Bradley Cooper Reveals His All-Time Favorite Film That He Considers a Masterpiece

Before establishing himself as a director, Bradley Cooper had already built an impressive resume as a performer in some of the most influential films of the 2010s. With leading roles in Limitless, Silver Linings Playbook, and the intense American Sniper, he gained firsthand experience working alongside heavyweights.

This deep immersion in the industry, paired with his classical training at James Lipton’s legendary Actors’ Studio, provided him with a unique perspective that he eventually brought behind the camera.

Given his background as both a high-level actor and an active filmmaker, Cooper’s cinematic tastes carry a significant weight of authority. It is particularly interesting to see which works he considers masterpieces, and one 2007 film stands out as his definitive favorite.

While discussing his influences during a feature with Rotten Tomatoes, Cooper identified Julian Schnabel’s The Diving Bell and the Butterfly as a production that truly captured his imagination.

The film, an Oscar-nominated biopic based on the memoir by French journalist Jean-Dominique Bauby, is celebrated for its highly experimental approach to storytelling. Cooper was effusive in his praise, describing it as just one of the best films ever made and highlighting its incredible visual conception and narrative structure.

He also expressed great admiration for Schnabel, calling the director just wonderful for his ability to play with perspective in such a bold and innovative way. Cooper’s own directorial style seems to have been quietly influenced by Schnabel’s work, particularly in how he approached the life of Leonard Bernstein in Maestro.

Rather than sticking to a linear format, he utilized shifts between black-and-white and saturated color to indicate emotional and chronological transitions. This focus on “visual conception” reflects the same experimental spirit that he so admired in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

As of February, Bradley Cooper is currently celebrating the home release of his third directorial effort, Is This Thing On?, which arrived on digital platforms on February 10. The film, which Cooper directed, produced, and starred in, features Will Arnett as an amateur stand-up comedian navigating the complexities of a midlife divorce.

While Cooper took a supporting role as Arnett’s best friend, “Balls,” the movie has been praised as a sweet, funny, and insistently optimistic crowd-pleaser that further solidifies his reputation as a sensitive storyteller.

Though his rumored collaboration with Steven Spielberg on a Bullitt reboot has reportedly been moved to the back burner, Cooper remains one of the busiest figures in Hollywood with multiple producing deals at his company, Lea Pictures.

Do you think Bradley Cooper’s decision to take a supporting role in his latest film, Is This Thing On?, allowed the story to feel more grounded, or do you prefer it when he takes the spotlight in his own directorial projects? Share your thoughts in the comments.