December 10, 2025
FILM: JAY KELLY
DIRECTED BY: NOAH BAUMBACH
STARRING: GEORGE CLOONEY, ADAM SANDLER, LAURA DERN
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
George Clooney. Everyone knows who he is, what he looks like, how charming he is, etc. At this point in his career can he even play a character that doesn’t in some way resemble himself? In the new Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story, Frances Ha, The Squid & the Whale) film Jay Kelly, he plays the title character who is essentially THE fictional film version of George Clooney. He’s a big-time movie star who is handsome and instantly recognizable. He’s now at a crossroads in his life and career, questioning whether he should continue acting or not. He is also about to receive a tribute in Tuscany that he initially has no interest in accepting in person. But then he meets up with a friend (Billy Crudup) from his early 20s whose dream to be an actor was negatively affected by Jay’s own powerful drive to be a star. After an altercation between the two, Jay decides that yes, he’ll go. What follows is a journey through his life, relationships, career, doubts, and personal revelations.
The film is not anything we haven’t seen before. In fact, much of this film, which was written by Baumbach and actress Emily Mortimer, owes a lot to Woody Allen (a director who Mortimer worked with on Match Point.) Scenes in which Jay steps into the past and watches former moments in his life, as if he is traveling through time, was something Allen did in Annie Hall. His initial lack of interest in attending his tribute and being surrounded by fans was at the center of Stardust Memories. The ceremony itself is seemingly attended by people from Jay’s past, just as characters return in Allen’s Deconstructing Harry. The difference is that Jay seems to enjoy the fame and attention. He may want to disappear for a bit, but he still needs that spotlight, something that Allen’s characters never admitted to themselves. There is even a montage of scenes from Jay’s career that originate from known George Clooney films.
In the early screenings of this film at festivals, some viewers said that they thought Clooney was essentially playing a version of himself. Interestingly, the script even anticipates this as “playing oneself” becomes a theme in the film. At one point Jay responds to this saying, “do you know how hard it is to play yourself?” The message is that it isn’t hard to become another character, the difficulty is opening yourself up to playing a version of yourself on screen. You may balk at this but if you think about some of the most celebrated actors today (Sean Penn, Jesse Plemmons, Daniel Day Lewis, etc.) they rarely play themselves. Do we even know who they truly are? There’s another moment in the film when Jay mentions the name of several actors, such as Cary Grant and James Stewart, who essentially played the same personality in film after film. Yet, it was those variations of their personas that audiences loved to see. Does that mean they weren’t also great? I think Jay Kelly is suggesting that there is a real skill in being able to tap into those familiar parts of oneself to connect to certain audiences. Again, I wouldn’t be surprised if you disagreed with this assessment.
Where the film strays from Clooney’s story, I believe, is in the close connection portrayed between Jay and his manager Ron, played by Adam Sandler. Just as Jay has forsaken a lot of time with his family over the years, Ron is struggling with the time he spends away from his wife Lois (played by Greta Gerwig) and their children. Ron longs for something deeper in his own life. What he seems to want most though is to have Jay acknowledge how close they really are. He’s not just a manager to Jay he’s also his one and only true and caring friend.
Sandler has been getting a lot of awards attention for this part, including a recent Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Is it deserved? Well, Sandler is definitely playing a character we haven’t seen him play before. He’s more low-key, sensitive, and centered than ever. Even in some of his more dramatic roles in films such as Punch-Drunk Love and Uncut Gems there are elements of Sandler’s on-screen persona that sneak their way into the films. Perhaps this is who Sandler really is. Maybe he is playing a version of himself here.
The film is filled with a LOT of recognizable actors in small roles, including Oscar-winners Laura Dern and Jim Broadbent, and the aforementioned Gerwig, Mortimer, Crudup and even Noah Baumbach playing a director. Do these distract from Jay’s story? Possibly, as they are known quantities that even a few bad wigs can’t quite disguise.
However, the film has other pleasures too, including a beautiful score by Nicholas Britell (Succession) and exquisitely shot settings throughout France and Italy. If nothing else, the film feels like a great European train journey with an introspective George Clooney.
Jay Kelly is currently available to stream on Netflix.
