It’s always interesting to see actors play actors. In the 1999 film, Notting Hill, Julia Roberts played Anna Scott, an A-list actor who is beautiful, famous and rich, but also lonely and unhappy. When she meets a normal guy, William Thacker, played by Hugh Grant, there are several bumps in the road, but she finally manages to find love.
(L-R) George Clooney as Jay Kelly and Adam Sandler as Ron Sukenick in Jay Kelly. Cr. Netflix © 2025.
In Jay Kelly, the title character played by Clooney is handsome, rich, and famous, but decades of making movies has robbed him of close relationships with his two daughters. He characterizes his agent, Ron Sukenick (a terrific Adam Sandler), as “my best friend who takes 15 percent of my earnings.”
Roberts and Clooney, who have starred together in Ocean’s Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen, Ticket to Paradise, and Money Monster, share the rich, famous, and good looking parts with their characters. But the comparison ends there. Roberts has been married to cinematographer Daniel Moder for 23 years and they have three children. Clooney’s wife of 11 years is the international human rights lawyer, Amal Alamuddin, and they have two children. Roberts and Clooney may have been successful managing their careers and personal lives, but they also most likely know many fellow actors whose relationships have suffered.
Noah Baumbach directed and co-wrote Jay Kelly with Emily Mortimer. Both have small parts in the film, as does Baumbach’s wife, Greta Gerwig, as Ron’s wife, Lois. Kelly has just finished another film and hopes to spend some time with his daughter, Daisy (Grace Edwards), who is traveling through Europe before beginning college. He offers to come with her, but she turns him down, saying she wants to be with her friends. He visits his older daughter, Jessica (Riley Keough), but she makes it clear she’s angry with him and doesn’t welcome his company.
Billy Crudup as Timothy in Jay Kelly. Cr. Netflix © 2025
Jay learns that the director who launched his career, Peter Schneider (Jim Broadbent) has died. Peter had asked Jay for a favor: in order to attract financing for a new film, he needed Jay to attach himself to the project. In a flashback, we see when Jay refuses to help his one time mentor. It gets worse. At the funeral Jay sees his former acting school roommate, Tim Galligan (Billy Crudup). The encounter starts as friendly, but soon Tim is attacking Jay, blaming him for taking over an audition they both attended. (Younger versions of Jay and Tim are shown in a flashback.) Jay got the role and his career took off. In contrast, Tim’s never did. They end up in a fistfight and Jay leaves with a black eye.
Although Ron has lined up another film for Jay, the actor announces he’s going to Italy to find Daisy. Jay sells Ron on the idea, saying he will also go to Tuscany to accept an award he had previously refused. Another actor Ben Alcock (Patrick Wilson) was tapped for the award when Jay refused. The two actors will now share the honor.
Because of Jay’s fame, he always travels with an entourage and his assistants are forced to cancel any of their own plans to join the trip. Ron has a moment with Jay’s publicist, Liz (Laura Dern), who complains that being at the actor’s beck and call has ruined her life. Ron confesses he once thought about proposing to her, but didn’t think she’d say yes. She’s stunned, but it’s too late to go back.
(L-R) Adam Sandler as Ron Sukenick and George Clooney as Jay Kelly in Jay Kelly. Cr. Netflix © 2025.
When Jay and his group arrive in Paris, they see Daisy boarding a train and follow. While fans on the train are excited to see Jay, Daisy is not. Jay finally has to let Daisy go on her trip alone and concentrate on the award. When he sees how many of Alcock’s family and friends have shown up for the ceremony, he asks his assistant to call his father, played by Stacey Keach, and fly him there on a private plane. But his father becomes ill and never makes it to the event.
Ron also represented Alcock, but at a lunch meeting, the agent is fired. Like so many others in Jay’s orbit, Ron feels ready to leave Jay, too. In this shipwreck of an actor’s career, there are many victims.
While this is a film about actors, anyone who has often placed work over family and friends will relate to Jay’s situation. Mending relationships is never easy and may very well fail. Those feelings are heightened during the holiday season when empty seats at a dinner table inflict pain. Did Jay learn anything? Maybe. Despite Jay’s shortcomings, Clooney makes him likable. Whether that makes him lovable is another issue.
