Noah Baumbach has returned with another original film for the streaming service 
Netflix, as part of the writer/director’s contract with the streamer following the success of his 2019 film Marriage Story. Titled Jay Kelly, the movie tells the story of the titular famous actor ( George Clooney), his publicist Liz ( Laura Dern), and manager Ron ( Adam Sandler) during an impromptu trip to Europe as Kelly, who has nearly reached the end of his career, tries to make sense of the broken relationships in his life. The film has received positive reviews since its festival premiere, earning an 80% “certified fresh” rating on the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes.
MovieWeb had the opportunity to sit down with actors George Clooney, Adam Sandler, and Laura Dern to discuss the film ahead of its wide release on Netflix on December 5. Given that the movie is about a famous actor looking back on his career, it wasn’t hard for Clooney and the rest of the cast to relate to the struggles in the script. When asked if this project made him reflect on his own legacy, the actor revealed one profound realization he came to:
“The truth of the matter is, legacies are defined by other people, not by you, right? You can’t have much to do with that. You can have integrity and stand by what you believe in, not just in your career but in your life. I’ve tried to do that. I’ve failed often, but you try to do it, and then you have to let everything else —the chips — fall where they do.”
‘Jay Kelly’ is a Film Reflective of the Actors * Their Lived Experience in Hollywood
George Clooney offered some insight into his decision to pursue acting, revealing it came following the realization that it’s much harder to live with regret than failure:
“The one thing I was always aware of was that regret is really tough to live with as you get older. It’s easy to fail. If I move out to LA and try to be an actor, and it doesn’t work out, I could go back to Kentucky and sell insurance door to door, which I had done, and at 80 years old, go, ‘Yeah, I tried.’ It didn’t work out. You can live with that.”
For Sandler and Dern, playing the people who live in Jay Kelly’s orbit was also something they could relate to. Dern expressed empathy for the character she plays, as she’s seen them in different facets of film production: “We know that feeling. We know that feeling with all those who’ve dedicated themselves to the storyteller, whether it’s the filmmaker or the actor, or even within your own family.” As for Sandler, the actor said that he feels “nothing but pride and pulling for somebody” that he believes in, much like his character does for Kelly in the film.
Jay Kelly is seemingly one of Baumbach’s most introspective films, with a script that has allowed its cast to reflect on their own careers, as well as the people who believed in and supported them (and vice versa). Given how passionate the cast seems to be about the film, it’s safe to assume that viewers will be just as engaged with their authentic performances.
- Release Date
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November 14, 2025
- Runtime
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132 minutes
- Director
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Noah Baumbach
- Writers
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Emily Mortimer, Noah Baumbach
- Producers
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David Heyman, Noah Baumbach, Amy Pascal