Copyright © HT Digital Streams Limited All rights reserved. A still from ‘Jay Kelly’. Image via AP Synopsis Noah Baumbach’s new Netflix film, ‘Jay Kelly,’ suggests that the cost of stardom is rarely paid by the star alone. In Jay Kelly, director Noah Baumbach teams up with George Clooney to deliver a sharply observed, melancholic study of celebrity, memory and regret. Clooney plays Kelly, a Hollywood icon who is forced to shake off the stardust and confront the impact of his choices. Drifting between denial and self-awareness, he confronts the fallout from decades of living at the center of his own universe. What Baumbach attempts, and often (but not always) pulls off with considerable elegance, is a metafictional tale of an ambitious man’s hubris. This is a film about Jay watching his own mythology crumble, only to realize and wake up to a truer, humbler version of himself. The setting is both theatrical and intimate. Jay finds memories triggered as truth bombs explode in his face—as he loses a mentor, runs into a long-lost friend, and reconnects with an estranged daughter who refuses to push her boundaries. He slips into the wings of his own past, a spectator watching younger versions of himself move through moments of triumph, selfishness, carelessness, entitlement and dishonesty. Baumbach stages some of these scenes, such as live rehearsals or auditions and film shoots, creating a sense that Jay is wandering through a theater of memory rather than a traditional flashback. This device allows Clooney to act mostly with his eyes—quiet, stunned, and sometimes amused as he recognizes the impact of his choices. He sees the moments when fame began to distort not only his relationships, but his entire sense of self. The film’s early stretches provide its most vibrant energy, thanks in large part to the irresistible chemistry of Jay’s entourage. Adam Sandler steals several scenes as Ron Sukenick, Jay’s inconspicuous manager whose mix of loyalty, exhaustion and humor brings both levity and emotional poignancy. Emily Mortimer, who also co-wrote the story with Baumbach, plays Candy, the head of hair and makeup, Liz (Laura Dern) is Jay’s publicist, Silvano, his bodyguard. Baumbach clearly enjoys exploring how a star’s orbit really functions, and how the dust can unravel when the core begins to lose its grip. One of the interesting approaches in the script is its perspective on how fame radiates outward, often indifferently. This is seen in the dynamics of the star’s entourage as well as relationships with his daughters and closest associates. Jay’s attempt to reconnect with his estranged daughter provides the emotional throughline, grounding the film’s more conceptual elements in a true human longing. The ghosts of former friends and colleagues materialize not as clichés, but as reminders of wasted opportunities and relationships abandoned in the name of career momentum. Baumbach suggests that the cost of stars is rarely paid by the star alone; it collects and rummages in the people who stay just off the screen. The dialogue is often snappy, but also feels theatrical and unnatural. Even in the hands of this capable cast, the lines don’t always land. Clooney is magnetic as he gradually peels away the charm that defined so much of his screen persona. Sandler, meanwhile, provides a grounded, human counterweight, reminding the audience that the people around a star often bear the emotional burden of decisions that are never theirs. Similarly, as Jay struggles to explain to his younger daughter Daisy (Grace Edwards) how lonely he will be when she goes to college, she replies that he is never alone. Daisy is off to Europe with friends, and this drives Jay to follow her. Halfway he insists on taking a train from Paris to Italy. The train sequence becomes a riot of cameos from French, German and British actors. The compartments are full of character detail, and the tone verges on the farcical. The film undeniably slackens here, and the narrative drifts into digressions. Jay Kelly is uneven and overlong at times, yet it’s an intelligent, humorous and often emotional exploration of fame’s collateral damage. Baumbach ends the film not with a grand revelation, but with a quiet acknowledgment of where Jay stands as he finally understands the difference between being seen and truly seeing himself. ‘Jay Kelly’ is on Netflix. Udita Jhunjhunwala is a Goa-based film critic and curator. Get all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download the Mint News app to get daily market updates. more topics #Features Read next story