Jay Kelly is Rated R by Motion Picture Rating (MPA) for language.
Jay Kelly — A Star on the Edge of His Own Spotlight
Ever wondered what happens when a Hollywood legend takes a long, hard look in the mirror and doesn’t quite recognize the face staring back? That’s the strange, hypnotic, and often frustrating journey at the heart of Jay Kelly, Noah Baumbach’s latest film. It’s a story about fame, regret, and what’s left when the applause finally stops.
George Clooney plays Jay Kelly, a world-famous movie star who seems to have everything: adoration, wealth, and a career built on charm and good lighting. But beneath the tailored suits and smooth grin is a man quietly rotting from the inside out. When we meet him, he’s supposed to be prepping for a new movie with two hotshot young directors the kind of collaboration that could revive his fading reputation. Instead, something snaps. He walks away from it all, vanishes, and boards a plane to Europe in search of the daughter he’s long neglected.
From that impulsive moment, Baumbach spins a road movie that feels part dream, part breakdown, and part self-inflicted therapy session. Jay’s manager, Ron (a beautifully weary Adam Sandler), is dragged along for the ride, along with a chaotic entourage of industry lifers Laura Dern as the too-loyal assistant, Emily Mortimer as the stylist who’s seen it all, and a handful of others who seem to exist mainly to remind Jay that his whole life has become a performance.
The setup promises something rich and reflective a film about a man confronting the ghosts of his own stardom. And when Baumbach leans into that premise, Jay Kelly really sings. There’s a sequence early on, a behind-the-scenes one-take where Clooney steps out of his trailer and into a swirling film set, the camera gliding around him as if trying to peel away the layers of illusion. It’s pure Baumbach funny, sad, and quietly revealing. You can feel the film setting you up for an exploration of Hollywood’s mythmaking machine, the same way Babylon or Once Upon a Time in Hollywood tried to do, but from a smaller, more personal angle.
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But that’s not quite what we get. As Jay’s journey spirals across Europe through trains, cars, and awkward family encounters the movie starts to lose its center. One scene plays like a wistful memory; the next feels like a slapstick detour from a totally different film. There’s a train sequence packed with cartoonish characters that could’ve been lifted from a bad sitcom. Later, a wild chase across an Italian field that feels tonally insane a moment that should’ve been profound, but instead provokes the wrong kind of laughter.
It’s maddening, because the film has moments of real brilliance buried in the mess. Clooney, for one, delivers some of his most vulnerable work in years. When he locks eyes with Riley Keough, who plays his estranged eldest daughter, the movie briefly finds its soul. Their scenes crackle with years of unspoken resentment and sadness. You can see Clooney peeling back the layers of Jay’s persona, letting the movie star mask slip until what’s left is just a man tired, guilty, searching for meaning.
The same goes for Billy Crudup, who pops up as Jay’s old drama school buddy in one of the film’s standout scenes. Their reunion filled with awkward laughter, half-remembered dreams, and buried envy captures the bittersweet ache of getting older and realizing your best years might be behind you. It’s one of those moments where Baumbach’s sharp writing and Clooney’s natural gravitas align perfectly, and you wish the entire film carried that tone.
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Adam Sandler, meanwhile, might just be the film’s secret weapon. Playing Ron, Jay’s overworked and underappreciated manager, Sandler is the audience’s stand-in the guy stuck watching a train wreck he can’t stop. His performance is quiet, humane, and surprisingly moving. You feel his exhaustion, his loyalty, and the sadness of someone who’s spent too much of his life cleaning up someone else’s messes. It’s the kind of work Sandler does best when he’s not trying to be funny all heart, no artifice.
And yet, for all the talent involved, Jay Kelly can’t decide what it wants to say. One moment, it feels like a satire Baumbach poking fun at Hollywood narcissism and the absurdity of fame. The next, it’s sincere, almost reverent, as if the film itself can’t help but be starstruck by its leading man. By the end, when Jay literally sits down to watch a montage of George Clooney’s real-life career highlights from The Peacemaker to Syriana you can’t help but wonder: are we supposed to be laughing, crying, or both?
There’s something haunting about that final moment, though. Watching Jay watch himself, you sense the film reaching for something profound the idea that maybe all fame really is just a loop, a reel of someone else’s version of your life, replaying forever while you sit in the dark wondering what it all meant.
But as the lights dim, the film leaves you with more questions than answers. Did Jay change? Did he learn anything? Or did we just spend two hours watching a man chase his own reflection?
If Jay Kelly were a person, it’d be the charming but self-absorbed guest at a dinner party endlessly interesting, occasionally brilliant, but prone to derail the conversation with a bad joke or a tangent that goes nowhere. You can’t quite hate it, because it means well. It’s just too in love with itself to realize when it’s lost you.
Still, there’s something undeniably magnetic about watching Clooney and Sandler share the screen two actors who’ve aged into their weariness beautifully. And Baumbach, even when he stumbles, remains one of the few directors willing to risk sincerity in an age of irony.
So, is Jay Kelly a good movie? Not really. But it’s an interesting one messy, brave, occasionally moving, and often infuriating. It’s the cinematic equivalent of a midlife crisis: expensive, self-reflective, and maybe just a little too long.
Content Breakdown for Parents
Violence & Intensity: No graphic violence. There are tense emotional confrontations, flashbacks of an accident involving a car crash (non-graphic but upsetting), and one brief moment where police restraint looks rougher than expected. Emotional intensity is high, especially in arguments between parent and child.
Language: Occasional profanity (“hell,” “damn,” one or two uses of stronger language). No racial or homophobic slurs. The tone is authentic to stressed teenagers and adults rather than edgy or gratuitous.
Sexual Content / Nudity: Minimal. Jay and a friend share a kiss and brief implied intimacy; nothing explicit is shown. A few references to teen relationships, handled tastefully.
Drugs, Alcohol & Smoking: One scene depicts adults drinking at a wake. Jay’s older brother struggles briefly with prescription misuse, shown as a warning, not glamorized. No smoking or recreational drug use.
Parental Concerns
Parents should be aware that this isn’t a light teen movie. The pacing is reflective, and younger kids may find it slow or emotionally heavy. Themes of grief, guilt, and mental health are central. A few intense scenes could upset sensitive viewers, but the film ultimately leans toward healing, not despair.
Release date December 5, 2025 (United States)
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