Movie Review: Jay Kelly
Jay Kelly is one of the strangest movies I have seen in 2025, as I am unsure what I am supposed to take from it. Noah Baumbach’s newest film is a glossy and expensive Hollywood tale about a movie star coming to terms with his life. The film is part obituary, part vanity piece, part Oscar-bait, and part Baumbach film, and I’m not sure what to do with any of it.
George Clooney plays Jay Kelly, an iconic movie star who everyone seems to love. By all accounts, he’s a nice, charming actor who has been famous for years. After a confrontation with a former acting classmate (Billy Crudup), his youngest daughter is soon to be off to college, and he is about to receive a lifetime achievement award in Italy. Jay Kelly has a life crisis of sorts and starts contemplating his life and past relationships on the road to his award ceremony.
Is George Clooney done acting? Is this the last time we’ll see him on the silver screen (or on whatever device you stream Jay Kelly on Netflix)? The movie certainly makes it seem that way, though Clooney has two upcoming acting roles according to IMDb. There are parallels between Clooney as an actor and Jay Kelly as a character that are hard to ignore, such as their charisma, their kindness to the crew and fans, and the longevity of their career. There are also differences, like Kelly having multiple older children and ex-wives. We’ve seen semi-meta, autobiographical films several times before, and usually, the line between an actor’s real life and their character on screen is easy to define. However, in Jay Kelly, that line is very blurry, especially at the end of the film. The finale of the film, where Kelly watches a montage of his career during his lifetime achievement ceremony, features clips from George Clooney’s movies and shows. Clips of Clooney in E.R., Out of Sight, Ocean’s 11, Michael Clayton, and many more show up. So, how much of Jay Kelly are we supposed to tie to Clooney’s actual career? It’s puzzling and makes the entire film feel like it’s the final hurrah for Clooney’s acting career.
Jay Kelly also never felt like a Baumbach film. It was missing some of the gentle bite we’ve seen from Baumbach’s past films. The film is draped in Italian sunshine and has a glossy, awards-needy sheen that is so glaring you can feel and see the film’s egregious budget in every shot. Jay Kelly is nothing but pure vanity, and you can feel the Netflix fatigue from Baumbach, especially since this is his fourth film working with the streaming service.
Jay Kelly isn’t all bad, though. The overarching message of regret and learning from your past is relevant and could have had a greater impact with a better script. While Clooney is the star of the film, his performance is overshadowed by a sensational supporting cast, including Crudup, who gives a spectacular one-scene performance, and Adam Sandler, who plays Kelly’s under-appreciated manager. They both give award-caliber performances. The Italian countryside looks nice, and I’ll never say no to a movie about Hollywood.
Jay Kelly was an overall confusing experience that never fully worked. But, if you’re in the mood to watch an expensive Netflix movie with Oscar winners and good-looking movie stars, Jay Kelly is right up your alley.
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