

- Drama, Comedy
- 132 min
- R
Rotten Tomatoes75%Metacritic67IMDb6.6
Everybody knows Jay Kelly, but Jay Kelly doesn't know himself.
Famous movie actor Jay Kelly embarks on a journey of self-discovery, confronting both his past and present, accompanied by his devoted manager, Ron.
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Character
Contemplative, spare, prestige and character-led.
- contemplativerelentless
- sparerichly built
- unpretentiousprestige
- character-ledplot-driven
- intimateepic
Who loves it, who doesn't
1 profiled raters. Loved most by The Archivists.
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A yes-or-no question, answered from what people wrote here, on TMDB and on Wikipedia. Never made up.
Reviews
- hollisThe Archivist★★★★★
Noah Baumbach at the top of their game with Jay Kelly. It takes its time, and the patience pays off. It lives inside its characters' heads, and that is where it shines. Already want to watch it again.
Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.
- Marco-Hugo Landeta Vacason TMDB · Jan 20268/10
(CASTELLANO) Hay algo profundamente triste en Jay Kelly, pero no una tristeza impostada ni solemne, sino de esas que se cuelan sin avisar. Desde el principio se percibe que no va de glamour ni de mitología hollywoodiense, sino de lo que queda cuando el foco se apaga y ya no sabes muy bien quién eres sin él. Es una película que avanza con calma, a ratos incluso con pudor, y que confía más en las miradas que en los subrayados. George Clooney está sorprendentemente desnudo aquí. No porque haga algo radicalmente distinto a lo que ha hecho otras veces, sino porque por primera vez parece aceptar el desgaste, la melancolía y cierta sensación de vacío sin intentar caer bien todo el tiempo. Es un trabajo contenido, muy afinado, que se apoya en silencios y pequeños gestos. Y lo más curioso es que, sin hacer ruido, termina siendo uno de sus papeles más honestos. Adam Sandler es la gran sorpresa. Alejado del histrionismo, compone un personaje frágil, cansado y mucho más complejo de lo que parece a simple vista. No roba escenas, no fuerza emociones, simplemente está ahí, acompañando, sosteniendo el tono. Incluso secundarios como Stacey Keach, tan lejos de sus roles más duros o icónicos, aportan
Read the whole review on TMDB - Brent Marchanton TMDB · Dec 20253/10
Those familiar with my writing are likely well aware that I have often said the cardinal sin in moviemaking is predictability (why see a film if you already know what’s going to happen?). On the heels of that belief, my second biggest cardinal sin in this field is a lack of originality (to a great degree because predictability often walks hand in hand with this shortcoming). And, unfortunately, those are the problems that sink this latest effort from writer-director Noah Baumbach. In a nutshell, this offering tells the story of its self-important title character (George Clooney), a successful but aging movie star who’s beginning to realize that his life has slipped away from him, leaving him with a pile of professional and personal regrets, many of which involved burning some significant bridges. Through a series of flashbacks (and a whole lot of vacuous hand wringing that’s quickly and easily dismissed), he sees – perhaps for the first time – how he’s squandered much of his time and alienated many kindreds, leaving him feeling fundamentally empty. (Now there’s a novel idea for a story – a pampered, self-absorbed LA celebrity who experiences a midlife (or, in this case, a late life
Read the whole review on TMDB - Manuel São Bentoon TMDB · Oct 20259/10
FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://fandomwire.com/jay-kelly-review/ "Jay Kelly is a dense and unforgettable drama from Noah Baumbach, where George Clooney's inspired performance reaches a peak of vulnerability, giving life to a man trapped between professional success and personal emptiness. It's a thematically rich story about the tyranny of memory and the high cost of ambition, questioning whether success compensates for lost bonds. With directing, editing, cinematography, and score that transform dialogue into pure intimacy and organically link the past and present, the film is technically and emotionally superb, rejecting the convenient ending in favor of life's bittersweet truth. The only way forward is ahead, learning to love the story that, by choice, became our own." Rating: A
Read the whole review on TMDB
Cast
- George ClooneyJay Kelly
- Adam SandlerRon Sukenick
- Laura DernLiz
- Billy CrudupTimothy
- Riley KeoughJessica Kelly
- Grace EdwardsDaisy Kelly
- Stacy KeachJay's Dad
- Jim BroadbentPeter Schneider
- Patrick WilsonBen Alcock
- Eve HewsonDaphne
Crew
- Noah BaumbachDirector
- Emily MortimerWriter
- Noah BaumbachWriter
- Linus SandgrenDirector of Photography
- Nicholas BritellOriginal Music Composer
- Valerio BonelliEditor
- Rachel DuranceEditor
- David HeymanProducer
- Amy PascalProducer
- Noah BaumbachProducer
Cameos
- Noah BaumbachDirector
Where to watch
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