10 Underrated Bradley Cooper Movies You Must See

Bradley Cooper’s filmography stretches far beyond headline roles in splashy hits. He has taken on early character parts, voice work, sharp supporting turns, and a mix of leading roles across genres that reveal how wide his range really is. If you know him only from big titles like ‘A Star Is Born’ or ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, there is a long list of other projects where he tried different lanes and worked with a variety of filmmakers.

This list gathers ten films featuring Cooper that often fly under the radar. For each one you will find clear plot details, key collaborators, and production facts that make it easier to decide what to queue up next without any fluff. Dive in and you will spot how his choices connect across thrillers, comedies, dramas, and anthologies.

‘The Midnight Meat Train’ (2008)

Bradley Cooper plays a New York photographer who follows a lead into the city’s late night underbelly and crosses paths with a silent killer who prowls the last train. The film adapts a story by Clive Barker and was directed by Ryûhei Kitamura, with Vinnie Jones co starring as the butcher whose routine becomes the focus of the investigation.

The release arrived in a small number of theaters before reaching home formats, which helped it find a wider audience afterward. The production shot extensively on sets built to replicate subway cars and platforms, allowing for tight camera work and controlled lighting during the train sequences.

‘Case 39’ (2009)

Cooper appears alongside Renée Zellweger in a child protective services thriller about a social worker who rescues a girl from an abusive home only to face a string of incidents tied to the child’s past. He plays a therapist whose professional interest in the case intersects with events that escalate around the main characters.

The film was directed by Christian Alvart and filmed largely in British Columbia, using suburban locations and practical interior builds for the home settings. It reached audiences on a staggered release schedule in different countries, which meant many viewers discovered it later through digital and television runs.

‘Serena’ (2014)

Set in the North Carolina timber industry during the Depression, ‘Serena’ follows a logging magnate and his new wife as business pressures and personal secrets collide. Cooper stars opposite Jennifer Lawrence, with the story tracking land deals, rivalries, and the couple’s household as fortunes shift.

Directed by Susanne Bier and based on Ron Rash’s novel, the production used locations in the Czech Republic to stand in for Appalachian landscapes. Scenes involving logging operations relied on a combination of period correct costuming, vintage equipment, and controlled forest settings arranged for safe felling shots.

‘Burnt’ (2015)

‘Burnt’ centers on a chef rebuilding his career in London while assembling a new brigade and pushing for top recognition in the dining world. Cooper leads a cast that includes Sienna Miller, Daniel Brühl, Omar Sy, Matthew Rhys, and Emma Thompson, with the story focusing on menu creation, team dynamics, and exacting kitchen standards.

The filmmakers worked with professional chefs to choreograph service scenes, and many sequences were captured inside working restaurants and purpose built kitchen sets outfitted with commercial equipment. The shoot emphasized real cooking on camera, with food stylists preparing dishes that could withstand repeated takes without losing form.

‘The Words’ (2012)

In ‘The Words’, Cooper plays a struggling writer who discovers an old manuscript and publishes it as his own, which draws the attention of the person connected to the original text. The film uses a story within a story structure, with Dennis Quaid and Olivia Wilde appearing in framing scenes that present the tale at a public reading.

Written and directed by Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal, the project brings together Jeremy Irons and Zoë Saldana in key roles that link the past and present threads. The production leans on contrasting color palettes and locations to separate timelines, helping viewers track how the consequences of a choice move from one generation to another.

‘Wet Hot American Summer’ (2001)

This cult summer camp comedy marks Cooper’s feature debut as a theater loving counselor named Ben, part of an ensemble that includes Amy Poehler, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, and many others. The story follows the last day of camp as the staff hustles to pull off performances, parties, and goodbyes before the buses roll out.

Directed by David Wain and written with Michael Showalter, the film was made on a compact budget with a tight shoot at a real camp location. It later sparked two follow ups at Netflix called ‘Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp’ and ‘Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later’, which expanded the original characters and introduced new ones.

‘Hit & Run’ (2012)

Cooper plays a menacing figure from the past of Dax Shepard’s character in a car chase comedy about a couple on a deadline road trip with law enforcement and old associates in pursuit. The story weaves between small towns and highways as the leads try to make a critical appointment on time while dodging trouble.

Written and directed by Dax Shepard, the film used extensive practical driving with real cars on real roads, which meant planning stunts around traffic control and daylight windows. Many vehicles seen on screen were part of the production’s small fleet, and the team favored in car mounts to keep the action grounded in the cabin.

‘War Dogs’ (2016)

‘War Dogs’ dramatizes the rise of two young arms dealers who land a sizable government contract and then face the logistics and risks of fulfilling it. Cooper appears in a supporting role tied to the procurement network, while Jonah Hill and Miles Teller anchor the partnership at the center of the story.

Todd Phillips directed the film, and Cooper also served as a producer through his company, which oversaw development from a magazine article by Guy Lawson. Filming took place across multiple countries to represent locations in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and South Florida, with Miami settings providing the base for the characters’ home operations.

‘New York, I Love You’ (2008)

This anthology gathers short films set around the five boroughs, with Cooper appearing in one of the interlinked stories that pass characters and themes from segment to segment. The project unites a large roster of actors whose paths overlap through brief encounters, commutes, and nighttime wanderings.

Multiple directors contributed entries, and the production scheduled overlapping units to capture city life at different hours and in different neighborhoods. The film belongs to a series that began with ‘Paris, je t’aime’, and it uses the same structure of standalone vignettes that share a common urban backdrop.

‘Licorice Pizza’ (2021)

Cooper steps in as real life producer Jon Peters during a chapter that unfolds around a chaotic delivery and a neighborhood blackout, intersecting with the adventures of two San Fernando Valley teenagers. His scenes thread through a story that follows small business hustles, auditions, and school events as the leads crisscross the Valley.

Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, the film shot on location across the Valley with period accurate storefronts, vehicles, and signage to recreate the era. The cast blends newcomers with established performers, and the production relied on long takes and natural light to keep the rhythm of residential streets and backroads.

Share your favorite lesser known Bradley Cooper film in the comments and tell everyone what makes it worth a watch.