After breaking out with some high-profile roles, Bradley Cooper quickly became one of the most acclaimed and in-demand actors in Hollywood. He has shown his talent as a leading man and in ing roles. He can handle comedy, action, and drama with the same intensity. He even recently proved himself to be a great filmmaker as well.
Working with some of the best directors in the business and attaching himself to some huge franchises, Cooper's IMDb page features some of the most popular films in recent memory. But his road to fame was long and now all of the films along the way have been popular with the IMDb crowd.
Best: The Hangover (2009) 7.7
After years of ing roles and leads in smaller movies, Cooper got a big break with the hugely successful comedy, The Hangover. Cooper stars alongside Ed Helms and Zack Galifianakis as friends who wake up in Vegas after a bachelor party with no memory of the night before and a missing groom.
Todd Phillips directed this R-rated comedy that makes great use of its hilarious cast as well as its fun premise. The mystery aspect of the film is as entertaining as the jokes which get wilder as the adventure continues.
Worst: Failure to Launch (2006) - 5.6
It's strange to think that Cooper was once relegated to the friend roles in rom-coms like Failure to Launch. The movie stars Matthew McConaughey as a grown man who has yet to move out of his parents' house. They then hire a woman (Sarah Jessica Parker) to help him get on with his life.
This film comes in the middle of McConaughey's rom-com phase and is one of the most forgettable entries in that era. The sitcom premise and tired humor fail to make it stand out at all.
Best: A Star Is Born (2018) 7.7
In his directorial debut, Cooper showed his talents go far beyond just acting. The remake stars Cooper himself as a rock star struggling with alcoholism who falls in love with a talented young singer (Lady Gaga) and helps to make her a star.
A Star is Born is a story that has been told many times before, but Cooper injects the story with an intensity missing from the other versions. He and Gaga are powerful together and the musical moments in the film are unforgettable. It makes for a beautiful and heartbreaking modern love story.
Worst: Serena (2014) - 5.4
After working together to great effect in Silver Linings Playbook, Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence quickly reteamed for the period drama, Serena. During the Prohibition era, Cooper plays a successful owner of a lumber business whose empire is threatened when he marries a complicated woman (Lawrence).
The success of Cooper and Lawrence's previous collaboration cannot be duplicated in this dull drama. Though they give fine performances, it is not enough to make this story any more interesting.
Best: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) - 8.0
It's interesting to think that some of Cooper's best performances involve just his voice acting. Guardians of the Galaxy was the introduction of the cosmic side of the MCU and follows a dysfunctional group of heroes, including Rocket Racoon.
The movie was a big risk for the MCU but it paid off wonderfully. James Gunn's irreverent humor really works for this ragtag crew of colorful characters. And despite just providing the voice, Cooper gives a great performance and is the reason Rocket is such a fun character.
Worst: Aloha (2015) - 5.4
Cameron Crowe is responsible for some great movies like Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous. Sadly, Aloha was a big miss for him. Cooper plays a military contractor who is reassigned to Hawaii where he tries to win back an old flame while falling for an Air Force member (Emma Stone).
Along with some heavily criticized casting choices, the movie seems to make no attempt to give an authentic view of Hawaii. The romance story is dull and the script is a mess. It wastes a talented cast on an embarrassing disaster.
Best: Avengers: Infinity War (2018) - 8.4
The Guardians of the Galaxy finally teamed up with the Avengers for this epic showdown with the villainous Thanos. As the Mad Titan collects Infinity Stones to carry out his terrible play, the scattered heroes try desperately to stop him
Seeing these characters come together is so much fun even with the foreboding threat of Thanos. Cooper's Rocket gets a nice buddy relationship with Thor. It is a grand adventure filled with laughs and thrills as well as a truly shocking ending.
Worst: All About Steve (2009) - 4.8
The same year that Sandra Bullock won an Oscar for Best Actress for The Blind Side, she also "won" Worst Actress at the Razzie Awards for All About Steve. The rom-com stars Bullock as a woman who becomes convinced a local news cameraman (Cooper) is her soulmate and proceeds to follow him around the country.
Making a romantic comedy out of a story about a stalker was not a good idea. It's amazing no one seemed to realize that until the movie came out and people were turned off by the unintentionally unsettling movie.
Best: Avengers: Endgame (2019) - 8.4
After the shocking events of Infinity War, the remaining heroes, including Rocket, are forced to deal with the devastating aftermath. When a dangerous plan is formed that could make everything right again, the Avengers reassemble for their biggest mission yet.
Avengers: Endgame was meant to be the culmination of everything that came before in the MCU. The fact that they were able to pull this off in a massive, entertaining, and satisfying way is incredible. It made for a touching end of an era as well as an exciting set up for what's to come.
Worst: Bending All The Rules (2002) - 2.3
Every actor has to take some less-than-stellar jobs when they are first starting out and Bradley Cooper was no exception. This is probably what led to him staring in the low-budget romantic comedy Bending All the Rules.
The film is a typical love triangle approach where Cooper fights with another man over the girl of their dreams. The few people who have seen this film remark that it is a disaster in every way. Cooper seems to get the kindest comments but everything else has been called amateurish.
