Now available on Netflix
What is there to say about a movie like Jay Kelly? Not much, when it doesn’t have much to give.
In the Hollywood-set drama, George Clooney plays himself as a famous actor known for playing himself. Rather than being a clever meta analysis of a man within a man (“Being George Clooney?”), however, it’s instead a rudimentary drama that fails to inspire much enthusiasm whatsoever.
Clooney is fine as the title character, an actor who, after decades of success, has suddenly realized how detached he is from ordinary life. As he seeks to break free from the trappings of fame and fortune, those around him—most notably his friend and manager Ron (Adam Sandler)—attempt to reign him back in.
There is a potentially interesting character study at play here, but Jay Kelly plays it safe, delivering drama and analysis that is as artificial as a Hollywood set. Clooney has his moments but his character is such a “nice guy despite the fame” that there is little for him to sink his teeth into. The same goes for Sandler, who has been receiving some Oscar buzz for his portrayal here for some indescribable reason—perhaps those buzzing forget that Sandler is capable of playing serious characters, and has done so in much more ambitious films than Jay Kelly.
Hell, practically all of writer/director Noah Bambauch’s previous works are more interesting and ambitious than anything we see in Jay Kelly.
That’s not to say there isn’t entertainment value to be found. Jay Kelly is a breezy drama, easy to absorb and consume. It may not be great but it’s a harmless watch, a not-so-terrible way to waste two hours of your afternoon on a rainy afternoon.
But that’s part of the problem. Jay Kelly is offensively inoffensive, a movie made to appeal to Hollywood insiders who yearn for an era long gone. The rest of us can experience it as “that George Clooney movie the Netflix algorithm served up for me, you know the one… I don’t remember the name of it” and move on with our lives, instantly forgetting it ever existed.
Because in the end, when there isn’t much to the movie, there is very little to be said about it. Or remembered.
Review by Erik Samdahl. Erik is a marketing and technology executive by day, avid movie lover by night. He is a member of the Seattle Film Critics Society.