George Clooney Picks His All Time Favorite Film

George Clooney has always worn his movie love on his sleeve. He acts, he directs, he produces, and he talks about films like someone who still lights up when the projector whirs. It makes sense. He grew up around television and storytelling, and he has spent decades chasing stories that matter to him.

Fans already know his taste leans classic and sharp. He has praised seventies thrillers and smart dramas. He has championed filmmakers who mix style with substance. When he lists personal picks, you can see a through line. He tends to favor stories about power, truth, and what people do when the lights are brightest.

Ask him to choose just one and he does not go for the obvious. Clooney points to a film that looked like a biting comedy in its day and now plays like a prophecy. His choice is Network from 1976, directed by Sidney Lumet and written by Paddy Chayefsky. He explained it in his own words. “’Network’ is one of my favorite films of all time. I think Paddy Chayefsky was a genius. I think what he wrote about in 1976 at the time was just a comedy, and everything he wrote about came true.”

That sentiment lines up with his career. Clooney has long been drawn to newsroom stories and the way media shapes public life. Good Night, and Good Luck took a black and white look at broadcast courage. Michael Clayton explored corporate spin and personal conscience. Even his slickest hits carry a wink about how images and narratives get made. Picking Network fits right in with that pattern.

It also shows how he values writing. Chayefsky’s script is famously precise and muscular. Clooney often talks about finding the right words and then getting out of the way. Network does that. The dialogue crackles. The characters feel real even when they are shouting from a television studio. You can hear why an actor and director would admire the craft.

There is a personal echo too. Clooney’s father worked in television news, so the film’s world is not abstract to him. It is familiar. The scramble for ratings. The tug of ethics. The push and pull between what is true and what keeps viewers from changing the channel. When he says the film predicted the age we live in, he is not just being dramatic. He is connecting a classic to everyday reality.

Choosing a single favorite will always spark debate. That is part of the fun. But Clooney’s pick says a lot about the stories he celebrates and the ones he wants to tell. If you have never seen Network, consider this a friendly nudge. If you have, his praise is a good reason to watch it again and notice how much of it still feels like now.