In Jay Kelly, audiences are introduced to the unlikely but very likable star-powered double act of George Clooney and Adam Sandler, who work seamlessly together like old buddies.
Despite usually occupying very different film categories in fans’ minds, thanks to Clooney’s fascination with prestige pictures and Sandler being more often found in broad comedy movies, upcoming Netflix flick Jay Kelly provides both of them with their best film in years.
From filmmaker Noah Baumbach, and co-written by British actress Emily Mortimer, Jay Kelly was a film developed with Clooney in mind to play the titular movie star suffering from a mid-career existential crisis.
After premiering at Venice Film Festival in August, Netflix has now trotted it out as part of London Film Festival’s sprawling 2025 line-up as it continue to push Jay Kelly as an awards season contender.
Following the death of an old director friend (Jim Broadbent) and a run-in with a jealous former classmate (a scene-stealing Billy Crudup), Jay decides to use a short shooting break to head on an impromptu break to Europe.
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On the face of it, it’s so he can be honoured at an Italian film festival, but the erstwhile actor and part-time dad is in fact trailing his younger daughter (Grace Edwards) around in a last-ditch attempt to bond with her before she starts university.
Sandler is Ron, Jay’s committed long-time manager, who naturally ends up on Jay’s holiday with him, alongside Laura Dern as his publicist Liz and a whole extended Hollywood entourage.
A chunk of the film takes part on a long train journey, where Jay encounters all sorts of people and allows Baumbach to trot out a lot of the astounding ensemble cast he’s wrangled.
Clooney appears to be playing a version of himself after recently bluntly indicating that he’s not bothered by those who criticise him for doing so – and to be fair to Clooney, while the parallels might seem striking between him and Jay (the film even utilises a sizzle reel made from some of Clooney’s most memorable performances over the years), that shouldn’t take away from the nuance and range of his acting here.
Sandler – working for the second time with Baumbach after 2017’s The Meyerowitz Stories – is also on top form as Ron, a quiet but committed man who takes his job seriously and rarely even cracks a smile; we’re miles apart from the grunting and gags of Happy Gilmore 2.
While Jay Kelly is nothing groundbreaking narrative-wise, either in its explorations of the inner workings of Hollywood or Jay’s examination of past choices to help him learn a life lesson, it’s all still deftly handled.
Jay Kelly: Key details
Director
Noah Baumbach
Writer
Noah Baumbach & Emily Mortimer
Cast
George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Laura Dern, Billy Crudup, Jim Broadbent, Riley Keogh, Grace Edwards, Greta Gerwig, Charlie Rowe, Patrick Wilson, Lenny Henry, Isla Fisher, Emily Mortimer
Age rating
TBC
Runtime
2hr 12m
Release date
In select cinemas from November 14, 2025; on Netflix from December 5
The humour running through is gentle but constant, skewering a lot of the inner workings of the movie industry while still demonstrating fondness and nostalgia for the art.
A standout scene sees Crudup’s failed actor Tim read out a menu in method style, at the behest of an admiring Jay, with Crudup’s bravura performance here drawing a spontaneous round of applause at my preview screening in Venice.
Rather charmingly old-fashioned, Jay Kelly is exactly the type of film that’s getting harder and harder to make in Hollywood – an adult drama with a price tag high enough to support its sprawling cast.
Perhaps this will convince executives that, when properly crafted, there’s still an appetite for this kind of movie.
Verdict
A throwback to light Hollywood comedies of the 30s and 40s, Jay Kelly isn’t anything new but it’s lovely to watch – and a new career high for Clooney and Sandler.
Jay Kelly premiered at Venice Film Festival on August 28 before screening at London Film Festival on October 10, 12 and 19. It will release in UK cinemas on November 14, 2025 and stream on Netflix from December 5.
This article was first published on August 29, 2025.
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