Jay Kelly

This film stretches a premise that could barely sustain a short into a full-length feature, and the padding shows. The characters exist in isolation from one another, creating zero chemistry or meaningful interaction that might draw viewers in.

The casting defaults to the tired formula of white male protagonists, while Europe is rendered through embarrassingly outdated stereotypes that feel decades out of touch. The performances across the board are wooden and unconvincing, suggesting either poor direction or miscast roles-likely both.

In two decades of watching films, this stands out as the most unnecessary addition to cinema I've encountered. Skip it.

If an aging, successful, handsome movie star makes a movie about an aging, successful, handsome movie star - you are constantly pondering how much of this is about him in real life and how much is just fiction? Whilst every actor must bring something from their life into a part we do need to remember that this is just a movie, it is not a George Clooney biopic. But boy it is hard to get that out of your head.

As a movie it is fine. It is not sensational, it is not moving, it is not exciting. It is gentle enough exploring the price of pursuing something at the cost of family and personal relationships.

There is achievement, but the price is too high.

Clooney is always excellent and the other roles, significantly Adam Sandler, (great to see him not in a childish comedy), all play well. The lifestyle depicted is hard to believe but here is where Clooney's real life must be a check. If this is not the way big movie stars travel then he would know. So I assume the entourage that accompany him for no good reason must be what happens when you are rich, famous and in need of babysitting. I can well imagine a secretary coming along but your lawyer?

All of them are leeches of one sort or another even the dedicated manager Sandler.

Do I care about Jay Kelly as a person? Not much. He's not a bad man but not a particularly good one either. He is a very ordinary man with talent and an extraordinary job.

I appreciated that Jay Kelly the superstar actor is not a diva. He doesn't throw things or shout and scream. He is perfectly pleasant which is what you hope for from such people. But he is somewhat self-absorbed which must be hard to avoid when everyone tells you how wonderful you are.

The last line of the movie, which I won't give away, is cleverly done. It could mean several different things and each viewer has to make their mind up about which way Kelly means it.

I strongly suspect that Clooney, as himself, would not have needed to say it.

This was disappointing and I got bored in the first 15 minutes. I've never been a Clooney fan but I was expecting lots more from him in this role. It's so obviously trying very hard to promote him for another Oscar. Lots of close ups showing off his aging but still handsome face, which in my opinion, is all he has to offer. The frequent flashbacks were disconcerting and awkwardly inserted. Stacy Keach was enjoying himself. Sandler was much better, his dramatic roles are always excellent and heartfelt. This could easily have been all about him as a manager of a self-absorbed star. If you want to watch this, watch it for Sandler, not Clooney.

I happen to catch this at the NYFF. This is the type of film we need now. It focuses on our humanity, our relationships, our joys and regrets. The movie captures accurately the working relationships of a movie star and his supporting entourage. And demonstrates the sacrifices that are sometimes necessary to achieve such success. The performances were wonderful. Adam Sandler has really come along way. He just gets better and better as a dramatic actor. His performance was heartbreaking and hopefully he'll receive many deserving accolades for it. Clooney, well, he never disappoints but this is the most vulnerable role I've ever seen him tackle and he did it superbly. I was very moved and hope everyone sees this film.

So well done. Powerful message. He needed to give 200% to get the thing... and then 300% to keep it. So many can relate to this in today's high-demand, productivity-driven economy. And there is never enough time. And now he's reached a point where he's parched for what's now really hard to get.

We can extract many themes from this movie. It was bit meta too, as one of the greatest himself, we know he carried over a lot to the role, like the interesting bit about the intentionally "just adding some natural black" into his gray hair so it looks natural or the acting lessons of "Do you know how hard it is to be yourself? And then you have to act again outside of that" Whew!

Then people he lost along the way to greatness. Spiraling and then holding it together is a common theme among creatives who are pushed to the edge to survive in this industry.

The friendship with Adam's character was a great touch. And the theme of wondering who really is your friend when all your friends are on your payroll, a big one for people once they reach the top.

My only little thing with the movie was the ending; that last line felt a little abrupt. Was he saying he'd do it all again the same way? Or that he'd like another take at life so he can do it "right" this time?

We don't get movies like this anymore. It the 2000s and 2010s gems... Lost in Translation's Bill Murray's character meets Eternal Sunshine's memory jumps with a little bit of My Summer of Love filming style - all in a modern frame.

There was also that dreamy, nostalgic cinematography of movies beautifully filmed, with rich, deep dialogue and a slow pace, that left a mark on you with a life message.

Thanks, George, for giving us one more! Also, Adam, at the very least, an Oscar nomination.