I saw the trailer (below) for George Clooney’s new movie The American a few weeks ago, and to say that I was unimpressed would be an understatement. It looks and feels like Budget Jason Bourne. Allegedly, the story is, according to People, Clooney playing a “professional killer attempting to escape his trade – with a little romance, no doubt – after one last assignment to the Italian countryside.” Of course, People claims Clooney is the second coming of James Bond. But does anyone else get the feeling that George is getting too old for this sh-t? The image of him huffing, mid-sprint, makes me think “Call the paramedics, this man is about to have a heart attack.” I know it’s supposed to be cool and retro and a throwback to when big American movie stars went to Europe to make edgy thrillers and dramas, but the 1970s orange with the image of struggling Clooney just gives me the impression of “old” rather than “retro.”
See? I mean, I understand why the movie was greenlit, and why it works on paper. Intense thriller, sexy ladies, George in a suit, being cryptic. But I bet it’s like Michael Clayton, where the big “shock” or “thrill” is something really obvious that you figure out in two seconds and so you just spend two hours watching George wander around Italy in a suit. My guess? And maybe this a spoiler, I have no idea, but I think The Priest is probably the killer after George. SHOCK. Eh, maybe it is just me – I didn’t think Michael Clayton was all that and a bag of chips, but everyone else seemed to like it. Maybe this will be a solid outing for George. But I think the poster artist might kind of hate him.
Poster courtesy of ScreenRant.
In the beginning, during his ER days, I thought he was hotter than anything. Then, over time, his monotone voice began to bother me. Now I can’t watch him in anything.
It’s like they sucked out all of the darkness and intensity meant for this movie and made it Lifetime Movie Channel-ready…
@Shay — That’s funny you said that about his voice. As soon as he spoke in the trailer I was done with it. I’m over George.
I saw him in person, and he was so handsome. That photo is not taken from a good angle.
Kaiser, I don’t agree with your assessment of either Michael Clayton or this movie. Actually, the trailer looks like it could be interesting, but without seeing the whole film who knows. Apparently you do.
I don’t know…he’s still sexy to me
Does anyone really go to his movies anymore? I don’t find his acting to be that good.
He once gave off the image of class — I’ve always thought he was trying to be the next Cary Grant.
Somehow, it just doesn’t work with George. You can put a piece of sh*t in an Armani suit to make it pretty, but it’s still a piece of sh*t.
He’s just too “Ew”. He’s too smug, he’s not THAT good looking, and his girlfriends (with the exception of Snowden) are always examples of why abstinence is a good idea (walking STD’s, in other words).
Yes, I’m jaded. I had high expectations for George and he truly disappointed me. Now I’m thinkin’ it’s time for him to stay in Italy and host a bad talk show.
i have never seen anything in this man, with his square jaw uggggg i find him so nasty…
George is wrong for this role. I just can’t buy him as a dark assassin.
If you see the part of the trailer in which George appears shirtless, you won’t think old or huffing and puffing. Guy is buff to the max. The poster is intended to show action and emotion rather than make him look pretty. Some people have commented that he speaks in a monotone, but that’s not true. His character is someone whose life depends on his remaining calm and in control, and his voice is careful and measured to reflect his character’s emotional control, but it’s in no way a monotone. I’m excited about a movie more concerned with substance than form. That’s probably why I regularly see the better foreign movies in their limited releases in the states. I’m sick to death of the usual stupid Hollywood movies. I want a movie that is brave and confident enough to tell a story.
I don’t think the poster is all that bad…it has a retro vibe to it, I think. I’ve too seen him in person, and I found him quite charming, funny and nice.
You’re right kaiser, terrible poster. He looks like Frankenstein. They should redo it.
not a good representation… looks sort of ape-like.
In that poster, it looks like he’s suffering from apenjitis – a condition where the sufferer slowly turns into an ape.
Steven Tyler has it, as does Spencer Pratt and Jesse James.
Yep, terrible poster. I agree. Also, they gave him a very unflattering haircut for this movie. That didn’t help. I don’t know if they were going for someone’s idea of a “European” look, but his hair styling for this film was an unfortunate choice. I thought the trailer was excellent. Dark, moody, melancholic – it looks very interesting. I also had no idea George was so flexible!
I dunno….send him to my house and I will report (much) later about how “awful” he looked!!! : )
Congratulations,
George “gay” Clooney
hahaha…. so true about the priest… dead on. It’s always the one that supposedly is the nice one… I call it Brian Dennehy syndrome… if he’s ever in a film, you know it’s HE’S the bad guy in the end!
