Jay Kelly — Montclair Film Festival Review
Source: Netflix
Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly is a mixed bag, oscillating between entertainment industry satire and dramatic character study. Sometimes the film feels self-indulgent, other times accessible and crowd-pleasing. It’s fitting that the film begins with the Sylvia Plath quote, “It's a hell of a responsibility to be yourself. It's much easier to be somebody else, or nobody at all.” It’s a sentiment that’s echoed throughout the film when movie star Jay Kelly (George Clooney) responds to a question about how he always plays himself in movies with, “Do you know how difficult it is to be yourself? You try it." It’s fitting because Baumbach’s film feels like it’s having an identity crisis, unsure of what type of movie it wants to be or which direction to go in.
Source: Netflix
Jay Kelly incorporates a lot of the trademarks we’ve come to expect from self-reflexive movies about the film industry. Like many meta films, the famous movie star seldom spends time with his family. However, Jay Kelly exhibits a level of self-awareness that cuts slightly deeper, making it stand out. Baumbach’s film reflects on how actors are supposed to portray characters with authenticity and bring a variety of emotions to their performances. But once they become famous, they end up living such insulated lives detached from reality that genuine, meaningful human interactions become rare. It’s a clever conceit, but the fact that it’s coming from an Academy Award-nominated filmmaker with one of the most famous movie stars of all time kind of makes the message ring a bit hollow. Although that does seem intentional because the casting of George Clooney obviously plays into the meta aspect of the film.
George Clooney’s natural charisma does a lot of heavy lifting. Jay Kelly is, as another character explicitly calls him, “an empty vessel.” Clooney’s charm makes the character more compelling and provides him with more depth than the script does. Adam Sandler delivers one of the best performances in the film as Jay’s manager and friend, Ron. Riley Keough adds much-needed emotional weight to the film as one of Jay’s daughters, bringing a spark the film could have used more of.
The film is an uneven mix of highs and lows. It offers funny recurring gags, a few strong emotional beats, and a final act that lands more gracefully than expected. On the other hand, the film’s runtime feels too long, the tone often feels scattered, and the self-reflexive sentiment isn’t always effective. It’s a message that would have been more affecting if it came from a smaller, indie film. As it stands, the film sometimes feels like an inside joke told by the people being critiqued.
Source: Netflix
Baumbach adds a touch of magical realism with sequences where Jay walks through doors into his memories, almost akin to another recent film, A Big Bold Beautiful Journey. But these literal trips down memory lane are much more effective in Jay Kelly. The reminiscing almost feels like It’s a Wonderful Life, except with the protagonist realizing he was actually kind of awful. But as evocative as those moments are, it feels as though there aren’t enough of them to give the film the full emotional power it seems to be striving for.
Jay Kelly has a lot in common with its protagonist. Throughout the film, Jay repeatedly asks for another take, even after the director is satisfied or his co-stars are ready to move on. He’s constantly second-guessing himself, replaying moments, feeling as though he should have done better. The film mirrors that same uncertainty. It’s charming and confident on the surface, but conflicted and unsure underneath. It delivers flashes of brilliance, genuine laughs, and a few emotional gut punches, but it never fully settles on what it wants to be. Much like Jay himself, it’s always reaching for another take.
Jay Kelly was the opening night film at the Montclair Film Festival on October 17, 2025.
