Jay Kelly (2025): Cast, Plot, Trailer, Release Date & Where to Watch – Clooney, Sandler & Baumbach Team Up for a Moving Journey of Fame and Friendship 🎬🌍✨

Jay Kelly (2025): Clooney, Sandler, and Baumbach Collide in a Tender Tale of Fame, Friendship, and Finding Yourself 🎭✈️🌍

“Do you know how difficult it is to be yourself?”

That single line—uttered in quiet frustration and worn-down wisdom—sets the tone for Jay Kelly, Noah Baumbach’s latest cinematic mosaic. This coming-of-age film for grown-ups, starring George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Laura Dern, and Billy Crudup, takes viewers on an introspective and emotionally layered journey through Europe, Hollywood, memory, and regret.

🎥 Premiering in competition at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on August 28, 2025, and coming to select theaters November 14, the film will stream globally on Netflix starting December 5.

🌟 What’s It About?

A Star, A Manager, and the Stories That Follow Them

In Jay Kelly, George Clooney plays the titular character: a world-famous actor who, at the height of his career, is beginning to feel the cracks beneath the surface of his carefully curated persona. With Adam Sandler as Ron, his loyal but quietly exhausted manager, the two embark on a loosely plotted tour through Europe’s scenic cities, ostensibly for Jay’s final press tour—but in truth, it’s something far more personal.

Together, they revisit old haunts, rehash decades-old arguments, and confront the ghosts of choices made in pursuit of stardom. Along the way, they are joined by characters from Jay’s chaotic orbit:

• Laura Dern as Liz, Jay’s sharp-tongued publicist who’s heard it all before.

• Billy Crudup as the actor who almost made it.

• Riley Keough and Grace Edwards as Jay’s estranged daughters.

• Greta Gerwig in a delightful cameo as Ron’s bewildered wife.

As their journey unfolds, the question becomes not just who is Jay Kelly—but who hasn’t he been?

🎬 Noah Baumbach’s Latest Human Drama

Known for Marriage Story, The Squid and the Whale, and White Noise, Noah Baumbach returns with a richer, more expansive film. Co-written with Emily Mortimer, Jay Kelly blends biting wit, existential melancholy, and a surprising amount of warmth. It’s a film about legacy and identity, sure—but more than that, it’s about the people we drag along for the ride.

“Fame is a disguise. The longer you wear it, the more you forget what’s underneath.” — Jay Kelly

With gorgeous cinematography by Linus Sandgren (La La Land) and a moving score by Nicholas Britell (Succession, Moonlight), every frame feels like a postcard from a life both glamorous and quietly crumbling.

👥 An Ensemble That Shines

Beyond its A-list leads, Jay Kelly is stacked with one of the most impressive ensemble casts of the year:

• Stacy Keach as Jay’s ailing father

• Jim Broadbent as a ghostly director whose absence haunts the narrative

• Patrick Wilson, Eve Hewson, Isla Fisher, and Emily Mortimer herself round out a film full of intimate cameos and textured performances

Each interaction, no matter how brief, pulls at the thread of Jay’s life—asking us to reflect on the characters we perform in our own lives, and whether it’s ever too late to rewrite the script.

🎭 A Comedy-Drama with a Soul

While Jay Kelly has moments of Baumbach’s signature neurotic humor, it’s ultimately a poignant meditation on growing older, finding purpose, and accepting one’s failures. It’s funny without being cruel, sad without being melodramatic, and romantic without being naive.

At 132 minutes, it moves at a reflective pace, perfect for viewers willing to sit with their own insecurities, laugh at the absurdity of fame, and cry at the beauty of broken people trying to heal.

📅 Where to Watch

• 🎬 Premiere: Venice Film Festival, August 28, 2025

• 🍿 Theaters: Limited release starting November 14, 2025

• 📺 Streaming: Netflix, global release December 5, 2025

💬 Final Word: “A Role Worth Watching”

Jay Kelly might just be Baumbach’s most heartfelt and universal film yet—a bittersweet love letter to art, aging, and all the roles we play when the cameras aren’t rolling.

Whether you're drawn by the all-star cast, the lush European backdrops, or the existential exploration of identity in the public eye, Jay Kelly is one not to miss.

🎭 “Sometimes, the most difficult thing isn’t playing a role—it’s learning to just be yourself.”