5 Reasons Why George Clooney Could Have Been The Best Batman

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

[b]5 Reasons Why George Clooney Could Have Been The Best Batman/b]

March 25, 2013

Anthony Gramuglia

Who’s the best Batman? People go back and forth on this one. A lot of people say Christian Bale, others Michael Keaton, and even some argue Adam West was the only live-action Batman worth watching.

However, everyone–and for good reason–forgets George Clooney’s performance as Batman. Everyone agrees that Batman and Robin was the black sheep of the Batman film series. However, really think about the criticisms made against it. Ice puns. Whiny Robin. Bat Nipples. Everyone agrees that 80% of the cast was terrible, but there are two things that I have yet to hear brought up in discussion of the film’s faults. Everyone ignores Michael Gough’s Alfred and George Clooney’s Batman.

They were the silver lining on the most disappointing film of all time.

However, I will go one step further. Not only was George Clooney the best part of Batman and Robin, but he had the potential to be the best Batman. Period. Given a better script, less studio interference, and if Schumacher was able to make a Batman film in the vein of Phone Booth or Lost Boys, George Clooney might’ve become a fan favorite Batman.

Consider the following.


5. His Performance In Batman And Robin was Goofy, But Sincere
Batman and Robin was a terrible film with a terrible script. Many of the villains turned in ham-fisted, over the top performances, while the Bat Family was muted, tedious, dull. However, in every scene he’s in, even when it’s clear that Clooney knows he’s in a stupid film, he puts in effort. When he’s Bruce Wayne, he turns on the charm. When he’s Batman, while not threatening or intimidating (more a problem with the script), he is believable.

Granted, he admitted to playing Batman as a maturing gay guy with a weird hobby, but that was, again, a problem with directing and the script. We have to remove Clooney from Batman and Robin’s reputation. He wasn’t bad in it. Everything around him was dreadful.

4. Clooney Can Be A Playboy
Clooney’s early roles were heart throbs. He knows how to get his charm on. He knows what the ladies like, and that’s exactly what Bruce Wayne needs. Bruce Wayne ought to be the last person you suspect to be Batman. Michael Keaton did this best on film, but even in Batman and Robin, Clooney charmed everyone. Only problem is this is the only film where he doesn’t have a love interest (Poison Ivy doesn’t count. Robin might.).

Consider the following. Val Kilmer was dull as Bruce. Christian Bale tries to be a convincing playboy, but you’d know there was something off about this guy if you met him. He seems fake, bored with life. On the other hand, Keaton fooled everyone, including the audience. Fans petitioned WB for a recast because they couldn’t see Keaton as Batman. Keaton’s Bruce Wayne is a charming playboy who internalizes all of his issues. Bruce Wayne is the mask Batman hides behind.

Where does Clooney come in? Clooney can pull playboy charm even better than Keaton. Keaton’s Bruce Wayne was a nice guy, but not the type who you can visualize getting any girl he wants. Bruce Wayne is a pheromone factory. Women are drawn to him, even if they’re out to kill him. They just can’t help it. Clooney is also a lady magnet. He was voted the sexiest man alive at least once.

Clooney can play the mask of Bruce Wayne perfectly.

…but does that mean all that much in the long run if he can’t play Batman?

3. Clooney Can Be Terrifying
Have you seen From Dusk Til Dawn? (Spoiler free. I love showing it to people who never heard of it before, and seeing their reactions when they get to the bar.) George Clooney plays a criminal in it, along with Quentin Tarantino, who, without raising his voice above a gentle little hum, terrifies people into submission. Not just his voice, but his stance, even when dealing with things far outside of his control, he remains bad-ass, in control, and terrifying.

That’s Batman.

Even in other movies, you see that same quality. George Clooney can scream and yell, but he doesn’t need to. Batman is most intimidating when he is calm, collected, less man and more a shadow. Again, another issue with Christian Bale was that he lost control too quickly. Losing control means you can’t handle the situation. It’s a sign of weakness, not strength. Yelling and screaming might be “tough,” but anyone can do that. Very few can make you cry to your God with a whisper.

