For a while it seemed like George Clooney was his generation’s heir apparent to Cary Grant, a bona fide movie star whose limited range is rendered irrelevant by his irrepressible charisma. And then he started directing films and, at least out of the gate things seemed momentarily more interesting. His 2002 directorial debut, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, came on breezy but grounded, certainly the most approachable take on a Charlie Kaufman screenplay ever mounted. And 2005’s Good Night, and Good Luck, his tribute to the mandarin days of television news, was at least palpably committed to lionizing Eisenhower-era liberal resistance. In other words, he looked to become the heir apparent to Robert Redford, auteur.
It didn’t last. The title of Clooney’s The Monuments Men, just about sums it up. His obsession with what he perceives as the achievements and moral clarity of those (read: Americans) who lived...
It didn’t last. The title of Clooney’s The Monuments Men, just about sums it up. His obsession with what he perceives as the achievements and moral clarity of those (read: Americans) who lived...
- 12/18/2023
- by Eric Henderson
- Slant Magazine
George Clooney’s directing career has been one of both ecstasy and agony. His bold, respected spy dramedy debut (Confessions of a Dangerous Mind) was immediately followed by the incredibly lauded (and incredibly great) period drama Good Night and Good Luck. What followed was a run of more mixed fare. One film was ambitious and flawed (The Midnight Sky), one overrated (The Ides of March), one undercooked (Leatherheads), and two really didn’t work. Then came The Tender Bar in 2021, a modest piece of work featuring nuanced performances from an impressive cast. It’s an old-fashioned picture starring Ben Affleck, who offers many old-fashioned, matinee idol charms, square jaw and all. Perhaps Clooney learned something about himself as a filmmaker with The Tender Bar: he may be at his best when breathing life into fact-based drama and not trying to be too cute about it.
Clooney’s back in...
Clooney’s back in...
- 12/18/2023
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
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