Jay Kelly

The latest from writer/director Noah Baumbach, which he co-wrote with Emily Mortimer, is a sentimental look at aging movie star Jay Kelly (George Clooney) just entering a reflective period of his life (explored in flashbacks) whose attempts to connect with either of his grown daughters (Riley Keough and Grace Edwards) is hindered by decades of him choosing his career over them.

Realizing the end of his career looming, Kelly abandons an upcoming project and drags his manager Ron (Adam Sandler), his publicist Liz (Laura Dern), and the entire team to France to "accidentally" run into his younger daughter on her summer getaway with friends before heading to college in the fall. He's even willing to accept a tribute overseas in hopes that event might bring his family back together, if only momentarily.

Lighter than what you might expect from Baumbach, lacking the weight and rougher edges of something like Marriage Story, Jay Kelly is a easy watch if, perhaps, a bit emotionally shallow (not unlike how Jay Kelly himself is described). However, that doesn't mean there's not insight to be had as the film uses Clooney's stardom to explore celebrity and how that lifestyle affects themselves, friends, and family (in that order of importance).

The core relationship isn't Kelly's relationship with either daughter but his relationship to the ever-present Ron who he often takes for granted forcing his longtime friend to ignore his own family obligations to take care of Kelly's latest whim. And, although Kelly is constantly searching for that familial connection, the truth is most of the film's most memorable moments revolve, in one way or another, on his career including a glimpse at his one brief encounter with love which, not surprisingly, took place on a movie set with the under-utilized Eve Hewson.

Relying strongly on sentimentality as its main driving force, Jay Kelly is an interesting look at the life behind-the-scenes of a top movie star. Clooney and Sandler are both standouts in an exploration of a type of relationship films rarely put front-and-center.

It's not a great film, it lacks the true insight or depth it suggests may be coming at any moment, but it's enjoyable and immensely watchable (requiring less emotional investment from the audience likely making it Baumbach's most easily digestible story) filled with some terrific sequences (including both the opening and closing sequences to the film which focus on Jay Kelly the movie star where Baumbach does deliver some true movie magic).

• Title: Jay Kelly
• IMDb: link