Nothing strikes me as more Hollywood than a movie about a movie star. These are pictures you emerge from wondering what inspired this tell-all? What act of necessary mea culpa or contrition made you reconsider you own life, because Jay Kelly feels like an apology. It feels like two-headed monster that is Noah Baumbach and George Clooney went into a confessional booth and didn’t even wait for the priest to arrive before blabbing all their mediocre sins to the world. There can be little doubt that Baumbach and Emily Mortimer had “R Kelly” in mind when they co-wrote this piece; it’s a about an artist whose art is spectacular, but his person is in turmoil. The title -and titular character- is no mistake.
Jay Kelly, like his portrayer George Clooney, is an A List celebrity. He has a team of handlers, no need for pocket money, and slice of cheesecake waiting for him wherever he goes. It’s embarrassing when we humans admit to ourselves some deserve better than others. Jay’s entire life is defined by professional excellence and personal shortcoming. Nowhere is this more evident than in his breakout story – younger Jay (Charlie Rowe) accompanies a friend to the friend’s audition. The friend fails, but Jay -asking on the spot to read for the part- succeeds. The rest is history. In that very instance, Jay Kelly proved the superior artist and the shittier friend.
Decades later, Jay has two daughters he’d like to be closer to and an entourage of people whose sole job is to make Jay happy, whatever that takes. The head fluffer is Ron (Adam Sandler), a manager who withdraws from a doubles tennis tournament with his daughter serving for the match because Jay might have a bad day. Jay has demons. Many of them. Put off by his younger daughter’s departure from his life, Jay accepts an award in Tuscany as a flimsy premise to find himself on a train traveling from France to Italy. It just so happens that his daughter is on the same train. What a surprise.
What follows is a haunting tour of introspection. Oh, it looks like a movie star on a train, but it’s actually a man who can’t distance the star from the person. The star, the magnanimous extrovert with quips beloved by only people who haven’t heard them all before, is at war internally with an ego that has managed to alienate everybody important from his life. The saddest part of the film is watching his entire cloister of Jay-pals dwindle on the way to Tuscany. Who are your real friends? The ones who are there where there’s nothing in it for them.
Jay has father issues and parent issues and spousal issues and PR issues and image issues. Inside, he wants to be normal; he thinks of himself as normal, but
he’s been a star for too long to understand, truly, what normal is. And I’m back to wondering what made Noah Baumbach film Jay Kelly. What sin did Baumbach need to confess to the public? What sin did Clooney need to confess to the public?
This film is a complex portrait of a man who is lonely yet never alone. It’s a weird dichotomy and one that can probably only be applied to star entertainers, athletes, and politicians. I don’t see this as a political reflection because the most obvious comparable politician out of touch due to stardom has no capacity for reflection at all. Sad. Still, the film is overlong and describes a person we want root for, but like less and less and the truth progresses. In the end, 132 minutes seems a long ride for disappointment.
A List star George Clooney is one of the world’s most favorite actors. What’s not to like? I’ve seen and enjoyed dozens of George Clooney movies; this might be his most personal exploration. And I like him here less than I’ve liked him in any other role. I’m not sure exactly what that says about George or me or Noah Baumbach or self-exploration or movies in general. Jay Kelly, the screenplay, stressed how difficult it was to play yourself. Is it possible I don’t like the “real” George Clooney? No, I don’t think that’s true; IRL, he’s a prankster, advocate, and ally. I appreciate all those things. Perhaps it’s difficult playing yourself as someone else. Perhaps it’s difficult playing someone else as yourself.
Or perhaps, I just didn’t like this role or this film.
There was once an actor named Jay
His stardom held a great deal of sway
His world was shattered
When he found what mattered
True adoration had all gone away
Rated R, 132 Minutes
Director: Noah Baumbach
Writer: Noah Baumbach, Emily Mortimer
Genre: Hollywood on Hollywood … and just in time for Oscars
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: The real Jay Kelly, whoever that is
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: People who don’t want to be disillusioned
