'Jay Kelly' Has More Ego Than Heart
Noah Baumbach loves to stroke his ego. Either it's everyone telling Adam Driver, who extensively plays Bambach in Marriage Story, that he's a genius, or if it's George Clooney playing himself, and also to an extent, Noah Bambauch, where everyone tells him how amazing he is. Jay Kelly is yet another movie about an artist who's facing the later years of their career, trying to come to grips with the regrets of their past, including the reality of the present. There are interesting elements in the film that don't quite blend, rendering Jay Kelly as more self-serving than life-affirming.
The film's story centers on an aging movie star who's about to embark on a trip to Europe for a ceremony honoring his career. During this trip, Jay Kelly (George Clooney) encounters the ghosts of his past. Jay has a healthy yet tumultuous relationship with his daughter. Throughout Jay's career, he was too busy to make room for his family. Was it worth all the acclamation? The entertainment industry, as the film documents, is a highly demanding business. When working on a set, you spend 12-18 hours (sets hardly stop at 12 in the US). When not working on set, you have to fly around the country on a relentless red-eye to promote the film. Making a movie is a half-year to year-long commitment, depending on the number of productions in which the actor stars that year. There's no time for personal relationships; it's just work.
Baumchach attempts to examine the repercussions of working in a business where family becomes secondary, but it comes across as a first-world problem. "Oh, poor me, I'm too busy making millions of dollars that I can't see my family." Then do fewer projects, and you'll be able to see them more. Rather than examining Jay's vanity, the movie portrays him as a likable character who prioritizes work over everything. It's not very interesting cinema. Playing opposite Clooney is Adam Sandler as Jay Kelly's manager, Ron. In terms of performance, Sandler is outperforming George Clooney.
Sandler does an effective job of capturing the remorse and exhaustion that Ron faces on a daily basis, expressing more emotion than the guy who's supposed to be a seasoned actor with an impressive filmography. Despite the good acting from the Sandman, Ron's plot isn't all that dynamic. He faces the same problems Jay does, which is about as boring as his plotline. Ron's daughters want to spend time with him, competing in a white privilege tennis match. Ron can't join them, though, because he has to spend all his time with Jay.
As talented as George Clooney is, his filmography is more impressive in the directing department, at least for his first two films, than his performances. The rest of his career is George playing himself, especially as Batman, which Clooney has personally mocked. The most interesting character in the story is the angle the movie should have stuck with instead of making a disposable punchline. Early in the film, Jay runs into his old roommate. A once-gifted actor who turned into a child therapist. For reasons that shouldn't be spoiled, Jay's former roommate harbors a deep-seated anger towards Kelly, resulting in a humorous fistfight. Rather than making a movie about their relationship rekindling, forcing Jay Kelly to examine his own ego, the film opts for a tiresome train ride to shallow self-discovery.
Noah Baumbach is gunning once more for that Oscar. If this is his latest attempt at winning gold, then he has much more work to do. Movies about rich white people facing relationship issues aren't that dynamic. We need an underdog to root for. Not a lauded rich figure. During the movie's impressive final scene, it attempts to make us question whether Jay's career was worth the time he could have spent with his family.
It's painfully clear, however, that Baumbach knows the answer to this question, which is a resounding yes shrouded in a thinly veiled mystery of doubt. For this viewer, it's doubtful that this movie will leave any lasting impact on an intelligent audience who doesn't idolize actors. Maybe we should worship doctors and teachers more than movie stars. Sadly, we don't live in a culture like that. I'm personally guilty of it, too. Maybe, just maybe, the child therapist is more accomplished than Jay is, but society only cares about monetary wealth over human connection.
Jay Kelly plays in select theaters tomorrow and will be available on Netflix starting December 5th.