FILM: JAY KELLY
DIRECTED BY: NOAH BAUMBACH
STARRING: GEORGE CLOONEY, ADAM SANDLER, LAURA DERN
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
George Clooney. Everyone knows who he is, what he looks like, how charming he is, etc. At this point in his career can he even play a character that doesn’t in some way resemble himself? In the new Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story, Frances Ha, The Squid & the Whale) film Jay Kelly, he plays the title character who is essentially THE fictional film version of George Clooney. He’s a big-time movie star who is handsome and instantly recognizable. He’s now at a crossroads in his life and career, questioning whether he should continue acting or not. He is also about to receive a tribute in Tuscany that he initially has no interest in accepting in person. But then he meets up with a friend (Billy Crudup) from his early 20s whose dream to be an actor was negatively affected by Jay’s own powerful drive to be a star. After an altercation between the two, Jay decides that yes, he’ll go. What follows is a journey through his life, relationships, career, doubts, and personal revelations.
The film is not anything we haven’t seen before. In fact, much of this film, which was written by Baumbach and actress Emily Mortimer, owes a lot to Woody Allen (a director who Mortimer worked with on Match Point.) Scenes in which Jay steps into the past and watches former moments in his life, as if he is traveling through time, was something Allen did in Annie Hall. His initial lack of interest in attending his tribute and being surrounded by fans was at the center of Stardust Memories. The ceremony itself is seemingly attended by people from Jay’s past, just as characters return in Allen’s Deconstructing Harry. The difference is that Jay seems to enjoy the fame and attention. He may want to disappear for a bit, but he still needs that spotlight, something that Allen’s characters never admitted to themselves. There is even a montage of scenes from Jay’s career that originate from known George Clooney films.
In the early screenings of this film at festivals, some viewers said that they thought Clooney was essentially playing a version of himself. Interestingly, the script even anticipates this as “playing oneself” becomes a theme in the film. At one point Jay responds to this saying, “do you know how hard it is to play yourself?” The message is that it isn’t hard to become another character, the difficulty is opening yourself up to playing a version of yourself on screen. You may balk at this but if you think about some of the most celebrated actors today (Sean Penn, Jesse Plemmons, Daniel Day Lewis, etc.) they rarely play themselves. Do we even know who they truly are? There’s another moment in the film when Jay mentions the name of several actors, such as Cary Grant and James Stewart, who essentially played the same personality in film after film. Yet, it was those variations of their personas that audiences loved to see. Does that mean they weren’t also great? I think Jay Kelly is suggesting that there is a real skill in being able to tap into those familiar parts of oneself to connect to certain audiences. Again, I wouldn’t be surprised if you disagreed with this assessment.
Where the film strays from Clooney’s story, I believe, is in the close connection portrayed between Jay and his manager Ron, played by Adam Sandler. Just as Jay has forsaken a lot of time with his family over the years, Ron is struggling with the time he spends away from his wife Lois (played by Greta Gerwig) and their children. Ron longs for something deeper in his own life. What he seems to want most though is to have Jay acknowledge how close they really are. He’s not just a manager to Jay he’s also his one and only true and caring friend.
Sandler has been getting a lot of awards attention for this part, including a recent Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Is it deserved? Well, Sandler is definitely playing a character we haven’t seen him play before. He’s more low-key, sensitive, and centered than ever. Even in some of his more dramatic roles in films such as Punch-Drunk Love and Uncut Gems there are elements of Sandler’s on-screen persona that sneak their way into the films. Perhaps this is who Sandler really is. Maybe he is playing a version of himself here.
The film is filled with a LOT of recognizable actors in small roles, including Oscar-winners Laura Dern and Jim Broadbent, and the aforementioned Gerwig, Mortimer, Crudup and even Noah Baumbach playing a director. Do these distract from Jay’s story? Possibly, as they are known quantities that even a few bad wigs can’t quite disguise.
However, the film has other pleasures too, including a beautiful score by Nicholas Britell (Succession) and exquisitely shot settings throughout France and Italy. If nothing else, the film feels like a great European train journey with an introspective George Clooney.
Jay Kelly is currently available to stream on Netflix.