George Clooney and Adam Sandler received a 10-minute standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival at the world premiere of Jay Kelly.
Directed by Noah Baumbach and co-written with Emily Mortimer, Jay Kelly premiered as part of the main competition at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival and is in contention for the Golden Lion.
During the 10 minute-long ovation in the Sala Grande theatre, according to multiple US media reports, the Gravity star embraced Sandler and Baumbach, and at one point turned to kiss his wife Amal Clooney, seated behind him.
In Jay Kelly, Clooney plays an ageing movie star on a trip through Europe with his longtime manager, portrayed by Adam Sandler. The film also stars Laura Dern, Greta Gerwig, Billy Crudup, Stacy Keach, Riley Keough, Patrick Wilson, Jim Broadbent, Eve Hewson, Lenny Henry, and Isla Fisher.
Clooney, who was forced to miss multiple press appearances earlier in the day due to a sinus infection, was present at the premiere alongside Sandler and other cast members.
“Even movie stars get sick!” Baumbach joked at the start of the press conference, addressing Clooney’s absence.
Dern described his performance as “amazing, raw, true” and added that Clooney was “devastated” to be missing the conference.
Sandler, known primarily for his comedy, has drawn attention for his more restrained and dramatic performance in the film.
Speaking at the press conference, he described the script as “a gift”.
“I’ve done two movies with Noah, and I could not be more proud to be in the feeling it gives you. He knows how to do everything, and then he finds places to make you laugh. All our characters give you a moment to laugh and feel pain. As an actor, when you read a script like this you say, ‘Holy s***, I can’t believe I’m getting this gift.’”
In an interview with Vanity Fair earlier this month, Clooney spoke out about the roles he’s taken on in his career, hitting back at critics who questioned his versatility as an actor.
“There aren’t that many guys in my age group that are allowed to do both broad comedies like O Brother, Where Art Thou? and then do Michael Clayton or Syriana. So if that means I’m playing myself all the time, I don’t give a s***.”
Clooney, who won an Oscar for his role in Syriana, then quoted his Jay Kelly character: “Have you ever tried playing yourself? It’s hard to do.”
The Independent’s Geoffrey Macnab gave the film four stars in his review, describing Clooney as “raw and revealing as an ageing movie star”.
“Clooney’s achievement is to make us care about a character who, at first glance, is such a superficial and self-obsessed figure. The actor resorts to his usual tricks: the smarmy smile, the ironic quip and the false bonhomie. For once, though, the self-deprecating charm soon wears off and everybody begins to see through him.”
Jay Kelly will be released on 5 December on Netflix.
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