Jay Kelly (2025)

Clooney’s Hall of Mirrors - Jay Kelly review by griggs

There’s something knowingly artificial about Jay Kelly — a film that gleams like a Nespresso advert stretched to feature length. George Clooney plays Jay, a famous actor who might as well be playing himself playing Cary Grant: all charm, poise, and immaculate tailoring. The performance loops neatly — Clooney impersonating an icon impersonating Clooney. He knows exactly what he’s doing: an icon discovering, perhaps too late, that charisma isn’t connection.

Yet the film isn’t just about Jay. Adam Sandler’s Ron, his weary but loyal manager, gives the story ballast. Their European wanderings become a two-hander about public polish and private need — Clooney’s gloss against Sandler’s awkward sincerity. When Ron finally drops the act and simply asks Jay a question, the film, for a moment, exhales.

Still, Baumbach and Mortimer’s script mistakes smoothness for soul. Everything gleams, nothing quite sticks. Jay Kelly moves you briefly, but the emotion fades with the lights — a study of men so practised at charm they can’t escape its shine.