along with an Oscar nomination for George Clooney among others.
4. Out of Sight (1998)
Steven Soderbergh’s two hours of this crime thriller is based on a novel by Elmore Leonard. The ladies’ dream guy George Clooney, once again, takes center stage as an expert bank robber. Busting out of prison, he intends to continue his successful run of looting banks with Detroit being his next target.
However, the U.S. Marshall put on his case seems to want him for reasons other than the law. It is now a contest between what the heart wants and what the law states. The movie has two Oscar nominations to its name in Best Film Editing and Best Writing.
3. Up in the Air (2009)
This romantic flick starring the graceful George Clooney and a very pretty Anna Kendrick in lead roles is based on a novel by Walter Kirn. Clooney takes the stage as Ryan Bingham, a professional whose job is to fire people and it requires him to travel frequently.
A new hire, Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick), proposes video conferencing for firing instead of frequent travel, which will ruin Ryan’s love of traveling and his aim to achieve 10 million frequent flying miles.
Ryan decided to take her on his next visit to show the perks of face-to-face dealing. While a bad session makes Natalie rethink her video conference idea, Ryan seems to be falling for her and reflects on his own poor choices in the past.
The movie, directed by Jason Reitman, got nominated for Oscars in six categories, including nominations for George Clooney and Anna Kendrick for their excellent acting.
2. Three Kings (1999)
Featuring a star-studded cast, David O. Russell’s comic adventure is based on a story by John Ridley. The basic theme of the movie is the post-Persian Gulf War era, where four American soldiers, led by Sergeant Major Archie Gates (George Clooney), are in pursuit of hidden Iraqi gold.
One of their men, Sergeant Troy (Mark Wahlberg), is taken by Iraqi intelligence while the Iraqi rebels plead for their help against the incoming Saddam’s Elite Guard force. The men agree to help in exchange for rebels helping them rescue Troy.
1. Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
The charismatic Hollywood star, George Clooney’s Ocean’s Eleven is one of his highest-rated movies and the one that tops our list. A remake of the 1960 version, Steven Soderberg’s version stars a stellar cast with the likes of Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts, and George Clooney himself. Danny Ocean (Clooney), the high-level heist expert has three rules no blood; Rob only from who deserves it; do it with nothing to lose.
Less than a day out of prison, Danny has already planned his next big heist of $150 million by hitting the three biggest casinos owned by Terry Benedict. For this task, he has a team of eleven, each with a unique talent and Danny plans to carry out his plan when everyone will be occupied watching the highly awaited boxing match.
Honorable Mentions
We can’t resist mentioning these titles in this list of George Clooney movies as well:
- Solaris (2002)
- Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)
- Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002)
Hope you like our list of the best George Clooney movies of all time. Feel free to share your views in the comments below!
