<p>Jay Kelly, the movie, is about movies, stardom, fame, and the glamour of it all. Jay Kelly, the man, is someone who has lived three-quarters of his life mistaking it all for the real thing. What Noah Baumbach delivers here is an autopsy of fame, peeled back layer by layer. In Jay’s tired eyes, you see the rot of lifelong loneliness finally closing in.</p><p>There isn’t much plot, and that takes nothing away from the pleasure of watching it. The film follows superstar actor Jay Kelly (George Clooney), who receives a jolt when his mentor dies unexpectedly, prompting him to shed his smugness and embark on a path of self-reckoning. Kelly also undertakes a literal journey, in a rickety Italian train no less, accompanied by his long-time emo manager (Adam Sandler doing a star turn), to rural Tuscany — ostensibly for a tribute, but really to spend a few days with his daughter, who is flying the coop. Each coach he enters becomes a metaphorical step back into his past, and each closed door deepens his disquiet; a moving cinematic device that shows a man how much of his life he has lived without truly inhabiting it.</p><p>This is a tender, immersive performance by Clooney, who arguably understands what it takes to be a globally adored actor, warts and all, more than most others. Although slow-paced and predictable, the film remains immensely watchable, reminding you in every other frame that you cannot outrun loneliness.</p>
<p>Jay Kelly, the movie, is about movies, stardom, fame, and the glamour of it all. Jay Kelly, the man, is someone who has lived three-quarters of his life mistaking it all for the real thing. What Noah Baumbach delivers here is an autopsy of fame, peeled back layer by layer. In Jay’s tired eyes, you see the rot of lifelong loneliness finally closing in.</p><p>There isn’t much plot, and that takes nothing away from the pleasure of watching it. The film follows superstar actor Jay Kelly (George Clooney), who receives a jolt when his mentor dies unexpectedly, prompting him to shed his smugness and embark on a path of self-reckoning. Kelly also undertakes a literal journey, in a rickety Italian train no less, accompanied by his long-time emo manager (Adam Sandler doing a star turn), to rural Tuscany — ostensibly for a tribute, but really to spend a few days with his daughter, who is flying the coop. Each coach he enters becomes a metaphorical step back into his past, and each closed door deepens his disquiet; a moving cinematic device that shows a man how much of his life he has lived without truly inhabiting it.</p><p>This is a tender, immersive performance by Clooney, who arguably understands what it takes to be a globally adored actor, warts and all, more than most others. Although slow-paced and predictable, the film remains immensely watchable, reminding you in every other frame that you cannot outrun loneliness.</p>