There’s no one that twinkles with charm like George Clooney when he sets his mind to it, and he takes full advantage of that movie star charisma as the title character in Jay Kelly, the excellent new film from director Noah Baumbach.
This time out, Baumbach (mostly known for intense dialogue heavy dramas like Marriage Story and The Squid and the Whale) co-wrote a smart script with Emily Mortimer (who also has a small role), an actress who is probably best known for roles in Match Point, The Pink Panther, Lars and the Real Girl, and Mary Poppins Returns.
A midlife crisis movie about a huge Hollywood star in his 60s who begins to question his life choices may not sound all that relatable on the surface, but this bittersweet comedy is so sensitively and tenderly written that you can’t help feeling a lot of understanding and even empathy for Clooney’s character. Adam Sandler also does a solid job as Clooney’s loyal manager, whose affection and devotion to his friend/employer can sometimes rival his clear love for his wife and daughter — compellingly played by Baumbach’s wife, Barbie director Greta Gerwig, and Sandler’s own daughter Sadie Sandler.
Shot in Los Angeles, Paris, and Italy, the film takes lush advantage of all of its locations and one of the most notable things is the unique way that Baumbach does flashback scenes where the characters physically melt or mesh into their old realities, or just walk onto a place that represents their memories. It’s a much more surreal and theatrical way to handle these moments and it’s very effective, as so much of what’s going on in Clooney’s character’s head is thinking about the past.
One of the standout chapters in the past is his complicated interaction with an old acting-class colleague (a stellar Billy Crudup), who had loads of acting talent but not necessarily the cut throat drive you need to become a success in the entertainment industry. Crudup only has eight minutes onscreen, but he milks them for such great dramatic effect that I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s in the Best Supporting Actor race when the Oscars come around.
Baumbach the director, and the Baumbach and Mortimer writing team certainly should be in the race as well. This film is a knockout reflection on matters both big and small, including family and relationships, the impact of filmmaking on our collective consciousness, and what it means to be so famous that everyone thinks they know who you are, even if you don’t know yourself.
View trailer here. Jay Kelly is currently screening at the Riviera Theatre and will debut on Netflix on December 5.
