George Clooney Is a Movie Star in ‘Jay Kelly,’ but Adam Sandler Steals the Show

PHOTO BY PETER MOUNTAIN / NETFLIX

The winsome drama — or, perhaps, lonesome comedy — “Jay Kelly” is a summation without the possibility of a conclusion. It is an examination of a life spent without examination and a Hollywood story spent almost entirely away from Hollywood. It is thus an exercise in contradictions that add up to more than the sum of their ambiguity, even as no neat lesson or pat moral is available.

In short: It’s good, and you’ll be emotional at the end. But good luck explaining why.

George Clooney plays an actor not unlike George Clooney — or our impression of him, at least. Jay Kelly doesn’t just have a rhythmically similar name, he seems to have had a similar career trajectory to that of the actor playing him, riding good looks and charm from early-career upstart status through action cinema and into prestige pictures.

Where Jay Kelly differs, however, is the toll registered on the lives of his family and closest confidants. (At least I think that’s different from George Clooney; I don’t know him, personally.) Kelly is divorced and mostly estranged from his eldest daughter (Riley Keough); his youngest daughter (Grace Edwards) is still around but has one foot firmly planted in college life, planning for a European sojourn with friends.

The death of a mentor (Jim Broadbent) and a brawl with an old friend (Billy Crudup) spark something of an existential crisis; Kelly bails on his obligations and takes off for Europe, using a film-festival tribute as an excuse to cramp his daughter’s style and hijack her vacation. The mild breakdown is extraordinarily bad news for Kelly’s long-suffering team, particularly manager Ron (Adam Sandler), whose own family life is suffering, much to Kelly’s obliviousness.

Clooney does what he does; he speaks softly and carries a loud face, alternately evoking pathos with expressions of loneliness and laughs with glimmers of mischief. Screenwriters Noah Baumbach and Emily Mortimer give him plenty to work with, layering the film like an adventure picture; the set pieces are subtle but distinct and memorable. (Baumbach also directs; Mortimer plays a small supporting role.)

Surprisingly, though, the film is stolen in whole by Sandler. His character’s arc is more visible, as he goes from a true believer in the cult of Kelly to a broken wreck, regretting his every decision. It’s the best Sandler has ever been; in this one, Clooney is the movie star, but Sandler is the actor.

My Rating: 9/10

“Jay Kelly” is now streaming on Netflix.