Baumbach's portrait of a star attempting to make sense of his life, the conflicts of his fame and his personal life, his relationships with family and staff, is about as cliched and predictable as you might expect. Filled with stars, even in cameo roles, the film feels like it's trying to say something but it gets watered down in its milquetoast dialogue and plot. The worst part, it's boring. I never cared about what happened.
It's not that Jay Kelly's a bad movie. Its all fine. It's just so bland and so unimpressive. The script is pedestrian. While there are funny bits and there are charming moments, most of the it just feels so standard. I was never surprised or touched by anything in it.
It's not that the performances are bad. This is a top notch cast and none of them are slumming it. Clooney himself is quite good even if it's clear he is just playing himself. "Do you know how hard it is to be yourself?" he says at one point, in a moment that is both meta and an attempt at being profound. And that's not the only meta reference in this film. Kelly's script doesn't give any of them enough to really work with that doesn't feel heavy handed. So they are all just fine in a movie that's about the same.
And fine is fine. It's just not that interesting. Maybe it's all more interesting to the people who are in it than to the people watching.
Jay Kelly
Starring: George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Laura Dern, Billy Crudup, Riley Keough, Grace Edwards, Jim Broadbent, Stacey Keach, Patrick Wilson, Greta Gerwig, Josh Hamilton, Emily Mortimer, Isla Fisher, Noah Baumbach
Director: Noah Baumbach
Writers: Emily Mortimer, Noah Baumbach
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