Jay Kelley Movie Review (2025)

A charming film about an actor coming to terms with the choices he’s made on his life’s journey, Jay Kelley has some fresh ideas and an abundance of familiar faces.

I find the casting of films fascinating. Sometimes you have projects with no big names attached, and it makes the story feel more real. Like, because you don’t know these people at all, this is a glimpse into their world. Other times, though, you’ve got big names up front, which comes with additional audience expectations. If we know you, we’re assuming that you’re going to give us something good. That’s part of why we showed up.

Jay Kelley is about movie star Jay, an A-list actor who is surrounded by a business entourage and is unsure about what he wants to do going forward. At a mentor’s funeral, he runs into a former college theatre friend and the two don’t part well. Jay’s daughter, Daisy, then decides to go to Europe and travel before starting college, instead of staying with Jay, so he drops out of a film role and secretly follows her there with his people. To reduce any blowback, his manager, Ron, arranges for Jay to receive a career-tribute award in Italy, and Jay, who receives praise from every stranger, continues to ponder his life.

I really enjoyed the style of this dramedy. Right from the first moments, you’re introduced to Jay and various faceless characters around him on a film set, not quite knowing what is real and what is part of the movie. From there, there are several scenes, usually in flashback, where Jay is observing a memory as it plays out in front of him, like a stage play. You watch his emotional reactions and commentary with the benefits of hindsight, as the lighting makes clear that this happened, but it is staged before your eyes. A really lovely touch that keeps this from being just one more movie.

The casting of Jay Kelley is also fabulous. You have two main characters – Jay and Ron – played by George Clooney and Adam Sandler, both of whom are excellent, but then you have a very large handful of minor characters – all of whom are major parts of Jay’s life – played by a dozen-ish actors that you know. Laura Dern, Billy Crudup, Riley Keough, Jim Broadbent, Patrick Wilson, Greta Gerwig, and Isla Fisher, among others, have only one or two scenes, but they leave an impact – on both you and Jay.

While there are many funny moments in the movie, a few of which made me laugh out loud, this is not a sugar-coated Disney film. Jay Kelley is about a man who was lucky enough to get the dream that he wanted, employed a lot of people who depended on him, so he kept working, which allowed for less family time, and more time with the people he employs. He is a movie star, so he is loved by everyone who doesn’t know him, and begins to reflect on those who do – and how his life has turned out because of it all. But because he is also the center of his universe (and so many others), that can be a challenging task.

Jay Kelley is a film for adults, and I think you will enjoy it more if you’ve lived a bit of life already. As Jay is receiving his career-tribute award – something that tends to come towards the end of a career – there is an incredible montage that you will love. It is touching, revealing, and will make you think about your own life just a little bit as well.

Runtime: 133 minutes

Motion Picture Rating: R

Languages Spoken In The Film: English

Should You Watch It? Yes

Did I Cry? Nope

My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Available: Free on Netflix