Jay Kelly

Directed by Noah Baumbach, Jay Kelly follows George Clooney’s title character, an aging movie star, as he and his perpetually beleaguered manager (Adam Sandler’s Ron) embark on an impulsive, last-minute trip to Europe. It’s almost inherently appealing subject matter that’s employed to slightly erratic yet mostly rewarding effect by Baumbach, and there’s little doubt that the filmmaker, armed with his and Emily Mortimer’s screenplay, does a terrific job of initially drawing the viewer into the less-than-propulsive narrative – with Clooney’s irresistible, charismatic performance heightened by an early emphasis on memorable scenes and digressions (eg Jay’s encounter with a former college friend, Billy Crudup’s Timothy). And while the bloated 132 minute runtime does pave the way for some lulls, particularly within the episodic, hit-and-miss midsection, Jay Kelly, which also boasts fantastic work from Sandler and familiar periphery players like Laura Dern, Patrick Wilson, and Stacy Keach, builds towards a thoroughly satisfying (and unexpectedly affecting) finale that ensures the whole thing concludes on an exceedingly positive (and memorable) note.

***1/2 out of ****