“It’s much easier to be somebody else, or nobody at all.” This is the opening quote of the Jay Kelly. A beautifully resonant one that worms its way into your brain throughout the run time of this film.
Screening ‘In Competition at the Venice Film Festival, this 2 hour 12 minute film is the newest work from American “indie” darling Noah Baumbach and is a fun, self aware dramedy about the realities of maintaining a family when your a ‘Hollywood’ icon.
What Is It?
George Clooney stars in the eponymous role as an ageing Hollywood icon confronting the uneasy reality that his life is completely built on performance, both on screen and off. It’s a fantastic piece of meta casting by Baumbach.
Jay Kelly is a legendary actor who is finding his image as a ‘movie star’ to be quickly fading out of the public consciousness. Saddened by the death of the director who gave him his big break and an ugly confrontation with a former friend, played by Billy Crudup, Kelly’s life starts to take a little wobble and spirals into something deeply existential. When his daughter leaves to interrail around Europe, Kelly decides to follow her and try to become closer, all under the not so slick guise of accepting a ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ at a film festival. His parade around Europe quickly unravels into a sad, pitiful series of Jay pushing people away and his team leaving, causing him to reckon with flashbacks of his own selfish, wrong doings.
Can a life spent acting can leave a person unsure of who they are when the cameras stop rolling?
Surprisingly Not A Satire
Baumbach resists turning the film into a sharp satire of Hollywood excess; instead he offers a more compassionate lens, examining not just the cost of fame on the person but also on the ecosystem around them. Kelly’s loyal manager, played brilliantly by Adam Sandler, and his irritated publicist, played by Laura Dern, are not merely orbiting figures but mirrors of the same imbalance. There is quote by Adam Sandler’s character in this that i could not get out of my head, “you’re Jay Kelly but i’m Jay Kelly too”. It’s a fascinating truth about these public figures that we all come to love, it take a village to raise and maintain them.
The film’s emotional core lies in these relationships, particularly between Sandler’s manager and Clooney’s Kelly.
The Performances
Sandler is phenomenal in this and i hope he recieves his first Oscar nomination for this performance. His sincerity is a perfect counter balance to Clooney’s effortless but vacuous charm. Their dynamic is easily the best thing about Jay Kelly.
Clooney plays his role well too, but i can’t help to think he’s not entirely acting in this. He is just slipping on the mask and clothes of the superstar we know all too well. Still, he does it well and there’s no complaints for me about it.
At times, the film’s tone wavers. Broad comedic detours and loosely sketched side characters occasionally dilute the focus but the film’s charm lies less in originality than in execution.
The ending scene for this film is unbelievable and a great ode to cinema, i won’t spoil it here but it is a huge risk and one i can see being quite divisive.
Ultimately, Jay Kelly doesn’t dismantle the mythology of fame so much as gently peel it back. Beneath the charisma, the entourage and the carefully curated image, Baumbach suggests something quietly radical.
That even the most polished stars were once ordinary people.
Be sure to keep up with all the latest news, reviews and analysis within the film and tv industry by following our social pages and checking out our blog page.
