Jay Kelly
“Everybody knows Jay Kelly, but Jay Kelly doesn't know himself.”
6.1
2025
2h 12m
Drama
Comedy
About
Famous movie actor Jay Kelly embarks on a journey of self-discovery, confronting both his past and present, accompanied by his devoted manager, Ron.
Trailer
Cast
George Clooney
Jay Kelly
Adam Sandler
Ron Sukenick
Laura Dern
Liz
Billy Crudup
Timothy
Riley Keough
Jessica Kelly
Grace Edwards
Daisy Kelly
Stacy Keach
Jay's Dad
Jim Broadbent
Peter Schneider
Patrick Wilson
Ben Alcock
Eve Hewson
Daphne
Greta Gerwig
Lois Sukenick
Alba Rohrwacher
Alba
George Clooney
Jay Kelly
Adam Sandler
Ron Sukenick
Laura Dern
Liz
Billy Crudup
Timothy
Riley Keough
Jessica Kelly
Grace Edwards
Daisy Kelly
Stacy Keach
Jay's Dad
Jim Broadbent
Peter Schneider
Patrick Wilson
Ben Alcock
Eve Hewson
Daphne
Greta Gerwig
Lois Sukenick
Alba Rohrwacher
Alba
Reviews
Manuel São Bento
FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://fandomwire.com/jay-kelly-review/ "Jay Kelly is a dense and unforgettable drama from Noah Baumbach, where George Clooney's inspired performance reaches a peak of vulnerability, giving life to a man trapped between professional success and personal emptiness. It's a thematically rich story about the tyranny of memory and the high cost of ambition, questioning whether success compensates for lost bonds. With directing, editing, cinematography, and score that transform dialogue into pure intimacy and organically link the past and present, the film is technically and emotionally superb, rejecting the convenient ending in favor of life's bittersweet truth. The only way forward is ahead, learning to love the story that, by choice, became our own." Rating: A
Read full reviewBrent Marchant
Those familiar with my writing are likely well aware that I have often said the cardinal sin in moviemaking is predictability (why see a film if you already know what’s going to happen?). On the heels of that belief, my second biggest cardinal sin in this field is a lack of originality (to a great degree because predictability often walks hand in hand with this shortcoming). And, unfortunately, those are the problems that sink this latest effort from writer-director Noah Baumbach. In a nutshell, this offering tells the story of its self-important title character (George Clooney), a successful but aging movie star who’s beginning to realize that his life has slipped away from him, leaving him with a pile of professional and personal regrets, many of which involved burning some significant bridges. Through a series of flashbacks (and a whole lot of vacuous hand wringing that’s quickly and easily dismissed), he sees – perhaps for the first time – how he’s squandered much of his time and alienated many kindreds, leaving him feeling fundamentally empty. (Now there’s a novel idea for a story – a pampered, self-absorbed LA celebrity who experiences a midlife (or, in this case, a late life) crisis and goes into meltdown mode to haplessly search for “meaning.”) But haven’t we already seen this storyline play out countless times before in other releases, such as “All That Jazz” (1979), “Stardust Memories” (1980) (and the film it’s based on, “8½” (1963)), “Bardo” (2022) and “Birdman” (2014), to name only a few. So what does “Jay Kelly” offer that’s new to this narrative? Frankly, nothing. And, to make matters worse, it doesn’t even traverse this well-worn ground very effectively (all of the aforementioned predecessors having done a much better job at this). There’s little to like about – or even empathize with – any of the characters in this story, leaving viewers to sigh a big “So what?” Even the protagonist is unengaging, coming across as an amalgamation of his (i.e., in essence, Clooney’s) on-screen personas. The effect of this is shamelessly self-congratulatory that essentially plays like a reel of the actor’s greatest hits, set against a backdrop of superficiality and relentlessly obtrusive product placement (again, so what?). In fact, the most interesting players in this production are the supporting characters, such as an old acting school colleague (Billy Crudup) and the director who gave Kelly his start (Jim Broadbent). Regrettably, though, these characters are relegated to comparatively small roles with little screen time. The supporting character who receives the lion’s share of such attention is Kelly’s manager (Adam Sandler), a wholly uninteresting, inconsequential cast member who could have been easily eliminated without losing a thing. In short, this whole affair is so shallow and so LA-clichéd that it’s difficult to care about any of it in the slightest, all the while trying to pass itself off as something sublimely profound. (Yawn.) Sadly, this vehicle is a waste of Clooney’s and Baumbach’s considerable talents. Both are better than what they’ve produced here. Indeed, if there’s genuine tragedy to be had in this effort, their derivative, uninspired creative output on this project would undoubtedly be it.
Read full reviewFeaturettes(11)
Scene at the Academy (Feat. Noah Baumbach, George Clooney, Adam Sandler, and More)
George Clooney on feeling nostalgic about his films & a career's worth of hairdos
Noah Baumbach on Jay Kelly | FLC Luminaries
Conversation at AFI FEST presented by Canva
George Clooney and Adam Sandler Reunite On Screen for 'Jay Kelly' After Years of Real Friendship!
Making Jay Kelly Was A Blast for George Clooney and Adam Sandler | BAFTA
George Clooney on connecting personally with his character Jay Kelly
What 3 films would Adam Sandler put in his own sizzle reel?
Joachim Trier and Noah Baumbach on Crafting Sentimental Value and Jay Kelly
Noah Baumbach, George Clooney, Laura Dern, Billy Crudup & Riley Keough on Jay Kelly
Noah Baumbach, George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Laura Dern & More on Jay Kelly
Scene at the Academy (Feat. Noah Baumbach, George Clooney, Adam Sandler, and More)
George Clooney on feeling nostalgic about his films & a career's worth of hairdos
Noah Baumbach on Jay Kelly | FLC Luminaries
Conversation at AFI FEST presented by Canva
George Clooney and Adam Sandler Reunite On Screen for 'Jay Kelly' After Years of Real Friendship!
Making Jay Kelly Was A Blast for George Clooney and Adam Sandler | BAFTA
George Clooney on connecting personally with his character Jay Kelly
What 3 films would Adam Sandler put in his own sizzle reel?
Joachim Trier and Noah Baumbach on Crafting Sentimental Value and Jay Kelly
Noah Baumbach, George Clooney, Laura Dern, Billy Crudup & Riley Keough on Jay Kelly
Noah Baumbach, George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Laura Dern & More on Jay Kelly
Behind the Scenes(8)
All My Memories Are Movies
Auditioning for Jay Kelly
Noah Baumbach, George Clooney, and Adam Sandler Behind the Scenes of Jay Kelly
Noah Baumbach, Adam Sandler, George Clooney & Emily Mortimer on Creating Jay Kelly
Adam Sandler on the Making Of Jay Kelly with George Clooney and Noah Baumbach
Adam Sandler, George Clooney, Laura Dern & the Jay Kelly Cast - Behind the Characters
Nicholas Britell on Making the Score with Noah Baumbach
George Clooney Behind the Scenes of Jay Kelly with Adam Sandler and Noah Baumbach
All My Memories Are Movies
Auditioning for Jay Kelly
Noah Baumbach, George Clooney, and Adam Sandler Behind the Scenes of Jay Kelly
Noah Baumbach, Adam Sandler, George Clooney & Emily Mortimer on Creating Jay Kelly
Adam Sandler on the Making Of Jay Kelly with George Clooney and Noah Baumbach
Adam Sandler, George Clooney, Laura Dern & the Jay Kelly Cast - Behind the Characters
Nicholas Britell on Making the Score with Noah Baumbach
George Clooney Behind the Scenes of Jay Kelly with Adam Sandler and Noah Baumbach