Staring at George Clooney

George Clooney is more actor than star, though the latter title is equally apt; he’s been compared to Clark Gable and Cary Grant. Clooney can be suave, sophisticated, serious, intense, and, well, loopy. He seems at ease in all modes, doing whatever it takes to nail a role.

Loopy takes center stage in his latest movie, The Men Who Stare at Goats, directed by Grant Heslov and based on a book by British journalist Jon Ronson. In this thinly plotted, deadpan comedy, Clooney plays a psychological warrior named Lyn Cassidy, who has been trained to kill by staring at the enemy. While the story jars somewhat against the realities of the current war in Iraq, mostly it’s just a romp. New Yorker critic Anthony Lane referenced Road to Morocco, the classic Bob Hope-Bing Crosby buddy flick that was part of a franchise of “Road to” movies made mainly in the 1940s. It’s a worthwhile touchstone. Clooney is supported in the new film by Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, and Kevin Spacey.

Clooney has been able to balance a career that combines work on blockbusters with more commercially risky ventures, several of which reflect Clooney’s liberal social and political activism. Along the way he also has taken to screenwriting, directing, and producing.

From playing Roseanne Barr’s boss in eleven episodes of her sitcom (1988-1991) to winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the political thriller Syriana in 2005, Clooney has explored a range of roles and delivered solid performances. Syriana also netted Clooney a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor to complement his 2000 Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for the satiric O Brother, Where Art Thou? Like his goat-staring Cassidy, his Ulysses Everett McGill in O Brother is loopy — and hyper — in this popular film loosely based on Homer’s Odyssey.

My personal preference is his comedies, including those above and films such as Leatherheads. Then there are the adventure flicks that combine sleek sophistication with tension and action, including Batman & Robin, Oceans Eleven (Twelve and Thirteen), and the black comedy Burn After Reading. The serious dramas, such as Michael Clayton and Good Night, and Good Luck also vie for attention. With George Clooney, the question that always hovers in the air is, what next? Given his track record, it’s likely to be something interesting.

(Photo by Nicholas Genin)