By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs
GEORGE CLOONEY AND ADAM SANDLER ARE SUPERB IN "JAY KELLY"
In the comedy-drama
"Jay Kelly," from director
Noah Baumbach and co-writer/star
Emily Mortimer, (TV's "The Pursuit of Love"), George Clooney plays a famous actor--imagine that--who must confront the costs of his privilege and the emotional wake his choices have left behind.
At the center of that reckoning are three people: his youngest daughter, Daisy (Grace Edwards, "Asteroid City") who has grown used to living in the shadow of his fame; his loyal manager, played with surprisingly gentle depth by Adam Sandler; ("Happy Gilmore 2"), and a jealous film-school colleague, Timothy (Billy Crudup, TV's "The Morning Show") who still hasn't gotten over the fact that Jay became the charming star while his own career sputtered out somewhere between "quirky indie darling" and "Who?"
But above all, "Jay Kelly" is about a man who can no longer outrun himself.
Clooney, whose natural charisma can sometimes overwhelm subtler material, taps into a loose, rawer mode here. His Jay is witty, self-satisfied, casually seductive, and quietly terrified that the applause is fading.
Baumbach lets Clooney lean into the comedic rhythms while still exposing the emotional frayed edges of a man whose entire identity is built on being adored. This is one of Clooney's most vulnerable performances in years. Even the moments Clooney shares with Stacy Keach ("Lost & Found in Cleveland" and TV's "Blue Bloods") who plays his father, are sincere and heartfelt.
Sandler, meanwhile, continues his streak of soulful dramatic turns. As Jay's manager and longtime companion on the rollercoaster of celebrity, he's the film's beating heart.
Ron isn't just the guy who handles the press junkets and damage control, he's the one, who is also trying to balance a complicated relationship with his companion Lois (Greta Gerwig, "White Noise"), but also who quietly pays the emotional toll that Jay refuses to acknowledge.
In a lesser movie, Ron would be the comic relief sidekick. Here, he's the ballast, the friend who remembers the man Jay used to be before the premieres, the entourages, and the nagging fear of being replaced by someone younger, shinier, and algorithm-approved.
This dynamic becomes even more charged when Crudup enters the picture as the resentful classmate who sees Jay’s success as a cosmic injustice. Crudup plays envy with a sharp, but less explosive rage, and more slow-burn bitterness. His character is a reminder that fame doesn't just distort the lives of the famous; it radiates outward, warping friendships, ambitions, and even one's sense of self-worth.
The film also has fun with Crudup's pettiness, particularly when he keeps referring to a "lost" short film no one has seen. Baumbach uses him to show how jealousy calcifies into self-pity when left unchecked.
For all its humor and there is plenty-- especially as Jay, his manager, and publicist Liz (an excellent Laura Dern, TV's "Palm Royale") trek through Europe, bantering in cafes and getting lost in narrow cobblestone streets--the film carries a serious thematic weight.
"Jay Kelly" reveals what happens when someone who has everything realizes that the most valuable parts of their life have slipped quietly out of reach. Fame, is not just a privilege; it's a trade. You give up pieces of yourself, your privacy, your relationships, your equilibrium, and in return you get applause that inevitably fades. The movie doesn't wag its finger, but it also doesn't look away from the consequences.
I found little fault with "Jay Kelly" and so much to like about it. Even the slower stretches have an easy charm, buoyed by Clooney and Sandler's unexpectedly warm chemistry.
In addition, the supporting cast, which includes Riley Keough ("Hurry up Tomorrow") as Clooney's oldest daughter, and Patrick Wilson ("The Conjuring: Last Rites"), his business associate, are all up to the task.
"Jay Kelly" is funny, quietly bruising, and deceptively thoughtful. While it's far lighter in tone than Baumbach's "Marriage Story" or "The Squid and the Whale," it carries a similar emotional precision. Hopefully, "Jay Kelly" will get more consideration and applause during Awards Season.
Editor's Note: Be sure to catch my N2Entertainment.net movie talk segment on the Kitty O'Neal Show Fridays now at 5:17 p.m. and 6:47 p.m. on radio station KFBK 93.1 FM and 1530 AM.
Go Ahead And Watch This Trailer For
"JAY KELLY"
Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), The American Film Institute (AFI), and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards.
