George Clooney has been one of Hollywood’s most acclaimed and beloved actors for over three decades, seamlessly transitioning from a television star in the drama ER on NBC to starring in major blockbusters, praised indie films, and everything in between. Recently, Clooney appeared in the post-credit scene in The Flash as Bruce Wayne, while his latest project is the Apple TV+ movie Wolfs alongside Brad Pitt.
Thanks to such a long-running career that includes multiple Academy Award nominations (and two wins) and directorial efforts, Clooney has been a significant part of some incredible movies. However, seven of them stand out as his best — with some aging considerably well over time.
7. Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
2001’s Ocean’s Eleven is chock-full of A-list stars including Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, and Brad Pitt, but the film’s lead is Clooney as notorious and suave thief Danny Ocean. The heist comedy features Clooney at his most charming as he oozes cool in the first installment of the Oceans franchise from Steven Soderbergh.
Despite his criminal nature, you can’t help but pull for Ocean and his associates to pull off their plans. Clooney remains a major reason that Ocean’s Eleven and the subsequent installments were box office smashes.
6. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
The first in a handful of collaborations with the Coen brothers that see Clooney play against his usual type, O Brother, Where Art Thou? stars the talented actor as Ulysses Everett McGill. In a blind-leading-the-blind situation, McGill heads a group of criminal escapees from a chain gang, who, in their efforts to get much-needed money, record a song as the Soggy Bottom Boys. Their music ends up becoming popular as they tried to evade authorities.
While Clooney might not be the real singing voice behind McGill (that would be Dan Tyminski), his charismatic turn remains one of his best roles to date.
5. The Descendants (2011)
Clooney rightly earned an Academy Award nomination for his performance as Matt King in the Alexander Payne-directed The Descendants. Following a man grappling with considerable change in his life — he’s dealing with the potential decision to sell fabled land in Honolulu or keep his family’s legacy, while also navigating the fallout of his wife slipping into a coma after a boat accident and learning she was having an affair — The Descendants offers one of Clooney’s most understated, but emotionally impactful performances.
With a great supporting cast including Shailene Woodley and an Oscar-winning script from Nat Faxon, Jim Rash, and Payne, the film offers a unique perspective on someone dealing with serious family issues and trauma.
4. Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
Clooney is not one of Wes Anderson‘s most frequent collaborators. Still, the veteran actor made his sole appearance in the director’s acclaimed catalog count, appearing as the titular character in Fantastic Mr. Fox.
The stop-motion animated comedy sees Fox (voiced by Clooney) return to his life of crime, leading him and his family to go on the run from those looking to track him down. Along the way, he teams up with other animals who have seen their lives railroaded by farmers, leading to even more conflict for Fox. Clooney’s voice work is top-notch and he makes the sly fox lead both believable and entertaining.
3. Michael Clayton (2007)
In Michael Clayton, Clooney plays the titular character, an attorney who finds himself deep within a dangerous cover-up involving one of his firm’s biggest clients. The thriller sees Clooney uncovering the mystery behind a manic episode involving one of his firm’s litigators, who has a hit put on him after the conglomerate he previously represented learns he has information that could sink them in a billion-dollar classic-action lawsuit.
Michael Clayton sees several actors at their best, with Academy Award-nominated performances from Tom Wilkinson and Clooney and an Oscar win for Tilda Swinton. The film is for you if you like tense action thrillers with a captivating mystery unfolding before your eyes and excellent acting across the board.
2. Up In The Air (2009)
Despite Up in The Air failing to win any of its six Academy Awards nominations, the Jason Reitman-directed film based on the Walter Kim book of the same name offers one of the best performances of Clooney’s career. In the movie, Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, who works for a firm specializing in employee termination and layoffs. Despite his demanding job, Bingham’s routine and traveling routine have led to his illustrious life.
However, after encountering a new co-worker, Natalie Keener (Woman of the Hour‘s Anna Kendrick), and teaching her about his habits and work, he learns that his life, despite how he perceives it on a superficial level, isn’t as fulfilling as he once believed. Up in the Air has much to say about corporate culture and the human connection.
1. Gravity (2013)
The best-reviewed and biggest box office smash of Clooney’s career came with Gravity. The Alfonso Cuarón technical marvel earned more than $700 million at the box office, and it earned 10 Academy Award nominations and seven non-acting awards.
In the film, Clooney plays astronaut Matt Kowalski, who leads the Space Shuttle Explorer alongside Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock). After space debris hits their shuttle, the duo is thrown into chaos, with the rest of their crew being killed. Their attempts to survive are threatened by several obstacles, with Clooney’s character serving as a calming presence amid the calamity. With Gravity being one of the greatest science fiction movies ever made and its box office and critical success, it’s a relatively easy decision to list it among the best movies of the actor’s storied career.
