George Clooney: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

4. Frank Stokes - The Monuments Men (2014)

On paper, the Oceans Eleven with war and an even more impressive cast should have been brilliant. It's not as terrible as some might have you believe, of course - but the fact that it's not really much of anything is sort of the point of the reaction. Disappointing is not the word. Clooney actually scores double points too for being both the lead and the director who can't get enough out of his lead man. It's partly down to the fact that the director struggles to actually nail a tone - something he was also conspicuously guilty of with Leatherheads - and seems to revel way too much in making the film look great, rather than feel great. As Stokes, Clooney is also conspicuously lacking his Danny Ocean charisma. It's not all that surprising, considering the historical precedent, but that doesn't make it any less frustrating. If it wasn't for the fact that he was directing himself, you'd suspect there was a sycophantic helmer behind the camera, teasing smiles and loaded speeches out in place of actual acting. But then perhaps the fact that there wasn't someone who could add discipline to the performance was the problem. He's clearly not an Affleck actor/director type, and perhaps he does need a guiding hand on his shoulders.