Jay Kelly review: George Clooney aims for an Oscar in sentimental drama also starring Eve Hewson

Select cinemas/Netflix; Cert 15A

George Clooney and Adam Sandler in ‘Jay Kelly’. Photo: Peter Mountain/Netflix

Give him something to chew on, and George Clooney will show you the best thinking face in the business. In Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly, the Cloonmeister puts that dreamy sideways stare of his to sensational use as a classy, charismatic screen veteran (there’s a stretch) who discovers what it’s like to have feelings.

Stunned by the death of his mentor (Jim Broadbent), Hollywood legend Jay Kelly (Clooney) ditches his responsibilities and gatecrashes his daughter’s European vacation. A lifetime achievement award waits for our boy in Tuscany, but that’s just another distraction.

On a bustling train carriage, surrounded by fans, Jay reconsiders his worth. Lost loves (Eve Hewson) and rejected pals (Billy Crudup) re-enter the picture. A few seats down, a weary publicist (Laura Dern) and a loyal manager (Adam Sandler) pick up the pieces. You’d watch these guys all day.

True, Baumbach and his co-writer Emily Mortimer are pulling their punches. Their film is cuddly and sentimental where it should be wicked and snappy. No belly laughs, then. But Clooney goes for the Oscar, and Sandler, always a treat in dramatic mode, plays a blinder. That’ll do.

Three stars