Noah Baumbach’s best work has always come from his personal experiences. Whether it’s the raw heartbreak of divorce in a Marriage Story or the tangled web of family dynamics in The Meyerowitz Stories, his films have always felt rooted and grounded in reality. But with his latest feature, Jay Kelly, Baumbach tries to bring that same authenticity to the life of a Hollywood star. The result? A meager, overreaching attempt to prove that fame isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
We follow Jay Kelly (George Clooney), one of the last movie stars in Hollywood. After wrapping up production of his latest feature, he decides he wants to spend time with his youngest daughter Daisy (Grace Edwards) before she heads off to college. However, when she reveals that she is heading to Europe for a few weeks, Jay is thrown into a crisis. In a spontaneous decision he decides to secretly follow her to Europe in tow with his manager, Ron (Adam Sandler) and publicist, Liz (Laura Dern). Over the course of their journey, they are forced to confront the choices they’ve made, their relationships with their loved ones, and the legacies that they will leave behind.
Before I bog down the room too much, let me talk about what actually works in Jay Kelly. For one, there’s no denying it’s a well-crafted film. Every frame, every line of dialogue, every performance feels deliberate and alive. Baumbach clearly remembers that he is at his best in these character-driven dramedies, not whatever White Noise was supposed to be. The way Jay Kelly visualizes memories as if he is stepping into another room, or speaking to his family from across the world as if they’re right there with him is genuinely striking. I was, at the very least, entertained and impressed by this glimpse inside the strange, hollow glamour of movie-star life. But for all that, there’s one glaring issue: I just didn’t care.
On one hand, I can appreciate what Jay Kelly is trying to do. Its themes such as the toll fame takes on family, the loss of self that comes from constantly pretending to be someone else, and the way working for a celebrity can blur the line between loyalty and servitude, are all rich and compelling ideas. They fit neatly within Baumbach’s usual sentimental and self-reflective take on the human condition. But on the other hand, Jay Kelly lacks the edge it needs. The coldness that’s supposed to define its central character never really comes through.
Jay Kelly is written and treated as a flawed man. He is a bit of a perfectionist, a bit egotistical, and some people on his team insist on hovering over like a child who can’t be left alone. Yet, despite those flaws and George Clooney’s natural charm, Jay comes across as nothing short of a saint. He’s polite, humble, and endlessly decent. Whether he’s chasing down a purse snatcher for an old woman or chatting casually with everyday people, he never once feels like the cold, prima donna movie star the film keeps insisting he is. We’re told he’s an “absent father,” but the movie never bothered to show it. Instead, we see a man who’s loyal to his friends, he is professional on set, and genuinely committed to his craft. Even his insistence on extra takes feels less like diva behavior and more like genuine dedication. At a certain point, I couldn’t help but wonder why his PR team was babying him as he seemed perfectly capable on his own. Jay Kelly is so busy making its lead likable that it forgets to explore the darker, more complicated side of fame.
So when the film ends with a glossy montage of George Clooney’s filmography, I felt absolutely nothing. There’s no sense of growth, no real self-reflection, no moment where this character seems to question his choices or reckon with who he’s become. What I saw was a flawed but genuinely kind man being celebrated for his career. Jay Kelly is, at best, mildly interesting, primarily because of the performances and the craft behind the camera. But the moment the film is over, Jay Kelly fades into a distant memory never to be thought of again.
My Rating: B-
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