The Big Picture
- Batman & Robin killed the Batman franchise for nearly a decade, forcing studios to take more care with superhero films.
- George Clooney's performance as Batman lacked physical prowess and serious demeanor, but his Bruce Wayne portrayal was better.
- Clooney may not have worked as Batman, but his failure led him to a successful career, influencing future depictions of Bruce Wayne.
There’s a case to be made that Batman & Robin is one of the most important comic book films of all time. Joel Schumacher’s famously disastrous Batman sequel was so reviled by both fans and critics that it temporarily killed the comic book movie genre, forcing studios to take greater care in making sure their superhero films were properly handled. The film subsequently killed the Batman franchise for nearly a decade; Warner Brothers canceled plans for Schumacher’s proposed fifth installment Batman Unchained, which would have featured Scarecrow as the main villain and brought back Jack Nicholson’s Joker. It's no coincidence that when Christopher Nolan rebooted the series in 2005 with Batman Begins, the gritty tone couldn’t have been more different from Schumacher’s campy version of Gotham City.
While it is admirable that Schumacher was making an earnest attempt to capture the self-aware tone of the original 1966 Adam West Batman series, the performances simply didn’t work. Arnold Schwarzenegger's quippy version of Mr. Freeze and Uma Thurman’s sultry take on Poison Ivy are temporarily amusing, but they were unable to maintain that charm for a two-hour film. Chris O’Donnell’s Dick Grayson/Robin and Alicia Silverstone’s Barbara Gordon/Batgirl fared even worse; these supposedly inspirational heroes feel like bratty, whiny teenagers.
Batman and Robin
PG-13ActionComedyCrimeFantasy Sci-Fi
Batman and Robin try to keep their relationship together even as they must stop Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy from freezing Gotham City.
George Clooney's Take on the Caped Crusader
George Clooney has certainly not been shy about his feelings regarding both the film and his performance. “I always apologize for Batman & Robin,” he said on The Graham Norton Show in 2015. “I’d actually thought I’d destroyed the franchise until somebody else brought it back years later and changed it.” Clooney is often ranked as the worst Batman in history, and in the suit, he simply looks ridiculous. To say he lacked the physical prowess and serious demeanor necessary to play the Dark Knight would be an understatement.
However, there’s a fine line between playing Batman and playing Bruce Wayne. Obviously, there must be a consistency between the caped crusader and his billionaire playboy alter ego, but the drastic differences between them is part of the reason why the character is so fascinating. Clooney’s performance as Batman is impossible to defend, but his work as Bruce Wayne isn’t as bad as its reputation suggests. And even though Clooney has been fairly negative about his time as Batman, The Flash gives us a momentary glimpse that Clooney might not be as opposed to playing the role again after all.
Before Clooney, neither Michael Keaton nor Val Kilmer had been given much time to explore what Bruce does when he’s not beating up criminals. Bob Kane originally imagined the character as a brilliant, charismatic philanthropist who masks his dark side, but both Keaton and Kilmer were equally chilling in a tuxedo as they were in the Batman suit. Clooney was the first actor to lean into the sleazy persona that Bruce must adopt in order to mask his identity. As any Batman fan knows, he’s only dressing up when he takes the mask off.
George Clooney Balanced Batman and Bruce
Clooney’s version of Bruce is a schmoozing womanizer and an important part of the Gotham City economy. The previous films hadn’t done much to explore the extent of Bruce’s wealth other than show that he had a massive mansion, but Clooney’s version spends an inordinate amount of money on a Wayne Enterprise telescope that he donates to the Gotham Observatory. While in public, he treats it like just another random endeavor by a bored millionaire, but Bruce knows that it's a contribution that will benefit the citizens of Gotham. It also allows him to disguise his research into Gotham’s criminal population.
This sequence also underscores one of the central challenges that Batman experiences as a character: his two alternate lives become even more chaotic when they intersect. Poison Ivy shows up during Bruce’s dedication speech and proposes a new science project that she wants Wayne Enterprises to fund. Bruce is forced to act like a hero in public; he refuses her offer, citing the devastating consequences that it could have. This sparks Poison Ivy to seek revenge on both Bruce and his alter ego without knowing they’re the same person.
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There’s also an ignorance to Bruce’s behavior that comes from his lifelong wealth. It’s easy to get lost in the extravagance of Wayne Manor, and Schumacher’s version of Bruce’s home is comically prosperous. Bruce is completely ignorant of Dick’s feelings, and initially, he barely notices when his butler Alfred Pennyworth’s (Michael Gough) niece Barbara comes to visit. While this creates obnoxious melodramatic tension between the two when they’re fighting crime, Bruce’s feelings are more understandable when Clooney takes the costume off. He’s so busy trying to keep his public persona intact that he’s lost track of his priorities. He’s constantly putting on a performance.
The rare moments when Bruce is actually being genuine are the scenes he shares with Alfred. Gough is perhaps the only actor to emerge from Batman & Robin without embarrassing himself, even if the subplot featuring Alfred’s sudden diagnosis with MacGregor's Syndrome is woefully mishandled. Bruce doesn’t talk much about his parents’ death in a movie as light as Batman & Robin, but Clooney still makes it clear that Alfred is the father he didn’t have growing up. The moments when Bruce watches over the man who raised him as he lies dying are the only moments in the film where it seems like anybody is taking something seriously.
Clooney Should've Had More Than One Chance at Batman
CloseIt's actually a bit of a shame that Clooney was never given another shot at the character. While obviously, his version of Batman didn’t work, he proved in subsequent years that he could be a convincing action star. Perhaps a more grounded approach in a darker depiction of the character, and there was even potential in Schumacher’s Batman Unchained. As his multiple collaborations with The Coen Brothers indicate, Clooney can be very funny if he’s given the right material.
Playing a superhero simply wasn’t a good choice for Clooney at the time, but the failure of Batman & Robin actually panned out in his favor. As a result of his embarrassment, Clooney chose to work on more dramatic projects with legendary directors like Steven Soderbergh, Terrence Malick, David O. Russell, and Wolfgang Peterson. He developed into one of the most acclaimed actors of his generation and launched a directorial career that was equally strong. It's no coincidence that Clooney is one of the few prominent actors working today who doesn’t have a recurring role in an ongoing franchise.
At the same time, Clooney still contributed something to the history of the character. Christopher Nolan’s version of the Dark Knight is different from Schumacher’s in almost every way, but Christian Bale took a similar approach to Bruce’s exaggerated affluence. Even if it's just a footnote, Clooney’s work deserves some credit for peeling back the layers of Batman’s double life.
Batman & Robin is now available to watch on Prime Video.
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