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Jay Kelly

Play trailer 2:42 Poster for Jay Kelly R Now Playing 2h 12m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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76% Tomatometer 178 Reviews 86% Popcornmeter 50+ Verified Ratings
JAY KELLY, the new film from Academy Award nominee Noah Baumbach, follows famous movie actor Jay Kelly (George Clooney) and his devoted manager Ron (Adam Sandler) as they embark on a whirlwind and unexpectedly profound journey through Europe. Along the way, both men are forced to confront the choices they've made, the relationships with their loved ones, and the legacies they'll leave behind.
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Jay Kelly

Jay Kelly

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Critics Consensus

George Clooney riffs on his star persona with disarming vulnerability while Adam Sandler impressively expands his dramatic range in Jay Kelly, a Hollywood satire that's gentler than one might expect from director Noah Baumbach.

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Critics Reviews

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Linda Marric The Sun (UK) 3d
3/5
Jay Kelly ultimately feels like an uneven sketch of a better movie. It hints at depth but never earns it. Go to Full Review
Alissa Wilkinson New York Times 3d
It feels personal not just to Clooney but to Baumbach. Go to Full Review
Brian Truitt USA Today 3d
3.5/4
It's a very meta Hollywood version of "A Christmas Carol," with Clooney brandishing both his signature grin and palpable gravitas as a man shown the consequences of his existence not via ghosts but his own conscience. Go to Full Review
Natasha Alvar The Fiction Department 2h
3/5
Noah Baumbach’s film wants us all to consider whether the endeavours we pour ourselves into ultimately bring us value, or if they are just hollow pursuits that leave us as empty husks. Go to Full Review
Dionar Hidalgo Algo Más Que Cine 13h
5/10
Jay Kelly delivers strong performances from Clooney and Sandler, but Baumbach’s film sinks into Hollywood self-indulgence, offering a glossy yet shallow portrait of fame, loneliness, and failed redemption. Go to Full Review
John Stark Mac the Movie Guy 19h
86/100
Jay Kelly seeks perhaps too many ultimate truths, but the sum of its parts is still a satisfying with endearing characters. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Ricky W 1d A lot of Running George See more Helen 2d This movie had many layers. Friendship, desire for fame, family complexities, love, it have me a lot to think about in the coming days. See more KathiAnn S 2d It was a very good movie. A little slow at first, but that was to give you the background story See more J Audience 4d Clooney steals the screen but script w/ Father role failure is weak. Sandler us well cast See more Amy P 4d Interesting story about the team of people who work behind the scenes for Hollywood stars. Clooney & Sandler were perfectly cast. Hope they got to keep their wardrobes - gorgeous clothes! The writing/script was a bit thin - but it was an enjoyable movie overall with both laughs & sentiment. See more J. Town Nov 30 In this quietly affecting drama, director 'Noah Baum ach' crafts a thoughtful meditation on the cost of success, told through the weary but insightful perspective of Jay Kelly, played with measured restraint by George Clooney. As Kelly approaches the twilight of a long and demanding career, the film leans into introspection rather than spectacle, asking what we truly sacrifice in pursuit of professional excellence. Clooneys performance anchors the story with a sense of lived-in regret and hard-won wisdom, and the supporting characters deepen the narrative in meaningful ways—each confronting their own reckonings with passion, duty, and the realities of aging out of what once defined them. Their conversations are sharp without being cynical, illuminating how the work we love can shape us as profoundly as it ultimately exhausts us. Thoughtful, mature, and emotionally resonant, the film stands as a poignant reminder that success is rarely free, and purpose must be constantly renegotiated as life moves forward. See more Read all reviews
Jay Kelly

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Movie Info

Synopsis JAY KELLY, the new film from Academy Award nominee Noah Baumbach, follows famous movie actor Jay Kelly (George Clooney) and his devoted manager Ron (Adam Sandler) as they embark on a whirlwind and unexpectedly profound journey through Europe. Along the way, both men are forced to confront the choices they've made, the relationships with their loved ones, and the legacies they'll leave behind.
Director
Noah Baumbach
Producer
Noah Baumbach, David Heyman, Amy Pascal
Screenwriter
Noah Baumbach, Emily Mortimer
Distributor
Netflix
Production Co
Heyday Films
Rating
R (Language)
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 14, 2025, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 5, 2025
Runtime
2h 12m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.66:1)
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