As for the retro stuff, i dig that, but like you said it’ll probably be lame… the aesthetic itself though is cool.
il trailer è fantastico, george con la sua voce sexy mi fa venire i brividi, è sempre bellissimo, il più bello di tutti. sfido chiunque a trovare un altro attore con il suo sguardo il suo sorriso accattivante e la sua voce meravigliosa…per non parlare della sua bravura…..praticamente è superlativo!!!!!!! beata la canalis.
perchè non avete mandato il mio commento su clooney? forse era troppo positivo? siete tutti invidiosi di lui perchè oltre ad essere bellissimo, bravo, intelligente, simpatico,buono, ha anche una stupenda fidanzata che tutti voi ve la sognate una così!!!!! INVIDIA HEEEEEE.
I actually like George most of the time. I just think he is a critics darling and everything he does is reported as the best performance, which equals Overrated. Michael C.. was not that great a movie nor was Up in the Air.. Each felt like George being George. That poster is a throw back, but still not good. Just like Tom Cruises poster for Knight and Day..both are terrible. Dang..what happened to great movie posters.
NOT sure how this will play. George being kickass..hmmm.
Maybe its time George got married to someone respectable. I think he’s made it over the hill now. I dont think he has an American fan base below 30, maybe just “big in japan” now. I think getting married an having some kids would help his career. The bachelor thing is synonomous with man-wh*re.
Jacqueline, in order for him to marry someone respectable, he’d have to actually date and court someone respectable, which to my memory has never happened.
I am soo tired of movie posters with guns in it. The glorification of a deadly and commonly misused weapon is mystifying to me. that’s why I think Angelina Jolie is sucha hypocrite too. she preaching all world peace and love and harmony all the time and every single one of her movies revolves around pointless violence and mindless action scene after action scene.
What are you comparing him to? The look he had for that staring at goats movie or his “look” from 15 years ago? Speaking of his look – time to change it up George.
what a terrible poster! they made clooney look about 30 pounds underweight and about 10 years older.
Well, I’m relieved that I won’t have to fight any of you for him! Send the old man over please.
GC is fine with the right director- which he HAD in Michael Clayton! it doesn’t get better than Tony Gilroy, and esp. directing his own script. Were we even at the same movie???
It looks better than SALT at least!
gertrude, I also thought he was great in Michael Clayton, and I agree about Tony Gilroy. One scene that sticks out in my mind was the one in which he stopped to look at the horses. The acting he did as he stood there looking at those horses was some of the best acting I’ve ever seen, and he didn’t even say a word. I think that scene went over a lot of people’s heads, but there was a lot of symbolism in it. The horses had halters on their heads but were in a fenceless field. It was a moment in which Clayton chose to be free.
read the book this movie’s based on, ‘A Very Private Gentleman’ by Martin Booth.
it’s very good w/ the exception of the first @ 90 pages – when they [finally..] get to the part about how this guy loves the gun, and he’s a master gun maker for the top assassins in the world, some of which are described in good detail physically and thus revealing his sense of vengeance and bitterness. His sense of isolation is being broken, and that’s the tone of the story, and how he deals with it. The most recent trailer, the shortest one, actually is closest to the feeling i got from reading the story, so far.
Terrible poster. They should change it.
They should change the poster for a better one.
Maybe he was fed up with looking younger and better than his current girlfriend and this is some kind of public assimilation ?
I think the poster represents him perfectly . He looks like that in person . He used to be so hot .
What’s the problem with (almost) all the people here? One day he’s the most handsome man in the world, next day he’s shit. Neither of that. He’s never been my cup of tee, but he has always been attractive in a very “macho” way, and now he’s getting old, it happens.
The comments here just represent one characteristic human feature: people echo what they see or heard: in this case, that Clooney is awful.
yellow is definitely not his color…but other than that…it’s refreshing that his face is natural & not photoshopped into perfection.
This is a retro art poster paying homage to the 70s. I understand that its aesthetic doesn’t appeal to everyone. It is in keeping with the trailers provided and very evocative of the tone and mood of the film. GC is not afraid to lose his movie star looks for the sake of a role. He is an actor and one who appears to be selecting roles that are age appropriate and introspective. If he no longer fulfills your fantasies perhaps you should look elsewhere.
Hmm, nice press for always doing nice things, well deserved, Georgie 🙂
george not hot? are you people NUTS?
hahahahahaaaaaaaa he looks like a crow.
He’s talented and helps people. Thats what makes him my favorite actor