Jay Kelly Movie Review

Jay Kelly (2025)

Watch the trailer
Written by: Noah Baumbach & Emily Mortimer
Directed by: Noah Baumbach
Starring: George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Laura Dern, Billy Crudup, Riley Keough, Stacy Keach, Jim Broadbent, Patrick Wilson, Greta Gerwig
Rated: R

Plot
Famous movie actor Jay Kelly embarks on a journey of self-discovery, confronting his past and present with his devoted manager Ron at the intersection of regrets and glories.

Verdict
Fame isn't everything. We see starstruck fans and staff that fawn and wait on Jay Kelly, but that obscures his estrangement from his daughters. He chased his dream and became successful beyond all expectation, but his dream had no room for anyone else. It's only now after he's gotten everything he's ever wanted and his star has begun to wane that he considers what he missed. It's not that he feels he made a mistake, he wants even more than he has. His daughters don't have a connection with him, but he wants the family in addition to the fame.
Watch It.

Review
Baumbach's last movie was White Noise though he co-wrote Barbie.

Famous actor Jay Kelly (George Clooney) seems rather insulated from the world. There also seems to be distance between he and his daughters. Being an acclaimed actor can contribute to both. When he learns his friend Peter (Jim Broadbent) has passed, Jay recounts how the director asked him to do a movie, needing Jay to give it credibility after a series of flops. Jay refused, and now he's attending the funeral where Peter's son talks about how his father was always away. He mentions the flops which are now better regarded.

George Clooney plays Jay Kelly

After the funeral Jay runs into his old friend Tim (Billy Crudup) from acting class way back when. Jay claims Tim was the best, but Tim notes that not only did Jay make it big, he's the only one still working. Tim admits he's mad at Jay's success, claiming Jay 'stole' his big break. It's not just this event, but in conjunction with a conversation he had with his daughter and that he might be getting more reflective as he's older, Jay backs out of his next movie commitment.

Jay revisits his past, seeing Tim in acting class and then the audition he stole. The director simply liked Jay more. Fame can be fickle and that role propelled Jay to stardom. If it wasn't that role or audition, it would have been another. We can understand why Tim is upset as Jay wasn't even planning to audition, but none of it is Jay's fault.

Jay ends up on a train traveling to Italy to follow his daughter. She doesn't know, and he doesn't get a private car. He's with everyone else, and he's quite charming. In part, he's a movie star and they've seen him several times in his movies. Jay is also great at talking to people. He's playing a movie star, and this movie reinforces the concept of how it's easy to play a role and difficult to be yourself. Jay can play a part better than he can manage his personal life. It's difficult to face reality.

Jay recalls another memory of his oldest daughter. She takes him to therapy so she can voice the things she could never tell him. She felt abandoned and neglected while watching him play an attentive father in movies. She never experienced that. He walks out of the session, only reinforcing his daughter's feelings. It's difficult to face reality and his shortcomings. It's telling that all of Jay's flashbacks focus on himself. Even Jay's publicist and manager, their lives revolve around Jay. He will always come first for them.

George Clooney plays Jay Kelly

Jay never cared for tributes, but he agrees to one in Italy. He's reflecting on his life, and he needs affirmation, feeling guilty about his relationships with his daughters and wives. That and he's getting older. He's not as famous or as in demand as he used to be. Jay also flies his father in, trying to work on that relationship. It's clear Jay's father was difficult.

Jay achieved his dreams, but everyone else pays the price. He lived a life where he was always the focus. Jay never had to worry about everyone else and was told it's okay. Now he reflects on the relationships with his kids and realizes the mistake. He never focused on them. He hears his actor friend Ben talk about their shared manager Ron (Adam Sandler). A friend isn't someone that takes fifteen percent of everything. Jay has used Ron as a friend because he's always around. Jay confused availability with friendship. Ron attends to Jay because that's his livelihood.

Jay got affirmation for acting because that's the one thing he pursued, the only thing for which he held a passion. Nothing else mattered in that pursuit, and now he's suffering for it. There was never room for anyone else. His manager and publicist told him that was okay. He's trying to undo it, but that's too little too late. He pursued a life with a singular focus and made that choice. He doesn't regret it, but he does regret that he's estranged from his family. During the tribute, a home video of his daughters plays. He transports to that memory. When he's about to leave in the middle of their 'show,' he stays and I wonder if he walked out in reality, only wishing he had stayed. Jay was always focused on his career and pursuits. At the end, he turns to the camera and asks for another take. Fame and fortune isn't everything. Given the chance would he do anything different or would he just hope that he could juggle both better? Jay mourns the relationships he doesn't have and the ones he lost, but I don't think he regrets his career.