Jay Kelly ★★

Jay Kelly (George Clooney) is an institution. If you took a sip every time you heard his name, you’d be in for a not-so-good time. He’s noticed instantly when in public and is adored by many. Not so much adored, however, by his family. Jay is barely on speaking terms with his oldest daughter Jessica (Riley Keough) and he is caught off-guard when his youngest daughter Daisy (Grace Edwards) decides to travel through Europe with her friends and declines Jay’s wish to spend more time with her before she begins college. Along with the timely death of Peter Schneider (Jim Broadbent), who cast Jay in his breakout role, Jay begins to reflect on his past and the decisions he made. He decides to remove himself from his next movie to see if he can join Daisy in her travels. His entrance isn’t going to be particularly welcome since she is with friends, but he decides to accept a career tribute award in Tuscany to justify him crossing paths with Daisy.

As a famous actor, Jay is well taken care of. He has an entourage of staff and management that accompany him, and he is never of want. A running joke that director Noah Baumbach makes is Jay mentioning to someone how lonely he is and his butler Silvano (Giovanni Zeqireya) appearing out of thin air with a drink. Jay Kelly is never alone. However, he knows deep down that he doesn’t have any close personal connections with anyone. Except maybe for Ron (Adam Sandler). Ron has been Jay’s manager for decades and has seen firsthand the heights of Jay’s career and performances. Ron not only admires Jay: he sees Jay as his friend. Ron’s dedication to Jay is only rivaled by Gary Walsh’s dedication to Selina Meyer in Veep. Jay perhaps isn’t as emotionally tied to Ron as Ron is to Jay, but Jay acknowledges the efforts and sacrifices Ron makes to ensure that Jay’s every single possible need is met. Down to the most detailed of details, down to the slice of cheesecake in Jay’s rider that is ready for him wherever he goes (yet he insists he never asked for). Jay’s reluctance to show his appreciation diminishes as one-by-one, Jay’s entourage leaves for other commitments before arriving at Tuscany. There’s a real chance Jay will arrive at the tribute with no friends or family with him. And if that is the case, then what is there to celebrate?

Jay notes in Jay Kelly that he regards acting the character of ‘himself’ as his most challenging role. As he stands in and observes flashbacks of his life, he reflects on key moments, some of which he didn’t realize at the time the damaging impact they would have on his relationship with his family. Baumbach doesn’t write Jay to be a monster, and Clooney makes Jay feel very personable and even relatable. That being said, Clooney doesn’t convincingly show regret. Some flashback scenes, such as the one where Jay auditions for his first major role, are romanticized and Jay is shown to look back fondly on these memories. Rather than Jay, the true emotional core of the film lies with Sandler’s character Ron. Ron sticks by Jay through thick and thin, and though Jay argumentatively points out that 15% of his money goes to Ron, there isn’t a doubt in my mind that Ron would still be there even if it weren’t for the money. He admires Jay; Ron is the only actual friend that Jay has. Sandler’s acting in his role as Ron is exceptional to a fault – I found myself caring more about the resolution of his story than Jay’s.

As Jay Kelly unfolds, Noah Baumbach is indecisive whether the emphasis of his film is to show the wonder of Jay’s life or how empty of a life Jay has. The film’s themes of Hollywood, introspection, and family lend themselves well to a character study, but Jay Kelly doesn’t have true conviction of who Jay Kelly is or what the story of his life conveys. Its conclusion muddies the water even more – is acting as oneself the most challenging role an actor has, or can there be another take to get it right?