Again, Keaton nailed it. His introduction in the ’89 Batman film is breathtaking. He doesn’t yell. He barely speaks until the end. He proves his power through demonstration (Bale does this too), then speaks in a whisper (Bale does not do this). Clooney does all this in From Dusk Til Dawn. Watch the first couple scenes, and imagine Batman saying them (sure, he’s using a gun, but just use your imagination).


2. Clooney Can Do Subtly Tormented
Have you watched The Thin Red Line–long movie, but it’s worth watching at least once–or O Brother, Where Art Thou? Both films feature George Clooney dealing with psychological anguish. Clooney in both films knows exactly how much he needs to emote at any given point. It’s like a symphony. He hits every note just right.

That is a prerequisite to playing Batman. This is Bale’s strong suit. Keaton is good at subtle, but his Batman isn’t pushed necessarily to the limits like Bale. Nolanverse’s Batman is tough, the playboy attempts to be fun, but when all is sad and done, Bruce Wayne is broken. The moments when he’s just talking to Alfred or Rachael or Selina Kyle or Ra’s al Ghul are powerful.

Clooney has done the same thing, only, unlike Bale, he can do it without really transitioning from one state of mind to the other. With Bale, you can visibly see when he’s fake Bruce, real Bruce, and Batman. He acts totally different as all three. With Clooney, he can overlap. (With Bale that has also to do with Nolan’s direction, and you can make the argument that this divide is intentional. However, very often, in the original comics, it’s hard to tell when Bruce is himself. There’s overlap.)

That is where I once again bring up Keaton. Keaton’s Bruce Wayne and Batman, while clearly separate, were also pretty similar to one another. They had the same sensibilities, and Keaton’s Bruce, while aloof and light-hearted, restrained himself from getting too involved with others. There’s that beautiful, subtle scene where he puts flowers on the street his parents died that really captures everything about Keaton’s Batman in one little scene, but he’s playing Bruce Wayne when he does it. A really great juxtaposition. Again, Clooney can do that, as seen in the previously mentioned films. Clooney plays a soldier in The Thin Red Line, but he also plays a human being, and manages to balance these two sides of himself perfectly.

In the end, though, and most important of them all…

1. He Looks Like Batman
Look at all the Batmen. Don’t they look a little goofy in the suit? Keaton and Bale have their moments, but Val Kilmer looks uncomfortable, like he doesn’t want to be seen. Adam West plays up the goofiness. He wants us to know how silly it all is.

However, look at pics of George Clooney in the suit. From the nipples up. The guy is a natural. He doesn’t seem awkward like Kilmer does. He has no shame at all wearing that thing.

Not only that, but he LOOKS like Bruce Wayne. Look at them side-by-side. They look similar. More similar than Bale or Keaton, by far.

Clooney could’ve been the best Batman ever, but he was given a terrible script. We got what we got, but we could’ve had so much more.

pattygirl wrote:Joanna, I believe most of his work was cut out of the DVD version, but I think he had a bigger part. Wish I could have seen those other scenes.

it's me wrote:I have a strange attitude when seeing him in movies
I see only him

then
after some more times I see the whole film

the only film I really 'saw' was Gravity
bec G is not in almost every scenes

pathetic  

LizzyNY wrote:Way2Old - If the Tarantino movie was "From Dusk To Dawn", wasn't it worth it? I know I'm warped, but I love that movie! It's so sick and twisted, but funny as hell - and they're both really fun to watch in it. (Quentin and George)

"Batman" isn't anywhere near as good, but it isn't as weird either. It's just a bad kids' movie, with a few really nice scenes with George sprinkled in. If you have time to kill someday give it a try- just for him - or just fast forward to the scenes with Alfred or the girlfriend.