The Lists: Top 10 George Clooney performances
'The Ides of March' and 'The Descendants' give us an excuse to dissect the actor's best work
George Clooney in "Syriana" and the role that brought him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor
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George Clooney has had yet another busy year. His circuit kicked off back in August at the Venice Film Festival where his fourth directorial effort, "The Ides of March," saw its world premiere on opening night. Then it was off to the Telluride Film Festival later that week for a tribute and another world premiere, this time of Alexander Payne's "The Descendants," which features Clooney in a leading role that many think will bring him an Oscar for Best Actor.
It's not unlike the path he carved in 2005, which saw his critically acclaimed "Good Night, and Good Luck." and Stephen Gaghan's "Syriana" find room in the awards conversation (the latter ultimately bringing him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor).
But while Clooney's million-dollar smile splashes across magazine covers in moments like these and his magnetic charm wins over whatever group of people the studio might put in front of him, it's worth taking note of the considerable talent that has brought him to a place where this kind of ubiquity is more refreshing than annoying.
Clooney has been a mainstay of feature filmmaking since, oh, call it the mid-1990s. Sure, there was stuff like "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" and "Red Surf" before that, but he was mainly a TV personality on NBC's "ER" before finally making a significant movie splash in 1996's "From Dusk Till Dawn." And since that time, he's given a wide array of portrayals and cranked out a decent enough portfolio that -- with "The Ides of March" in theaters and the release of "The Descendants" imminent -- affords reason enough to dedicate an installment of The Lists to his work.
Most lists would probably be somewhat similar. There isn't a decades-long career to pull from here and most of the cream of the crop perfs are generally agreeable. Though maybe the ranking would differ significantly from person to person. But that's the point. Again -- subjectivity is key with any personal assemblage.
So have a look at my favorites in our new gallery, and feel free to offer up your own picks in the comments section below.
For year-round entertainment news and awards season commentary follow @kristapley on Twitter.
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Spearheaded by editor Kristopher Tapley, In Contention represents a collective of awards obsessives who comment and reflect upon, muse about and attempt to decipher the Oscar season on a daily basis throughout the year, and especially during the Oscar crunch of the fall. Regular contributors include Guy Lodge, Roth Cornet and Gerard Kennedy.
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2011-2012 OSCAR NOMINATIONS
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Original Screenplay
Best Art Direction
Best Cinematography
Best Costume Design
Best Film Editing
Best Makeup
Best Original Score
Best Original Song
Best Sound Editing
Best Sound Mixing
Best Visual Effects
Best Animated Feature Film
Best Documentary Feature
Best Foreign Language Film
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Login or create a HitFix account Login SignupHoustonRufus
November 15, 2011 at 11:17PM EST Reply to CommentGreat list, Kris. And how cool to rank his latest performance as his best. Makes me very excited to see it.
Trex
November 15, 2011 at 11:21PM EST Reply to CommentCool list. Are you going to do one for DiCaprio too?
Kristopher Tapley No, the "performances in Eastwood films" list served that purpose (so as not to be too redundant with the sorts of lists we were doing, knowing this one was the following week -- we like to shake it up at least a little).
November 15, 2011 at 11:25PM ESTthekingbulletin
November 15, 2011 at 11:27PM EST Reply to CommentI know you mentioned this above, but this list is, for my taste, a little bit premature. Especially when he's in the midst of such an upswing, and likely to continue on that path.
In any case, however, it's a fine list. I'm wondering, though, why you didn't put together one for Brad Pitt, considering his complimentary career trajectory to Clooney (both popped up in the 90s, both now around 50 and on upward treands), and his equally impressive dual output this year in "The Tree of Life" and "Moneyball." I would maybe even say that Pitt's history of roles would allow more diversity of opinion, whereas, as you mentioned, most people would react similarly to most of Clooney's work.
Kristopher Tapley Like I said, switching things up. You'll recall the Tree of Life-centric list was dedicated to performances in Terrence Malick films. And Moneyball yielded a sports films collective. Just different things. There will be an opportunity to do a similar list for Pitt and/or DiCaprio soon enough, I'm sure.
November 15, 2011 at 11:38PM ESTthekingbulletin Yeah, the variety is definitely a refresher. I just find the tons of parallels between Pitt and Clooney ever fascinating. Big-time movie stars who have long shown a penchant for legitimate artistry, etc.
November 15, 2011 at 11:53PM ESTSully
November 15, 2011 at 11:35PM EST Reply to CommentI think his work in O Brother, Where Art Thou? is the best he's ever done. An amazing movie all around, but I loved the way he played the main character. It's the reason I always vouch for him when I encounter anti-Clooney people.
DylanS
November 15, 2011 at 11:37PM EST Reply to CommentI like the choices, it's the placement of them that I'm less on board for. Maybe I'll be proven wrong, but I doubt Clooney will ever top his work in "Up in the Air", due to the very reasons you pointed out on that slide. I'd also happily scrape the "Syriana" selection, as it's one of my least favorite Oscar winning performances of the last decade (anybody he was up against could have won), but that's a terrible film and It's hardly Clooney's fault the performance suffers under it's weight. I'm also opposed to his jarring and off-putting work in "O Brother, Where art Thou?", but that's a case of serious miscasting and another bad film (the coen's at their lowest if you ask me) I'd throw "Fantastic Mr. Fox", ""Men Who Stare at Goats" and "Confessions of A Dangerous Mind" (a great smaller role overshadowed by the fact he was the director) onto my own personal list.
