Jay Kelly

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Noah Baumbach directs. Linus Sandgren behind the camera. Nicholas Britell scores. Valerio Bonelli cuts. Produced in United States of America, United Kingdom. Dialogue in English, French, Italian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 1Released last year.
• 2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, French, Italian.
• 3International production across 2 countries: United States of America, United Kingdom.
• 4217+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
• 5Directed by Noah Baumbach, shot by Linus Sandgren. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 6Original score by Nicholas Britell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 7Editor Valerio Bonelli shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 8George Clooney and Adam Sandler and Laura Dern carry the top of the cast.
• 9Marketing tagline: "Everybody knows Jay Kelly, but Jay Kelly doesn't know himself.".
• 10IMDB entry: tt30446847 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
• 11Classified under 9 themes, including "manager", "europe", "nostalgic", "dramedy".

The technical file

Cinematography

Linus Sandgren

Original score

Nicholas Britell

Editing

Valerio Bonelli

Production design

Mark Tildesley

Costume design

Jacqueline Durran

Makeup / hair

Ivana Primorac

VFX supervisor

David Simpson

Sound

Chris Scarabosio

Stunt coordinator

Ben Wright

Runtime

132 min · 2h 12m

Aspect ratio (typical)

1.37:1 (Academy)

Status

Released

Original language

EN

Certification (US)

R

IMDB

Jay Kelly (2025) ↗

Also by

Noah Baumbach

• 
  Marriage Story

  2019 · ★ 7.7
• 
  Frances Ha

  2013 · ★ 7.3
• 
  The Squid and the Whale

  2005 · ★ 7.0
• 
  De Palma

  2016 · ★ 7.0
• 
  Saturday Night Live

  1975 · ★ 6.9
• 
  Mistress America

  2015 · ★ 6.5

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

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Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  Scene at the Academy (Feat. Noah Baumbach, George Clooney, Adam Sandler, and More)

  Featurette · Official
• 

  ▶
  All My Memories Are Movies

  Behind the Scenes · Official
• 

  ▶
  George Clooney on feeling nostalgic about his films & a career's worth of hairdos

  Featurette · Official
• 

  ▶
  Auditioning for Jay Kelly

  Behind the Scenes · Official
• 

  ▶
  Noah Baumbach on Jay Kelly | FLC Luminaries

  Featurette · Official
• 

  ▶
  Noah Baumbach, George Clooney, and Adam Sandler Behind the Scenes of Jay Kelly

  Behind the Scenes · Official

Community reviews

What people are saying

• Manuel São Bento2025-10-11
  ★ 9/10

  FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://fandomwire.com/jay-kelly-review/ "Jay Kelly is a dense and unforgettable drama from Noah Baumbach, where George Clooney's inspired performance reaches a peak of vulnerability, giving life to a man trapped between professional success and personal emptiness. It's a thematically rich story about the tyranny of memory and the high cost of ambition, questioning whether success compensates for lost bonds. With directing, editing, cinematography, and score that transform dialogue into pure intimacy and organically link the past and present, the film is technically and emotionally superb, rejecting the convenient ending in favor of life's bittersweet truth. The only way forward is ahead, learning to love the story that, by choice, became our own." Rating: A

  Read full review ↓
• Brent Marchant2025-12-06
  ★ 3/10

  Those familiar with my writing are likely well aware that I have often said the cardinal sin in moviemaking is predictability (why see a film if you already know what’s going to happen?). On the heels of that belief, my second biggest cardinal sin in this field is a lack of originality (to a great degree because predictability often walks hand in hand with this shortcoming). And, unfortunately, those are the problems that sink this latest effort from writer-director Noah Baumbach. In a nutshell, this offering tells the story of its self-important title character (George Clooney), a successful but aging movie star who’s beginning to realize that his life has slipped away from him, leaving him with a pile of professional and personal regrets, many of which involved burning some significant bridges. Through a series of flashbacks (and a whole lot of vacuous hand wringing that’s quickly and easily dismissed), he sees – perhaps for the first time – how he’s squandered much of his time and alienated many kindreds, leaving him feeling fundamentally empty. (Now there’s a novel idea for a story – a pampered, self-absorbed LA celebrity who experiences a midlife (or, in this case, a late life) crisis and goes into meltdown mode to haplessly search for “meaning.”) But haven’t we already seen this storyline play out countless times before in other releases, such as “All That Jazz” (1979), “Stardust Memories” (1980) (and the film it’s based on, “8½” (1963)), “Bardo” (2022) and “Birdman” (2014), to name only a few. So what does “Jay Kelly” offer that’s new to this narrative? Frankly, nothing. And, to make matters worse, it doesn’t even traverse this well-worn ground very effectively (all of the aforementioned predecessors having done a much better job at this). There’s little to like about – or even empathize with – any of the characters in this story, leaving viewers to sigh a big “So what?” Even the protagonist is unengaging, coming across as an amalgamation of his (i.e., in essence, Clooney’s) on-screen personas. The effect of this is shamelessly self-congratulatory that essentially plays like a reel of the actor’s greatest hits, set against a backdrop of superficiality and relentlessly obtrusive product placement (again, so what?). In fact, the most interesting players in this production are the supporting characters, such as an old acting school colleague (Billy Crudup) and the director who gave Kelly his start (Jim Broadbent). Regrettably, though, these characters are relegated to comparatively small roles with little screen time. The supporting character who receives the lion’s share of such attention is Kelly’s manager (Adam Sandler), a wholly uninteresting, inconsequential cast member who could have been easily eliminated without losing a thing. In short, this whole affair is so shallow and so LA-clichéd that it’s difficult to care about any of it in the slightest, all the while trying to pass itself off as something sublimely profound. (Yawn.) Sadly, this vehicle is a waste of Clooney’s and Baumbach’s considerable talents. Both are better than what they’ve produced here. Indeed, if there’s genuine tragedy to be had in this effort, their derivative, uninspired creative output on this project would undoubtedly be it.

