‘Jay Kelly’ Review: George Clooney Shines in Baumbach’s Hollywood Tale

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Jay Kelly presents a touching and charming story about an older actor grappling with life’s big questions after a long career in classic Hollywood style. Director Noah Baumbach creates a visually stunning exploration of self-discovery and the downsides of fame, perfectly embodied by its star. George Clooney delivers a performance that is both genuine and lovable, though it might not connect with a wide audience given the current economic challenges: It can be hard for people focused on basic needs to relate to a wealthy man traveling the world with a large team.

Jay Kelly (Clooney) is getting ready for the last scene of a movie, filmed in one impressively smooth, unbroken shot. Director Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale, Mistress America, Marriage Story) moves around the large set, giving us a look at how a big-budget film is made. Jay’s agent, Ron (Adam Sandler), handles business calls while keeping a close eye on his famous client. After a clap signals the end of the scene, Jay heads to his trailer, where he enjoys the comforts specified in his contract. Ron tells him the break will be brief before his next film, but Jay seems preoccupied with something else.

Movie Star Midlife Crisis

So, the film opens with Jay heading back to his incredible home for dinner. It’s a really sweet scene – his youngest, Daisy (Grace Edwards), has just finished high school and is about to jet off on a backpacking trip around Europe with her friends. You can tell Jay is trying to soak up every last moment with her. But then, things take a turn. Ron arrives with some awful news: Peter Schneider (Jim Broadbent), the director who really launched Jay’s career, has passed away. It’s heartbreaking. And while Jay is reeling from this loss, Daisy, understandably, just goes ahead with her plans. It’s a really poignant contrast – life goes on, even when you’re grieving. It’s a powerful moment.

Attending Peter’s funeral reconnects Jay with people from his past. He catches up with Timothy (Billy Crudup), a former acting classmate who didn’t find success in his career, over a few drinks. However, their time together doesn’t go well, leaving Jay feeling unfulfilled and questioning his own achievements. He’s also concerned that Daisy will pull away from him, becoming emotionally distant like his older daughter, Jessica (Riley Keough). Ron is shocked when Jay urgently calls, telling him to cancel his plans – Jay has impulsively decided to join Daisy in Europe.

Adam Sandler as Ron


Netflix

Baumbach cleverly contrasts Jay’s present-day fame and wealth with glimpses into his past (played by Charlie Rowe) as he worked his way to stardom. These flashbacks are presented in a visually striking way – Jay simply walks through a door or turns a corner to be transported back in time. He observes crucial moments and the decisions he made, prioritizing fame and success above all else. Baumbach and co-writer Emily Mortimer skillfully reveal Jay’s backstory, showing he achieved his ambitions but now questions if it was truly worth the price. This growing awareness creates conflict between Jay and his team, people who made sacrifices to help him reach the top.

Adam Sandler is likely to be recognized with awards for his portrayal of Ron, a deeply devoted friend and colleague to Jay. Ron starts to question whether Jay feels the same way about him. Jay’s team includes Mortimer, who styles him, and Laura Dern as his long-suffering publicist. She, like Ron, has been with Jay from the start, but she always understood her own worth. Both are essentially employees, expected to fulfill Jay’s every whim, or risk being replaced – a thought that understandably troubles Ron. Sandler skillfully shows Ron balancing his own needs with constantly trying to please Jay, and this is one of the film’s strongest points.

It’s worth pointing out that Clooney doesn’t portray Jay as self-centered or unpleasant. Instead, Jay’s kindness and giving nature perfectly complement his captivating good looks. He represents the perfect movie star, and this is where the film’s humor comes from – just picture the disruption if Clooney or Brad Pitt suddenly showed up on your commute. Baumbach skillfully portrays the lightheartedness of these moments, avoiding any unpleasantness, as the eager fans requesting autographs and selfies are expertly managed by an actor comfortable working a crowd. Clooney convincingly shows Jay’s confident exterior while hinting at hidden, personal sadness, suggesting it’s all part of the performance.

Problems in Paradise


Peter Mountain/Netflix

Jay Kelly delivers powerful moments that bring the famous singer back down to earth. His success doesn’t matter to those who feel hurt or overshadowed by it, and here, Keough’s portrayal of a daughter feeling neglected really resonates. Jay is just now realizing the impact his rise to fame had on the people who should have been most important to him. He can’t fix being an absent father with apologies or gifts, and wanting to be involved in her life now is too little, too late. The complicated connection between them is the heart of the film, although it occasionally leans into overly dramatic territory.

It really makes you wonder, how much can we actually connect with Jay Kelly? I think we all go through periods of self-reflection as we get older. But while Noah Baumbach and Sarah Mortimer poke fun at Jay’s wealth, it also *gives* him a unique chance to try and fix things. A working-class guy trying to reconnect with his kids just isn’t the same as a hugely successful, wealthy celebrity doing the same. The movie looks fantastic and the acting is solid, but it falls a little flat when it comes to making Jay truly relatable, and that sadly diminishes the overall impact. It’s a subtle thing, but it really bothered me.

Jay Kelly is a film created by Pascal Pictures, Heyday Films, and NB/GG Pictures. It will first be shown in select theaters on November 14th, and then become available on Netflix on December 5th. The film was also shown at the 63rd New York Film Festival.

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2025-09-30 00:08