"At some point in the middle of Noah Baumbach's Jay Kelly, Laura Dern's character, Liz-she's part of the entourage accompanying George Clooney's title character on a trip to Italy-gets up and walks out of the movie, never to return. Maybe she's trying to tell us something. The character of Jay Kelly is more or less an amalgam of Clooney himself, a renowned A-list American movie star gathering laurels in his mid-60s but desperately striving for something more personally meaningful."
"This movie lays an egg. There are writing problems. Despite one or two bits of ordinary soul-searching dialogue, Clooney is no help, and neither are Adam Sandler (as his agent), Greta Gerwig (cameo as a frazzled mom) or the aforementioned Dern. The story is incredibly tedious, with lifeless line readings and a maudlin melancholy it can't shake-no matter how much it borrows from similar modern anxiety-mobiles by Federico Fellini ( 8 ½), Woody Allen ( Stardust Memories), or Michelangelo Antonioni ( Blow-Up)."
Jay Kelly follows an aging A-list movie star who alternates between routine studio jobs and performing for a demanding, affection-starved fan base that includes his family. The protagonist struggles to find personal meaning while juggling career obligations, family tensions, and regretful flashbacks to insecure early showbiz years. The film suffers from weak writing, lifeless line readings, and a pervasive maudlin melancholy, despite borrowing influences from Fellini, Woody Allen, and Antonioni. Strong cast members including George Clooney, Laura Dern, Adam Sandler, and Greta Gerwig are underutilized. Supporting characters and clichéd family dynamics contribute to the film's tedium.
Read at Metro Silicon Valley | Silicon Valley's Leading Weekly
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