Considering the fact that he's in the movie for a grand total of, like, 8 minutes, and basically serves the purpose of being the Calm Jaded Veteran with Space Experience, the voice of reason while Sandra's "Ahhh..."-ing, "Oh Nooooo..."-ing, and "Oh Godddddd..."-ing her way through the movie. Fuck was he supposed to be doing, freaking out alongside her? Not to mention, the role also doesn't quite work if he's cold and clinical and exacting, either.

And as far as any critiques about him "acting a different way because he's going to a cold death in space," yeah, that's also horseshit. Did you not pay attention to his tone when he was telling those Earth stories? I'm not sure why it was hard to understand that this was a guy who, based on his affinity for stories set back in 1987, was a veteran astronaut who had a past, had seen it all, and had lived a full life. Hell, if anything his demise was *too* telegraphed and cliche, since this was The Last Mission Before Retirement. Even so, what's wrong with the character simply accepting his fate, rather than having ZOMG conniptions and/or crying like a bitch? What "shading" was supposed to be added to this character that would have served as a better contrast to Ryan's?

CLOONEY's job in this movie is to sell calm veteran leadership, as well as help sell the larger, theme-related idea of a life well-lived, the life that Ryan hasn't earned yet. He's not just there to be there, a simple pawn that can be picked off by the evil cold space debris. His death isn't designed to be a thrill, full of heavy breathing and tears and freakouts. That's not the fucking point of his story (or of the movie, for that matter). He's done his thing on Earth, space is beautiful, therefore he's good with what's going to happen to him. Ryan, on the other hand, has a life she still has to live, even though she lost a child.

What kind of fucking leader is cool and calm to a certain point then starts freaking out when he's about to sacrifice himself for his charge?

It's always strange to castigate characters on the screen for acting in ways that we think they *should* act, as opposed to how the characters would actually act based on the way they're actually drawn. Just because you would freak the fuck out in space as you're going to your "cold death" doesn't mean that particular character, a grizzled veteran astronaut on the verge of retirement (and it's implied) nothing really to return home to, would.

It's also kind weird to ask a secondary character to sell the same sort of OMG Freakout!!!!!!! thrills-and-chills anxiety that the lead character is selling and is going to sell long after the secondary character dies. Especially considering, again, that he's the LEADER in this scenario. I mean, I keep reading that people "get that," but based on the critique, I'm not so sure.

I mean, were people THAT thrown by his co-billing in the credits? Jesus Christ.

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But Zootown, black people and media, so...