Just a short while after reviewing “Sentimental Value” and here comes another film where a cinema artist tries to reconnect with his kids.
In “Jay Kelly,” George Clooney stars as the titular character who’s built a career as a celebrated actor. Like Clooney himself, Kelly has managed to star in both major blockbuster releases and arthouse flicks, allowing him to develop a strong reputation.
In the twilight of his career, one can see he’s had a successful run. However, the same can’t be said outside of the studio lot. He has a strained relationship with his daughters, and his assistants, namely Ron (Adam Sandler), are getting tired of his shenanigans. He makes an attempt to turn things around, though, with a trip to Europe where one of his daughters is visiting.
While “Sentimental Value” is one of the year’s best films, “Jay Kelly” is most definitely not. Along with the aforementioned film, Kelly” also has shades of “Birdman” and last year’s “Oh, Canada” in that it deals with a cinematic creative who’s lost touch with those closest to them. Unfortunately, this flick from Netflix underwhelms.
The film largely suffers both because of its poorly put together main story, and its completely lack-luster side plots. Starting with the former, the film unwisely jumps unprompted into flashbacks at odd times. It feels as though the movie is trying to pull off a non-linear plot, in a film that’s being told in linear fashion.
The flashbacks don’t move things forward much either, and do more of just reiterating things that are already being explored in the present. Many of the subplots, meanwhile, are unnecessary and don’t even make much sense.
For example, it’s revealed Jay’s managers Ron and Liz (Laura Dern) have had a small affair. OK? It’s something that adds basically nothing to the experience and could have been cut entirely without much difference. Additionally, we find out that both Ron and Liz are pretty much fed up with Jay Kelly all of a sudden.
It’s kind of ridiculous, because these two have been working with Jay for about three decades, they know who he is and how he acts. But just now, because I guess the movie needs to happen, suddenly his recent actions are a bridge too far? It just feels like manufactured conflict rather than substantive drama.
There’s also a lot of random moments, such as one involving Jay chasing a thief from a train, that just don’t enhance the narrative. It’s also noteworthy that the score at play is really manipulative. That’s not a great thing, especially when some moments meant to be emotional come off as either melodramatic or laughable.
It’s a shame because both lead actors are in fact good in the picture. Sandler, once again stepping into dramatic territory, does solid work throughout, and Clooney is good as usual. His performance is somewhat reminiscent of his work in “The Descendants,” another film where he plays a dad in rough waters.
This is one of those flicks where it feels like there’s a better picture inside. Unfortunately, there’s nothing particularly wondrous cinematically and the plot at its center is largely lacking. Director Noah Baumbach is a talented guy, as seen with 2019’s “Marriage Story,” but his latest is a step down. 2.5 out of 5.
Matthew Liedke on Film 