Michael Clayton - Review

I have seen this movie twice in my DVD and on both ocassions I repeatedly fell asleep for some three to five minutes each time. That is how boring I found it. . After reading some of the favorable comments and Oscar nominations and awards, I decided something was radically wrong with me.

Now that I have read all th above comments, however, I realize that nothing is wrong with me, although plenty is wrong with this so-called "thriller" that utteerly failed to thrill me. It has no real plot, no interesting scenes and even the car explosion fails to appear interesting.

I agree with all the negative criticism I had no idea what was going on, it only started to make sense when the bomb when off & then end part. Still then I had no idea what was going on, nothing to keep me thrilled or watching, just a couple of men in black suits rambling about legal crap. The Movie was boring boring boring

How much more pseudo intellectual can Hollywood get ?

My goodness, this is one annoying movie ! Thankfully, there appear to be others that agree. I currently have the movie on "pause" about half way through; figured I would go on line and read some viewer opinions before throwing my remote control at the TV. I will finish the watching the movie, but this is such obvious garbage !

The only clarity to this film is (the viewer) must follow and decipher the director's little puzzle of a plot. The question I have is if this due to a suspenseful storyline, or possibly a lack of storytelling (talent) on the part of Mr. Gilroy. I am hedging my bet on the latter. The character development is very amateur, which speaks volumes of the maturity level on the part of those who nurtured the movie. The entire production of this crap reeks of Hollywood arrogance, and the sad part (as succinctly described by the above review), is it has a "false confidence that will probably be enough to convince critics that this is a smart, well-crafted thriller."

Crap may or may not float, but it certainly piles up with this artistic effort !

People don't understand that things are happening simultaneously yet apparently unrelated , the films works as in a puzzle that comes together in the end like a good story. Some people want to be led by the hand, know everything beforehand,guess the outcome and have a sequence. That's bad writting. Cloney was great.

I agree, this movie was very boring. I had to take several breaks during the movie because because the movie bored me... I was hoping that the ending would make up for the rest of it but it didn't. I was just disappointed and confused at the end.

How Michael Clayton received a best picture nod, when movies like The Lookout and Waitress were overlooked, is just incomprehensible. It took me 3 nights to finish watching MC, as the lack of suspense sent me into a peaceful slumber.

I agree, George Clooney's idea of serious acting is one big grimace. He really should stick to the Oceans movies or comedies like Oh Brother Where Art Thou. I also think his co-star, Tilda Swinton, did not deserve an Oscar for her mediocre performance.

A 2-star rating is very appropriate: one star for Tom Wilkinson and one star for a great sleep aid.

I saw Michael Clayton yesterday and I have no idea what that movie was about. I agree completely with the negative assessments. It's at least an hour into the movie before you get any idea of what's going on. The point of the litigation that is the core of the story is never clear. Some aspects of the movie have no relevance to the story whatsoever. Just a very confusing movie...and the flashback aspect didn't help. I asked several others leaving the theatre what they thought. They had the same reaction. So tell me, what is so great about this movie? Boring, boring boring.

Boring boring boring.

Could it get more boring that this? Half of the theatre had walked out when they had been waiting and waiting to see where the movie's going and yet seeing nothing but very slow paced lawyer drama!! I wanted to walk out cuz that's worth not a thing watching but another part of mine wanted to know how much they could pull the story off?

Disappointed .. big time!! Three wild horses, the book, issue within Michael him self, money, friends, what's going on here. It's all over the place!! What a waste.

I wholeheartedly agree.

My personal concise review:


The 2007 movie, Michael Clayton, written and directed by Tony Gilroy, starring George Clooney is a rendition of the age-old "small man" and semi-well intentioned attorney meets multi-billion dollar corrupt corporation. It's plot was loose at best, it's acting mediocre, and it left the crowd wondering what George Clooney saw in this poor attempt at another Citizen Kane.

Exactly!! A terrible movie... it drug on...and on....and on...and on...

All I can say to Josh Tyler is Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! Just about every review praised this claptrap entitled "Michael Clayton" and you Mr. Tyler had the honesty and the guts to go against the grain and see through the "Emperor's New Clothes'.

i agree with Paul B. terrible. absolutely terrible. i have never been to a movie this boring before. no plot, no action and random things that have nothing to do with the storyline (if there is even a storyline). if there was such thing as a perfect bomb, this would be it. there is nothing to this movie.

PaulB - how did you ascertain that there was no plot, when you admit to having walked out of the film before the finale?

I couldn't agree more with the statements above. There are only two movies in the history of film making I have ever walked out on before the finale (and I even sat through pretty in pink AND absolute beginners in the 80's!) but both of them were George Clooney movies, Solaris and this shambles. There is nothing to this movie. The characters have no sould, you simply don't care about them, the plot is non-existant and frankly some of the acting is below par, at one point one of the characters is mouthing the lines of one of the other characters. If Clooney does get another Oscar for this role, then its not deserved in any way what-so-ever. A dud.