George Clooney’s favorite movie of all time is a classic satire

George Clooney may seem like a fun-loving type, but he’s a man who takes his movie stardom seriously. Yes, He is a notorious practical clown Who once framed Brad Pitt’s license plate that said “F*** Cops,” but in reality, when he’s not trying to arrest his “Ocean’s Eleven” co-star, he cares deeply about his career. If you doubt this, maybe you should read the book “George Clooney: Anatomy of an Actor” Which covers ten of his most important film performances in some detail – and yes, I recommend this book only because I wrote it.

Although Clooney comes from a long line of entertainers, most notably his aunt Rosemary Clooney, he has earned his A-list status. After struggling throughout the 1980s with appearances in previous sitcoms (“The Facts of Life”) and literally unreleased films (“Grizzly II: Revenge”), he finally broke through on television with NBC’s Nielsen Ratings hit “ER.” . It took some time to find the same popularity in movies (the movie that was supposed to make him a $20 million-per-picture man, “Out of Sight,” was a box office disappointment), but by 2001 it was considered bankable and Really talented. His crowning achievement came in 2006 when he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor His physically demanding performance in the movie “Syriana”.

Once his stardom was established, Clooney branched out into directing The satirical autobiography Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. Along with his role as co-president of a production company (with Steven Soderbergh) on Section Eight, he was suddenly seen as a major voice in American cinema. Naturally, this meant that people started looking to him for wisdom when it came to things behind the camera, or simply regarding what classic films they should be watching. And when it came time to ask him if he had a favorite movie of all time, Clooney had an answer.

During an interview on the red carpet in 2017 With AV ClubClooney revealed that his favorite movie of all time is… 1976 satirical news media “The Network”. Directed by Sidney Lumet and written by Paddy Chayefsky, the film is about a broadcaster who causes a sensation when he starts unleashing unscripted rants about the turbulent state of the world on air, and it hits Clooney, the son of TV journalist Nick Clooney, in the right spot. He lives. As Clooney told The AV Club, “‘Network’ is one of my favorite movies of all time. I think Paddy Chayefsky was a genius. I think what he wrote about in 1976 at that time was just comedy, and everything he wrote about” has come true. “

Clooney is right. Now that news is largely driven by ratings (which determine advertising prices), the idea of ​​a “mad prophet” like Peter Finch’s Howard Beale being canceled (i.e. killed) due to declining viewership is not at all far-fetched. To be sure, the broadcaster who plays the fiery truth-teller — whether it’s Bill O’Reilly, Alex Jones, or Sean Hannity — has been here for decades and isn’t going anywhere. Seems like the kind of subject matter that could work for a classic Clooney film.