Kentucky native George Clooney manages to top his previous outings with a new career-best performance in Noah Baumbach’s newest masterpiece, Jay Kelly. It’s the fourth Baumbach-directed film to be released by Netflix, joining The Meyerowitz Stories, Marriage Story, and White Noise.

“All my memories are movies.” – Jay Kelly (George Clooney)

As soon as Jay Kelly was announced to star both Clooney and Sandler, it immediately got my attention. When you pair one of my favorite actors of all time with one of my favorite comedians, it immediately becomes one of my most anticipated films of the year. It was just a matter of not if I would see it, but when. Unfortunately, the film skipped Toronto in September, and timing didn’t work out to attend a festival screening in Chicago. As such, it took an intimate private screening at the Four Seasons Screening Room in Los Angeles before I could see it.

The new film from Noah Baumbach is a dramedy that follows movie star Jay Kelly on a journey of self-discovery as he confronts both his past and present, accompanied by his devoted manager Ron Sukenick (Adam Sandler). The film blends humor and heart, delivering a story that is at once intimate and epic, exploring the fine line between triumphs and regrets.

It’s one thing to play a part in a movie. It’s another to simply be oneself. There aren’t do-overs in life—not in the natural sense. One might have an opportunity at redemption, but that’s about it. That’s the beauty of watching Jay Kelly and seeing the movie star realize he ought to be a better father to his children, Jessica (Riley Keough) and Daisy (Grace Edwards). There’s the movie-star façade that he presents to the outside world, and then there’s the real person known only to his family and friends.

Where Jay could be a better family man, Ron has a stronger relationship with his wife Lois (Greta Gerwig) and their children. It shows how two characters can be really good friends but at the same time complete opposites. In addition to Jay, Ron also works as Ben Alcock’s (Patrick Wilson) manager. It also gives Adam Sandler another opportunity to display his range as an actor. There are few directors capable of getting this sort of performance out of the actor, but Noah Baumbach is one of them. After the Academy snubbed him for his work in Uncut Gems, maybe they’ll redeem themselves here.

Wanting to be a better father is part of the reason why we end up following the actor on his journey of self-discovery. After mentor filmmaker Peter Schneider (Jim Broadbent) passes away and Jay gets into an incident with former classmate Timothy (Billy Crudup), he decides to pass on his next film and follow Daisy on her trip to Europe. After all, she’s going to be heading off to college and he wants that one last hurrah. His team, including publicist Eve (Laura Dern) and hair-and-makeup artist Candy (Emily Mortimer), follows him. Part of this journey includes a stop in Tuscany to take part in a tribute award ceremony.

Jay Kelly, like Clooney himself, is a Kentucky native. Despite this, there never comes a point where you wonder whether reality is blurring with fiction. It’s just one of those things that makes me appreciate the film even more. There’s a moment in the film where Jay invites his father to the Tuscany ceremony, and I halfway thought there would be a meta moment with Nick Clooney stepping into the frame. Alas, Nick is not in the film. But having met Nick Clooney and knowing his background as a journalist, I can tell you that Mr. Kelly (Stacy Keach) comes from a very different background.

Cinephiles might find more to appreciate from Jay Kelly than the average moviegoer. For starters, there’s a oner, which has to be blocked and filmed correctly or they have to constantly retake the shot. And of course, it’s a scene that features Jay working with a dog. If there’s anything you need to know about filmmaking, it’s that filmmakers are told never to work with animals or children. Anyway, the oner introduces us to a number of players, but it culminates with Jay asking to go again because he thinks he can do it better. It more or less sets the tone for what audiences will be experiencing in this intricate, perceptive, and bittersweet character study.

It’s not just the real world that we get to experience. Baumbach and Mortimer’s script has Jay walking into his own memories, whether it’s from acting class or previous roles. They’re moments that are important to Jay as a person. Would he relive them differently if given a chance? I don’t know. In any event, cinematographer Linus Sandgren beautifully lenses the film, working hand in hand with Mark Tildesley’s production design. It’s one thing to film on a moving train, but to have Jay walking from the train into his own memories on a film set is movie magic at its finest.

There’s also something to say about memory in Jay Kelly. My own memories can be tied to cinematic moments. Coincidentally, two that stand out are films that feature actors from this movie. In 1993, I saw Jurassic Park for the first time. It’s the movie that made me fall in love with films. Being in LA for the press conference gave me a moment to tell Laura Dern that I wouldn’t be there if not for Jurassic Park. Another moment is watching Batman & Robin. For all of its flaws, the Clooney-led film was one that made me realize something was seriously off, but we didn’t have the education or awareness about anything transgender-related at the time.

One of my favorite parts of the film is watching the career tribute to Jay Kelly. You’ll know why when you watch the film. It’s a celebration of the movies we love. At the same time, this is a film that offers screwball elements on top of comedy, drama, and action, as well as homages to Federico Fellini, Vittorio De Sica, and others. Clooney might be getting older, but he still has it as an actor. Above all, Nicholas Britell’s score beautifully accompanies the film in its own nostalgic way.

The clips during the Jay Kelly tribute include scenes from Combat Academy, Sunset Beat, ER, From Dusk Till Dawn, The Peacemaker, The Thin Red Line, Out of Sight, Three Kings, Intolerable Cruelty, Ocean’s Twelve, Syriana, The Good German, Michael Clayton, Leatherheads, Burn After Reading, Up in the Air, The American, and The Midnight Sky.

Make no mistake: George Clooney is at the very top of his game—and Adam Sandler rises to meet him. Together, they anchor one of Noah Baumbach’s richest, most emotionally resonant films. With its blend of humor, heart, and reflection, Jay Kelly stands as the best picture of the year.

DIRECTOR: Noah Baumbach
SCREENWRITERS: Noah Baumbach and Emily Mortimer
CAST: George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Laura Dern, Billy Crudup, Riley Keough, Grace Edwards, Stacy Keach, Jim Broadbent, Patrick Wilson, Eve Hewson, Greta Gerwig, Alba Rohrwacher, Josh Hamilton, Lenny Henry, Emily Mortimer, Nicôle Lecky, Thaddea Graham, Isla Fisher, Louis Partridge, Charlie Rowe

Netflix releases Jay Kelly in theaters on November 14, 2025 and streaming on December 5. Grade: 5/5

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