Liz I loved his voice work in "Fantastic Mr. Fox." I was really unsure about him going in, but he won me over in the first five minutes. Perfection.
November 16, 2011 at 7:01PM ESTDylanS Yeah, it seemed like a celebrity guest list kind of voicecast, like most of Anderson's films are, but they all gelled so perfectly with their characters.
November 16, 2011 at 11:36PM ESTRashad
November 15, 2011 at 11:37PM EST Reply to CommentI'd put The American at 1.
Kristopher Tapley On another day it might slide into #2 for me.
November 15, 2011 at 11:39PM ESTDooby I agree - I LOVE him that. The movie is great too.
November 16, 2011 at 1:33AM ESTLiz Yep, "The American" would be my number one too, followed closely by "Out of Sight." I was a little concerned that "The American" wasn't going to show up at all, so I was happy to see it so high on the list.
November 16, 2011 at 7:00PM ESTI've never really cared for his "Syriana" performance. It's just kind of a *shrug* for me.
Billyboy
November 15, 2011 at 11:41PM EST Reply to CommentInteresting list. Personally, I've always felt he doesn't quite fit the Coen Bros. comedy style. His performance in Burn After Reading, in particular was... ugh. Everyone looked ridiculous in a hilarious way (Pitt, Malkovich even Swinton) but Clooney looked ridiculous in a bad way. I cringe every time he appears on that. (Ditto on Intolerable Cruelty) He's a better comedic actor in the Ocean's trilogy, IMO.
As for the rest, my favorite Clooney performance is hands down Michael Clayton. Love that you singled out his performance in The American. Such an underrated movie, great performance from Clooney.
Kristopher Tapley "I cringe every time he appears on that."
November 16, 2011 at 2:06AM ESTI think that's partly the point. He's awful. The character, that is.
Chris138
November 15, 2011 at 11:52PM EST Reply to CommentGlad to see a mention for his performance in The American. That movie in general was pretty underrated.
JLPatt
November 15, 2011 at 11:53PM EST Reply to CommentThe only thing I'm surprised about is "Up in the Air' being so low. Feels so wrong. Like Dylans, that's for me far and away his shining performance.
Guest Guesto
November 16, 2011 at 12:08AM EST Reply to CommentI would put Burn After Reading @ #1. I wouldn't put From Dusk till Dawn on the list alone, let alone higher.
Matthew Starr
November 16, 2011 at 1:46AM EST Reply to CommentClayton is my favorite performance and film of his.
DougMac
November 16, 2011 at 2:28AM EST Reply to CommentHaven't seen the Descendents yet, but I would have put Out of Sight higher. Great list though.
Shawn
November 16, 2011 at 4:59AM EST Reply to CommentClooney was good as Chris Kelvin in Soderbergh's Solaris, a movie that's generally undervalued.
Kristopher Tapley You're quite right.
November 16, 2011 at 9:18AM ESTAlec
November 16, 2011 at 6:57AM EST Reply to Comment1 Michael Clayton (simple, pared down, transfixing - reminiscent of Paul Newman in The Verdict)
2 Out of Sight (the quintessential Clooney performance - and the one that paved the way for a big screen career)
3 Up in the Air (in deconstructing a public persona he still maintains, this is as brave a leading turn as you're likely to see)
4 Solaris (quietly stunning, intense, sorrowful work - can't believe this missed your list Kris)
5 Syriana (more than just a physical transformation, he seemed to bury himself in this character to an extent that at times is uncomfortable to watch)
6 The American (an iconic, physical performance that is all about poise)
7 O Brother, Where Art Thou? (the best showcase for his many comic talents)
8 Three Kings (the performance that anchors the film amidst other showier turns)
9 Ocean's Eleven (as easy as he makes it look, this is a movie star performance very few get just right - it may be as much of a signature as James Bond was to Connery in the 60s)
10 The Ides of March (good enought to make you wish he was in the movie more)
I very much look forward to The Descendants.
Kristopher Tapley I probably should have given Solaris another look before doing the list. Feel bad about that. Alas.
November 16, 2011 at 9:18AM ESTCaptainCanada
November 16, 2011 at 10:20AM EST Reply to CommentI realized after seeing his performance in "The Ides of March" that I'd really like to see Clooney play a full-on villain.
geha714
November 16, 2011 at 11:21AM EST Reply to CommentAs I haven't seen The Descendants yet, I put his role in Michael Clayton as number one. His role in Solaris can not be understimated. Great list all around.
palcinema
November 16, 2011 at 1:25PM EST Reply to CommentI'm not seeing Clooney's performance in The Descendants as being anything out of the ordinary. I think any of the other possible nominees will win it over him this year.