What it is about George Clooney that bores me to death? He’s considered one of the most accomplished, A-list movie stars of the last few years. I actually like the guy a lot when it comes to his wise-cracking real life persona. And I admire the attention he gives to films that probably couldn’t be made without his participation. Yet all of this doesn’t exactly translate to my particular enjoyment of his movies. To this day, my favorite George Clooney movie is From Dusk Til Dawn, the first movie he made after becoming a star on ER. It’s the only purely entertaining film I’ve seen him in (this side of Batman and Robin, of course). There have been other films of his that I’ve liked, including Ocean’s Eleven, O Brother Where Art Thou, and Out of Sight. But in the last five years, he hasn’t done anything I’ve really cared about. I wanted to love Syriana (hated it). I wanted to love Good Night and Good Luck (was apathetic). And I wanted to love his new universally acclaimed drama thriller Michael Clayton. But I didn’t. Michael Clayton is the best film Clooney film I’ve seen in a long time, it’s well-made, well-acted, with a handful of good scenes. But did I enjoy myself? For the majority of the running time, I was tired and bored, wishing I was watching any other movie, feeling like I had seen this movie a hundred times before. I Never. Cared. What. Was. Happening.

Maybe films about corporate corruption will make more sense and do for me twenty years from now. Right now, these kinds of stories don’t make for very much excitement, very much intrigue. The scene that works best for me is a subtle one, in which Clayton runs up a hill and takes a moment to admire a group of three deer. It reminded me of the moment in Citizen Kane that was discover all Kane ever loved was his sled, the innocence that slowly slipped away. Clayton becomes so entangled in a web of corruption that this moment is followed by his car exploding, with someone clearly wanting him dead. Clayton turns around, not making much of an expression, looking on to see his car burning up in flames. We see this moment twice in the movie. The first time, I was curious. The second time, I was checking my watch. Watching a movie like Michael Clayton makes me try to reconsider my values as a film lover. Here’s a thriller that takes its time, never diluting itself by providing easy thrills or cheap twists, with three solid performances and a pretty riveting final scene that did work for me a lot even though most everything that came before it left me feeling a little empty. But this movie didn’t excite on any level, it didn’t last in my memory for too long, and it certainly didn’t make me want to watch it again or recommend it to friends. It’s certainly a step up from the Ocean’s sequels, but I’m starting to wonder if From Dusk Til Dawn will forever be as good as Clooney gets.

2 stars (out of 4)