George Clooney. Adam Sandler. Laura Dern. Noah Baumbach. Jay Kelly is a star studded production from Netflix with decent hype leading up to its release. Jay Kelly (Clooney) is a world famous movie legend who is high in demand. His devoted longtime manager Ron (Sandler) has secured him an award at a film festival in Italy, but Jay has no interest in going and instead wants to focus on his next movie and possibly spending time with his daughter Daisy (Grace Edwards) before she goes off to Europe before college. After a chance meeting with a former friend from acting school played by Billy Crudup, Jay has a change of heart and decides to accept the award after all, after arranging to bump into Daisy on the way there of course. As Jay and his team, including his longtime head of PR Liz (Dern), embark on a whirlwind trip through Europe, Jay is forced to confront the choices he’s made in regard to his relationships with family and friends over the years.
Jay Kelly takes a half humorous, half heartfelt look at the pull of work and work culture for a parent at the expense of family and the resulting fallout. Jay is a man who is singularly focused on his career to the detriment of his personal relationships, often times without realizing it. His most frayed relationship is the one with his eldest daughter Jessica who tries in vain to get him to commit to family therapy so that they can work out their issues. Unbeknownst to him, Jay’s behavior has also slowly eroded his relationship with Ron who believes himself to be a close friend of Jay’s until his behavior on the trip to Italy reveals Jay views him simply as an employee at heart. Both relationships reveal Jay’s selfishness in putting those he ostensibly cares about behind his career and their service to that.
The underlying impetus for Jay’s ambition is revealed when we finally meet his father played by Stacy Keach. Mr. Kelly is charming but demeaning toward Jay himself, slow to congratulate him on his success but always ready with a critique of Jay before the fame. It becomes clear that this dynamic is what fuels not only Jay’s drive to succeed and prove himself to his father, but Jay’s inability to properly express love to those in his life, particularly his daughters. After all, how can you properly act as a good father if the example that’s been set for you is itself poor and unresolved?
This serious topic and examination takes place in a dramedy style that balances the two tones well, thanks the to the performances and chemistry of Clooney and Sandler. Clooney does well as Jay, portraying his slow growth over the course of the film, culminating in his climactic epiphany and a well done career montage for Jay during his awards ceremony. Sandler though provides the best performance in the film as Ron who himself is caught between his family and his devotion to Jay and his job. Ron’s arc serves as its own antithesis to Jay’s selfishness, standing as its own thing and not just something to service the main character’s story. It’s as effective as it is due to Sandler ‘s ability to convincingly portray a devoted friend and family man torn between the two and genuinely hurt when he finds his dedication to his job and friend has never been truly reciprocated.
Jay Kelly is entertaining for stretches, blending comedy and drama well with quality performances from Adam Sandler and George Clooney. Its usage of flashbacks to flesh out Jay’s past are a nice touch and even its opening one-shot scene on the set of one of Jay’s movies is very well executed and directed. Despite its good elements, this movie isn’t one that sticks with you after viewing or leaves a great impression. It’s serviceable, but not impactful or memorable.
Image: Netflix
