Jay Kelly is the film where director Noah Baumbach attempts to reconcile the grand sprawling aspirations that he first exercised in his last film, White Noise with his honest, very personal character work in films like Mistress America and Frances Ha, both of which I enjoy. It was no surprise then that this film resonated with me.
The film follows the titular Jay Kelly played by (and, maybe, only could have been played by) George Clooney, an uber famous actor who is reaching an age where he can look back at his work and wonder… is that it? With his second daughter now moving into adulthood and, on a trip in Europe, Jay has never felt more alone. Thus, he takes his entourage, led by his manager and friend Ron (Adam Sandler), on his most eccentric trip through Europe as he tries to find whether or not his past was worth it.
The film has a lot of melodramatic turns and a few different characters have significant relationships with both Ron and Jay. Jay goes through the ringer as he tries to reconcile his life and how it has affected his daughters, his father, his team, the director that gave him his career and his former acting buddy who shows up for the first time in decades. All of these characters are written with great care and detail. None of them feel flat and, in fact, what works impressively well is that some of these characters are more interesting than Jay and played by actors who express more emotion than Clooney.
Having said this, Clooney is impressive, holding his own in a role that may be a lot like himself but as his character states “It’s a hard job being yourself”. Clooney fully embraces that and, while it may not be the most dazzling performance of his long career, it feels like one of the most honest. Sandler gets more of the weight overall as he is a man on the brink. With Jay looking towards retirement and a young family he still wants to raise, the balancing game Ron does between work and family is more active. While Jay looks back at the mistakes that he made with his work-life balance, Ron tries to avoid those same mistakes but his work is also so all consuming because of Jay’s stardom. Sandler does such a great job in that role that you almost wish there was more of him. There are also many impressive but small roles from great actors including Laura Dern, Louis Partridge, Jim Broadbent, Riley Keough, Alba Rowracher, Charlie Rowe and, most impactfully, Billy Crudup as Jay’s former acting buddy. The scene with him really kicks off the whole story and Billy makes it substantial despite limited screen time.
Linus Sandgren as mentioned is an amazing collaborator for Noah. He brings a cinematic twist and beauty to every frame, even in a film that mostly uses conventional set pieces. Nothing feels particularly dressed up for the cameras but the light is always perfect and awe-inspiring. While he’s worked on films with more mixed reception as of late (I don’t think Wuthering Heights is going to change that. Maybe Dune 3 but it’s not as much of a slam dunk as the first two) he is always bringing amazing imagery to his work with several different directors. This feels like one of his most prosperous collaborations to date and one hopes he continues to work with a director like Noah.
The score from Nicholas Britell is also fitting, it never drives the scene but it always keep us engaged and is an important element of montages and transitions. The tone shifts with his music and the theme of this movie is memorable beyond most themes from this year. I hope he gets to show off even more in the future but the pieces he is giving us are great.
Another interesting meta bit is the question about the people who are making the movie. Noah and his cinematographer Linus Sandgren make cameo appearances here. It hints towards the very meta nature of this film, that it is almost a documentary of sorts of George’s life. Noah feels like he is trying to let you into a version of George’s life that feels so real that it might as well be. But he also nods to the fact that he may be on Ron’s side.
Adam’s own daughter is in this film and Noah’s wife, Greta is also in this movie as Ron’s wife, Lois. It feels like Noah is trying his hardest to make life imitate art and also ensure that life is there for his actors. He blurs these lines as much as he can in Jay Kelly while also using story structure and stylistic camera choices to assert the artful nature of this time with Jay. Emily Mortimer, the screenwriter, feels key to fleshing out some of these characters and the actor experience. There’s a fascinating relationship to life being someone who pretends to be so many people and only has so much time for the real people in his life. There is a loneliness but also a reason to be lonely and to keep acting because the art he makes is so often important and impactful for others. The film does get you to feel some of that loneliness but it’s only until the final scene that it sinks in. It’s a brilliant concept for an ending that made me emotional but doesn’t feel like every element of the story contributed to.
Jay Kelly is streaming on Netflix now.
