Jay Kelly Review: I just watched Jay Kelly, Noah Baumbach’s latest Hollywood mirror, and I’ve got a lot to say.
The film stars George Clooney as a world-famous actor who’s finally hit the stage of his life where success feels less like a dream and more like a cage. He’s rich, adored, and absolutely miserable.
Now, I’ve always admired Baumbach for his sharp writing and character-driven storytelling (Marriage Story, The Meyerowitz Stories). But Jay Kelly? It’s a different beast. It’s bigger, flashier, and at times, too self-aware for its own good.
My Rating: 3.0/5
| Title | Jay Kelly |
|---|---|
| Director | Noah Baumbach |
| Writer | Noah Baumbach |
| Genre | Drama, Psychological, Character Study |
| Main Cast | Louis Partridge, Adam Sandler, Patrick Wilson |
| Runtime | 2h 12m |
| Release Year | 2025 |
| Language | English |
| Similar Films | Birdman (2014), Marriage Story (2019), Babylon (2022) |
The Story of Jay Kelly
Clooney plays Jay Kelly, a megastar reflecting on his life, his estranged daughters, and the emotional wreckage that comes with fame. It’s not really a plot-heavy film; it’s more of a psychological portrait of a man who’s realizing that he’s spent years performing not just in movies but in his own life.
It’s full of moments where you can feel Baumbach poking at the absurdity of fame, how everything becomes transactional, how every smile has a PR filter on it, and how even love feels staged when you’re living inside a spotlight.
The problem? Sometimes the film gets lost in its own reflection. It starts to feel like it’s about something deep, but it keeps circling the same emotional point again and again.
Performances in Jay Kelly
George Clooney absolutely nails it. He’s not doing his usual charming thing; he’s stripped down, raw, and a little pathetic in the best way possible. You can see the exhaustion behind his eyes.
Then there’s Adam Sandler, who plays a supporting character with heart, but honestly, I wasn’t blown away. He’s fine, solid even, but there are moments where it feels like the movie wants him to be deeper than he’s actually written. Billy Crudup, though? Absolute scene-stealer. His two scenes are some of the sharpest and funniest moments in the entire movie.
Direction and Style
Baumbach goes bold here, stylized camera work, theatrical lighting, and this dizzying pace that almost feels like Birdman meets Fellini. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t.
There are stretches where I wanted the film to just breathe. To stop performing and let the characters talk like real people again. The stylization starts to overpower the humanity. But when it clicks, especially near the end, it’s devastating in a quiet, emotional way.
Nicholas Britell’s score is gorgeous, though, sweeping, melancholic, and perfectly in sync with Jay’s emotional unraveling. It gives the film a grand, tragic energy that lingers even after the credits.
What the Movie Gets Right
Baumbach knows Hollywood. He’s not just roasting fame here, he’s dissecting it. The film doesn’t try to make Jay Kelly likable. It just asks you to understand him. And that’s what makes it interesting.
Whether or not we’re movie stars, we all know what it’s like to chase something that costs us pieces of ourselves along the way. That’s what gives Jay Kelly its bite, that feeling of realizing you might have achieved everything you wanted, but lost the part of you that wanted it in the first place.
Where It Falls Short
The script can be too self-aware for its own good. There are lines that wink at the audience, trying too hard to sound profound. And some of the “Hollywood commentary” moments feel overbaked, like Baumbach didn’t fully trust the emotion to carry itself without clever dialogue.
Also, for a 2-hour and 20-minute runtime, it drags in the middle. It’s like watching a brilliant but stubborn actor refuse to cut their monologue short.
Still, the final act hits emotionally, and that ending line? It stuck with me.
Good vs Bad
| What Works | What Doesn’t |
|---|---|
| George Clooney’s performance — pure career-best work. | Adam Sandler’s role feels undercooked and inconsistent. |
| Nicholas Britell’s haunting, elegant score. | Over-stylized visuals that distract from the emotion. |
| Honest portrayal of fame, guilt, and identity. | Too long — pacing dips hard in the second act. |
| Final act delivers real emotion and closure. | Script sometimes feels too “written,” not lived-in. |
| A rare Hollywood film that questions its own glamour. | Some scenes feel repetitive, like emotional déjà vu. |
Also Read: Bugonia Review: Jesse Plemons and Emma Stone Shine in Yorgos Lanthimos’ Darkest Film Yet
Final Thoughts
Jay Kelly is flawed but fascinating. It’s Baumbach at his most ambitious, swinging for something grand and human, but not always hitting the mark. Still, I found myself thinking about it long after it ended.
It’s not a film for everyone. Some will call it pretentious. Some will call it brilliant. I’d say it’s both, a messy, thoughtful, deeply sad portrait of a man who thought he was living the dream until he woke up in it.
If you’re a fan of introspective dramas and character studies that don’t hand you easy answers, this one’s worth your time.
My rating: 3.0/5.
Verdict: Ambitious, flawed, and quietly heartbreaking.
