Jay Kelly (2025)

This deeply wise and mischievous midlife crisis comedy probes movie stardom through a silvery film star questioning what his fame has amounted to. The final scene is a knockout that pushes the conceit to breaking point and gets away with it.

A beautifully judged meta masterpiece about the perils of showbusiness and midlife regret, with Clooney and Sandler on fire in their roles. The smart script dances between wry humour and existential meditation, inviting the audience in at every turn.

Clooney gives one of his finest performances as a narcissistic ageing star whose charm eventually wears thin, revealing emotional wreckage. The cleverly crafted screenplay balances in-jokes with perceptive observations on celebrity and family, ultimately tugging at the heartstrings.

Noah Baumbach’s delightful, funny fantasia on what it is to be a star knocks on Clooney’s persona hard enough to find a telling hollowness while still allowing room for his charms. It ploughs a mellow groove with sun-kissed pleasures from a European train ride.

Clooney delivers the performance of his life in a role tailored to his charisma; the film ambles pleasantly through familiar territory but sneaks up emotionally on the viewer.

A sparkling, charming and unashamedly old-fashioned coming-of-middle-age comic drama tailored for Clooney, with strong turns from Sandler and the ensemble. It is wistful and romantic but rather thin, lacking Baumbach’s usual archness.

The film is a glossy, inward-looking navel-gaze about a famous actor in late-career crisis that starts promisingly but becomes indulgent. It features a tender performance from Adam Sandler as the manager but fails to make the audience feel for the central character.

Baumbach’s gentle satire of stardom takes a soft-focus approach and finds appeal in the superficial world of Hollywood. The lead’s considerable personal charm slightly derails the redemption story about a star realising he has neglected his family.

The critic finds the film a dire, sentimental and self-indulgent piece of cine-narcissism about a Hollywood star's midlife crisis. The sharp observations on show business are smothered by bland Tuscan sunshine and Hollywood self-adoration.

Baumbach gives us a soft, Fellini-lite satire packed with in-jokes about film stardom. Clooney’s magnetism and Sandler’s vim keep the ultra-lite Hollywood satire tolerable despite its twee moments and bad zany Euro train trip.

Clooney delivers a career-summarizing performance as a star reckoning with the toll of his ambition, supported by a strong ensemble including Sandler and Dern. The film blends sharp Hollywood satire with genuine emotional depth and visual flair, emerging as a fully formed knockout.

The critic finds the film more often distancing than disarming and mid-tier Baumbach at best. Adam Sandler’s nuanced performance as the manager creates intimacy and heart that the title character largely lacks.

The film follows an aging actor too absorbed in his career to properly raise his daughters, with memories filmed as literal mini-movies. It explores how show-business success proves incompatible with fatherhood.

The film centers on a Clooney-like star confronting the personal costs of his fame and success through memories rendered as movie clips. It is a peculiar, multi-register work that feels personal to both its star and its director.

Clooney anchors this moving dramedy as an aging star confronting the gap between his onscreen image and personal life, with Baumbach and Mortimer crafting witty, earnest scenes that celebrate cinema's magic. The film occasionally drags in its European train-set middle with side plots, but recovers for a tender, crowd-pleasing finale.

The critic finds the film a smart and perceptive character study that effortlessly shifts between light comedy and poignant drama. He singles out George Clooney's convincing performance as a movie star confronting an identity crisis for particular praise.

The critic finds the film an enjoyable meta comedy-drama with strong performances, especially from Clooney as the aging star and Sandler as his manager. The sharp script and mix of laughs and emotion are highlighted as keeping it consistently entertaining despite some self-indulgence.

The critic calls the film one of Baumbach's most adroit balancing acts, a dramedy that stays light on its feet while dealing with middle-aged panic and melancholy. He singles out George Clooney's ideal, self-aware portrayal of a pampered star for particular praise.

The critic finds it scattered and shallow despite good intentions and strong performances from Sandler and Clooney, praising the exploration of shared memories but criticizing lack of depth and follow-through on ideas about celebrity and regret.

The critic sees it as a clever but overly controlled and predictable metafiction that doesn't fully commit to its satire or emotional depth, praising Sandler's supporting performance and showbiz textures while complaining about the focus on the main character making it airless.

The critic finds the film has good intentions in exploring fame and fatherhood but is undermined by overly romantic, sentimental and saccharine tones that detract from its deeper aims. Clooney's performance and the themes create friction with a nostalgic, classic Hollywood style that risks feeling disingenuous.

The critic finds it a good but minor and incomplete Baumbach comedy, praising the performances especially Sandler's and some witty moments, but noting it feels scattered and not as sharp or hilarious as previous works.