Over the years, both on screen and behind camera, George Clooney has amassed an impressive amount of cinematic work. That's the ranking of every film he directs.
This is a comprehensive list of each film directed by actor George Clooney, from worst to best. For nearly 40 years, the longtime Hollywood A-list star has been one of America's most recognizable faces, appearing in some of the most popular and critically acclaimed films of the past few decades. However, in addition to his achievements on the silver screen, Clooney's career behind the scenes has also been quite successful.
Clooney's first major role was in the 1984 sitcom The Emergency Room Story, a decade before dr. Doug Ross, who recurred in the popular medical drama The Emergency Room Story. Clooney transitioned to film in Robert Rodriguez's 1996 horror comedy Out of the Blue, and a year later starred in Joel Schumacher's ill-fated Batman and Robin. Since then, Clooney has appeared in more than thirty-six feature films, including his revenge on Frank Sinatra's role as Danny Ocean in the 2001 remake of Eleven Arhats and the subsequent Twelve Arhats.
Clooney was nominated for four Academy Awards and won the 2005 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his Middle Eastern thriller Cinrina. He received Oscar nominations in six separate categories, and in the history of the awards, only he, Alfonso Cuarón and Walt Disney completed the feat. To date, Clooney has directed eight feature films, the earliest of which premiered 20 years ago, and while some of them are certainly more successful than others, his work is still more impressive than most other actor-turned-directors.
8. Midnight Sky (2020)
Midnight Sky is a post-apocalyptic disaster film based on Lily Brooks-Dalton's novel Good Midnight Morning. Clooney plays Augustine Lofthouse, an elderly scientist left alone in the Arctic. After discovering an imminent global catastrophe, Augustine must inform the returning astronauts aboard the spacecraft "The Aether" of the impending disaster before returning to Earth. Midnight Sky differs stylistically from most of Clooney's other works, and while the film remains generally enjoyable, his relative inexperience with the science fiction genre makes it undoubtedly the least successful one he directed.
7. "Lost Town Murder" (2017)
Murder in Lost Town is a black comedy co-authored by the Coen brothers based on a true event that took place in Levitown, Pennsylvania, in 1957. A black family moved to the suburbs, an all-white suburban neighborhood, which caused a commotion among residents. In the midst of the chaos, the seemingly mild-mannered Gardner finds himself embroiled in a rapidly spiraling insurance fraud. Although the film itself is interesting and the actors act well, Clooney's semi-comedic tone in many of his films, combined with the seriousness of suburban themes, makes it one of the harder films in the Coen brothers' productions to watch.
6. "Love Touchdown" (2008)
Love Touchdown is a sports comedy film starring Clooney as professional footballer Jimmy "Dodge" Connery. In 1925, the Dodgers' team lost sponsorship and the league was on the verge of collapse. To draw attention to the sport, the Dodgers recruited war hero and national icon Carter Rutherford to play for his team. Clooney has said the story is largely based on Harold Grange's signing with the Chicago Bears in 1925, a move that helped legitimize the NFL. Clooney's unique comedic tone is better used in "Love Touchdown", injecting vitality into the originally bland script.
5. Allied Raiders (2014)
Allied Raiders is an action film based roughly on Robert Edsel's Monumental Man: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and history's Greatest Treasure Hunt. Clooney plays Lieutenant Franks Tox, an officer tasked with assembling a dedicated task force at the end of World War II. Museum curators and teams of art historians known as the Allied Raiders infiltrated Nazi Germany to retrieve various stolen works of art. Clooney's comedic tone is once again more effectively presented than in other films, taking full advantage of his talented comedians.
4. Confessions of Dangerous Thoughts (2002)
Clooney's directorial debut, Confessions of Dangerous Minds, is a biographical spy film detailing what television star Chuck Barris calls the secret life. Barris wrote the popular game shows Dating Game and The Newlywed Game, and became notorious for hosting the 1976 Gong Show. In 1984, Barris published an autobiography claiming that he had been a professional assassin for the CIA throughout the 60s and 70s, which was the basis of the film. Charlie Kaufman incorporated his unique style into the film's screenplay, making it one of the most unusual films directed by Clooney.
3. "Gentle Bar" (2021)
Gentle Bar is an adult drama adaptation of J.R. Moehringer's 2005 memoir of the same name. Set in Long Island in the 1970s, the story revolves around a landmark in Moehringer's formative years, the local pub owned by his uncle. After his parents divorced, the young J.R. sought advice and fatherly guidance among the regulars and staff of his uncle's bar. Ben Affleck almost unrecognizably plays the sympathetic bar owner, and the whole film is warmer and more hopeful than Clooney's film has so far been.
2. The Presidential Killing (2011)
Presidential Killing is a political drama based on the 2008 House of Cards creator Beau Willimon's Farage North Station. Clooney plays Pennsylvania Gov. Mike Morris, who has presidential ambitions. But when a young idealistic clerk (Ryan Gosling) joins the campaign, he quickly becomes familiar with the dirty political world and stumbles into a situation that could spoil Morris' presidential campaign. Clooney is well suited as a politician, and the film's condemnation of modern politics and its drivers is increasingly relevant.
1. Good Night, Good Luck (2005)
Goodnight, Good Luck is a historical drama depicting the conflict between journalist Edward Murrow and U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy. McCarthy led a witch hunt against others in the United States in the early days of the Cold War, using fear tactics to turn the populace against him. Murrow and his team's coverage in the media was wildly popular for its critical coverage, contributing significantly to mcCarthyism and the fall of Cold War-era politics. The tone and style of Good Night, Good Luck is unique among Clooney's other works, and the actor's brilliant performance combined with the political relevance of the story makes it one of the most outstanding films of George Clooney's career.
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