Jay Kelly: The Intersection of Life and Art

When it is said that a role was made for an actor, it is hard to think of anyone other than George Clooney as the titular Jay Kelly. The film sees acclaimed writer-director Noah Baumbach return to helm his bread and butter, delivering a contemplative character study that would just not have hit the same had it been in other hands. Taking some time to find the right groove tonally, the film is compelling to watch as it mines the life of movie star Jay Kelly (Clooney), ruminating about the meaning of life as it relates to the intersection between one’s soul and their art. While not a new concept in the general sense, the casting of Clooney as Kelly proved to be the right choice as he brings such a gravitas and a lived-in experience, creating the kind of character that has been around the block and one who is believable as the renowned, old school Hollywood movie star. At first, perhaps the film is a bit too consumed with Kelly’s stardom, but as it goes on and peels away the layers, he is far from the infallible, larger-than-life, movie star and is plenty flawed like everyone else. As he approaches the twilight of his illustrious career, the story has him in a contemplative mode, reflecting on his career and his regrets just as Kelly is set to receive a lifetime achievement award from a prestigious Italian film festival.

One of the most prominent actors in Hollywood, Jay Kelly’s reputation always preceded him. With a successful career spanning over 30 years, he lived in that Hollywood machine, with the only people in his life being his entourage. Aside from his best friend and manager Ron (Sandler), and his publicist Liz (Dern), the three were there from the beginning and braved it all together. The camaraderie between the three was among the many highlights, but having the excellent chemistry they did also helped. The relationship between Jay and Ron, in particular, was that of two brothers. The two were close, maybe too close, taking the ride together through all the ups and downs. Spending most of his time on movie sets, Jay’s family were essentially left on the sidelines to fend for themselves as audiences were left with memories of a hero of a man. After first losing touch with his oldest daughter Jessica (Riley Keough), Jay hoped to spend some time with his youngest daughter Daisy (Grace Edwards) before she went off to college. However, Daisy had already made plans for the summer, assuming her dad would probably be off somewhere working on yet another movie. The realization of not being there for those closest to him even extended to Peter Schneider (Jim Broadbent), a veteran director who gave Jay his big break. Little did people know, that break came at the expense of another young actor, someone that would confront him decades later. Not there in his time of need, Schneider’s unfortunate passing started to put things in perspective, setting off what was a growing snowball of regret.

Trying to make amends the only way he knew how, Jay decided to drop out of his next movie and follow Daisy across Europe. Sounding the alarm for Ron and Liz, they first tried to stop him before quickly deciding to tag along, believing they can salvage whatever matter was at hand here and get him back on track. Unfortunately for them, Jay had his mind set, even accepting the aforementioned lifetime achievement award that he had refused several times before. Their European adventure was a fun one to watch but would also be a complicated one for Ron and Liz. Working together for over 30 years, making Jay into what he was today. However, they each saw their relationship with him differently. Seeing themselves as friends, bordering on brothers, he still took 15% of Jay’s revenue from his projects, a fact that is constantly used against him. Meanwhile, the trip allowed Ron and Liz to reflect on the romantic relationship that could have been. Devoting the bulk of their lives tending to Jay, they never truly got the chance to take their feelings for one another to the next level, ultimately fizzling out. Putting him first for so long, it was only a matter of time until that would start to change as Ron and Liz decided to take charge of their own lives and step out of Jay’s shadow.

Through the story of Jay Kelly, Baumbach (and co-writer Emily Mortimer, who also appears in a small role as a stylist named Candy) lightens up on the humor in favor of a more empathetic piece about a group of souls afflicted with the emotional toll of continuing to pursue one’s art and keeping that spark alive. Exploring memories of his past along the way, Kelly, slowing down for the first time in his life, is confronted by his past mistakes through a series of memory flashbacks, leading him to come to the realization that it may be too late to fix what had happened. Diving into both sides of Kelly made for an interesting dichotomy, finding some compelling drama and humor in playing up the contrast between his public and private lives. Having lived a mostly sheltered life within Hollywood surrounded by his entourage, spending more time in the real world with real people once again, on a train from Paris to Italy, was an eye-opening experience for Kelly, showing some humanity amidst people who only knew him from the silver screen. While some may draw parallels between Clooney and Kelly, they are clearly much different people. That being said, they do share similarities. Though they share the same kind of work ethic, as opposed to the selfish and difficult Kelly, Clooney is much nicer. Scaling back his work in front of the camera as of late, he makes the most out of a role where he gets to showcase his underrated range, delivering one of his best performances in recent memory. He has proven capable of being the movie star, but he also brings a vulnerability to him that adds even more layers to a fascinating character who, at the end of the day, was just lonely.

The only real person Jay had in his life was Ron. Over the course of the film, Clooney and Sandler’s sensational chemistry, and Sandler’s excellent performance as Ron, made them one of the best pairings of the year. Balancing his personal relationship with Jay and his professional one, Ron was driven by his loyalty to him and what they have built together. Similarly, Ron found himself on an introspective journey of his own, realizing that his relationship with Jay was nothing more than transactional and as a result of their work together, not just as the friends he believed they were. Regardless, Ron and Jay needed each other emotionally, but the former would eventually come to the realization that it would be best for him if they went their separate ways, at least professionally. The culmination of their journeys, the tribute ceremony where they get emotional watching a reel of Jay’s (Clooney’s) work that dazzles the crowd, epitomizes what their relationship meant to one another and the sacrifices they made. On the other hand, Dern, in a short yet impactful role as Liz, steals scenes as a vehicle to understand the dynamic between Jay and Ron and holds her own alongside Clooney and Sandler.

Jay Kelly is a powerful introspective character study and an ode to the film industry and the power of movies from a empathetic director, and an impressive cast who understand what the industry is all about.

still courtesy of Netflix

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.