Jay Kelly – Film Review
by Fran Winston

Directed by: Noah Baumbach
Starring George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Laura Dern, Billy Crudup, Riley Keough, Jim Broadbent

In select cinemas now. Streaming on Netflix from December 5

It can’t have escaped George Clooney’s notice when he read this script that it was a “there but for the grace of God go I,” fable. This tale of an ageing movie icon who is surrounded by people but is essentially alone could easily have been his fate had he not met his wife, Amal, and settled down to family life with their twins.

Therefore, he is probably the best-placed actor for this role as it is undoubtedly something he has pondered. He is perfectly cast as the matinee idol who reassesses his life as he ponders his relationship failures, particularly with his two daughters.

Following the death of Peter Schneider (Broadbent), the director who gave him his break, and a chance thought thought-provoking meeting with a former friend from acting class, Timothy (Cruddup), he ditches his next film and announces he and his entourage, including his friend/manager Ron Sukenick (Sandler), are going to Europe. Using the excuse of attending an award ceremony in Tuscany, Jay’s real motivation is to spend time with one of his daughters, who is touring Europe with her friends.

However, his staff are less than enthused about having to walk out on their own lives after being dragged away at a moment’s notice, and one by one they make their excuses, leaving Jay and Ron to do some soul searching as Jay realises he has confused loyalty with love and his life isn’t as full as he thought.

A wealthy, white, middle-aged man’s soul-searching journey sounds extremely uninteresting on paper, but Clooney manages to make what could have been an unlikable character extremely engaging. There is a subtlety to his performance that belies the larger-than-life persona of Jay.  It is painful to watch at times as he realises he has prioritised his success over the things that really matter in life.

He and Sandler completely bounce off each other and have some beautiful scenes. Given his comedy background, people often forget what a good straight actor Sandler is, and he completely showcases his talents here in an award-worthy performance.

The story is helped by some stunning Italian scenery, which is beautifully photographed.  It all feels heavily influenced by Fellini.

This shows that you don’t need huge special effects and CGI to make an engaging movie. Sometimes, a good cast and great cinematography are enough. While this is a slow burner, once it grabs you, it doesn’t let go and should leave more than a few viewers in a reflective mood.