  Read full review ↓
• Marco-Hugo Landeta Vacas2026-01-24
  ★ 8/10

  (CASTELLANO) Hay algo profundamente triste en Jay Kelly, pero no una tristeza impostada ni solemne, sino de esas que se cuelan sin avisar. Desde el principio se percibe que no va de glamour ni de mitología hollywoodiense, sino de lo que queda cuando el foco se apaga y ya no sabes muy bien quién eres sin él. Es una película que avanza con calma, a ratos incluso con pudor, y que confía más en las miradas que en los subrayados. George Clooney está sorprendentemente desnudo aquí. No porque haga algo radicalmente distinto a lo que ha hecho otras veces, sino porque por primera vez parece aceptar el desgaste, la melancolía y cierta sensación de vacío sin intentar caer bien todo el tiempo. Es un trabajo contenido, muy afinado, que se apoya en silencios y pequeños gestos. Y lo más curioso es que, sin hacer ruido, termina siendo uno de sus papeles más honestos. Adam Sandler es la gran sorpresa. Alejado del histrionismo, compone un personaje frágil, cansado y mucho más complejo de lo que parece a simple vista. No roba escenas, no fuerza emociones, simplemente está ahí, acompañando, sosteniendo el tono. Incluso secundarios como Stacey Keach, tan lejos de sus roles más duros o icónicos, aportan una humanidad inesperada que suma mucho al conjunto. La película no es perfecta. En algunos momentos se recrea demasiado en su propio mundo y corre el riesgo de mirarse el ombligo. Hay escenas que podrían haberse acortado y alguna deriva que no termina de cuajar del todo. Aun así, cuando acierta —y lo hace a menudo— logra algo difícil: hablar del precio de la fama sin cinismo, sin crueldad y sin necesidad de dar lecciones. Jay Kelly es una tragicomedia crepuscular, emotiva y a ratos dolorosa, que funciona mejor cuando se permite ser pequeña. No es una película que grite, ni que busque aplausos fáciles. Es más bien una de esas historias que se quedan rondando después, como un recuerdo incómodo pero sincero. Y eso, hoy en día, ya es mucho. (ENGLISH) There’s something deeply sad about Jay Kelly, but not a forced or solemn sadness — it’s the kind that sneaks in quietly. From the very beginning, it’s clear this isn’t about glamour or Hollywood mythology, but about what’s left when the spotlight goes out and you’re no longer sure who you are without it. The film moves at an unhurried pace, sometimes almost shy, and trusts looks and silences more than emphasis. George Clooney feels surprisingly exposed here. Not because he does something radically different from before, but because for once he seems willing to accept weariness, melancholy, and a certain sense of emptiness without constantly trying to be likable. It’s a restrained, finely tuned performance built on pauses and small gestures, and without making any noise, it ends up being one of his most honest roles. Adam Sandler is the real surprise. Far from any histrionics, he plays a fragile, tired character who’s far more complex than he first appears. He doesn’t steal scenes or push emotions — he’s simply there, supporting the tone. Even supporting actors like Stacey Keach, so far removed from his tougher or more iconic roles, bring an unexpected humanity that adds a great deal. The film isn’t perfect. At times it lingers too long in its own world and risks becoming self-absorbed. Some scenes could have been tighter, and a few narrative detours don’t fully land. Still, when it works — and it often does — it achieves something difficult: talking about the cost of fame without cynicism, cruelty, or preaching. Jay Kelly is a crepuscular tragicomedy, emotional and occasionally painful, that works best when it allows itself to be small. It doesn’t shout or chase easy applause. It’s one of those films that quietly stays with you afterward, like an uncomfortable but honest memory. And these days, that already counts for a lot.

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• 

  Pascal Pictures

  US

• 

  Heyday Films

  GB

• NB

  NB/GG Pictures

  US

Key crew

• ProducerDavid Heyman
• ProducerAmy Pascal
• ProducerNoah Baumbach
• Set DecorationVéronique Melery
• Executive ProducerDonald Sabourin
• Production DesignMark Tildesley
• Art DirectionChris Peters
• Supervising Art DirectorBen Collins
• EditorValerio Bonelli
• Stunt CoordinatorBen Wright
• Visual Effects SupervisorDavid Simpson
• EditorRachel Durance
• CastingDouglas Aibel
• CastingNina Gold
• GafferDavid Sinfield
• Supervising Sound EditorChris Scarabosio
• Sound Re-Recording MixerChris Scarabosio
• First Assistant DirectorAndy Madden
• Visual Effects ProducerOliver Fergusson-Taylor
• Hair DesignerIvana Primorac
• Makeup DesignerIvana Primorac
• Costume DesignJacqueline Durran
• Executive ProducerEmily Mortimer
• Music SupervisorGeorge Drakoulias

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• manager
• europe
• nostalgic
• dramedy
• actor
• joyous
• egotistical
• cliché
• famous actor

Release history · US

When it landed

• Premiere2025-09-29· New York Film Festival
• Premiere2025-08-30· Telluride Film Festival
• Premiere2025-10-23· AFI Fest
• Premiere2025-10-20· Philadelphia Film Festival
• Premiere2025-10-24· Virginia Film Festival
• Premiere2025-10-17· Chicago International Film Festival / Montclair Film Festival / New Hampshire Film Festival
• Premiere2025-10-18· Woodstock Film Festival
• Premiere2025-11-02· Miami Film Festival GEMS
• Premiere2025-11-08· Coronado Island Film Festival
• Premiere2025-10-31· SCAD Savannah Film Festival

Also known as

International titles

• 杰·凯利CN