George Clooney can convince me of many things. He can be a handsome doctor. He can make me think that I need a swish coffee machine in my kitchen. He can even be Bruce Wayne/Batman, occasionally. Hey, the film isn't great, but he is far from the worst part of it. Unfortunately, one of the things that he cannot convince me of is a message that basically says "oh, look at George Clooney, isn't it sad that he has had to make some sacrifices on his way to being a beloved global superstar."
Jay Kelly is the story of Jay Kelly, an actor (Clooney) about to have a bit of a crisis. His crisis doesn't necessarily affect him, however, as much as it affects people who once knew him in the past (mainly Timothy, played by Billy Crudup), his management team/handlers (Adam Sandler and Laura Dern), and his two daughters (played by Grace Edwards and Riley Keough).
Co-written by director Noah Baumbach and Emily Mortimer, who also appears onscreen in a very small supporting role (aka blink and you can miss her), Jay Kelly may not be about George Clooney, specifically, but it is hampered massively by the fact that it has Clooney in the main role, which makes it feel as if it IS about his life, and that doesn't feel, from the outside, like a life full of struggles. Oh, Clooney put the work in for many years before he finally got his breakthrough, but those tough years have always seemed to have worked in his favour, keeping him well-adjusted and very appreciative of his success. Which makes this film so jarring. As much as I really like Clooney, he feels horribly miscast here. Maybe he has had the kind of introspective moments that are shown here, maybe not, but watching him calculate his gains and losses onscreen here is akin to watching some documentary about a monarch who is unhappy about having staff and adoring fans ready to cater to their every whim.
The rest of the cast work a lot better though, and both Sandler and Dern are superb, although the latter is sadly underused. Crudup has one fantastic scene that helps to start dismantling the tower of cards, Edwards and Keough are both very good, and there's a supporting turn from Patrick Wilson that reminds you of just how easygoing and enjoyable Wilson can be onscreen when not playing a ghoulish con-man pretending to be a record-breaking exorcist. Oh, there's also a surprisingly decent role for Stacy Keach, playing an unimpressed father.
There are good moments here, some of them are really good moments, but they are too few and far between in a film that clocks in with a 132-minute runtime. And you'll struggle to remember the highlights as the end credits roll and all you can think of is the air of smug self-satisfaction emanating from the thing. Maybe some would say that's exactly why Clooney should work well in the lead role, but the tone of the film fails to play to his strengths.
I was looking forward to this, mainly for Clooney, but also for the fact that Sandler has been on a great run with his dramatic roles recently. It turns out that Sandler is the best thing about this, and he effortlessly steals a number of scenes away from everyone around him. Sadly, I cannot recommend this to anyone but the biggest fans of those involved. And even they (considering I count myself among them) are unlikely to be impressed.
4/10
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