Spoilers for Jay Kelly lie ahead, so proceed with caution.
Jay Kelly has finally hit the 2025 movie schedule and, all in all, the George Clooney-led film has been mostly well received by critics. Writer/director Noah Baumbach’s screenplay is tight, and his direction – as is usually the case – is as precise as it is purposeful. Of course, Clooney also effectively portrays Jay, an aging actor reflecting on his life choices, and the rest of the cast is excellent, too. On that note, I really would’ve loved to have seen more of one actor, as their character is one of the best in the entire film.
There’s One Character In Jay Kelly Who Should’ve Been Used More
Early on, viewers meet several characters who are typically in Jay’s orbit, including his longtime manager and friend, Ron, played by Adam Sandler (who’s getting Oscar buzz). Also in the fold is Jay’s publicist, Liz, who’s portrayed by the always-wonderful Laura Dern. It’s quickly established that, in many ways, Liz must be the adult in the room whenever Jay gets a wild idea that Ron ends up humoring. All in all, Dern’s character is excellent, which makes it all the more disappointing that she’s not utilized more.
Liz appears in a little less than half of the film. She’s present in Hollywood with Jay when he decides to travel to Europe to meet up with his daughter, Daisy (without her having prior knowledge of his plans). Already perturbed that Jay blew off an upcoming movie to take the trip and didn’t mention he was in a fist fight, Liz becomes more exasperated when Jay has his team board a train in Paris at the last-minute to follow Daisy. Eventually, Liz quits due to having reached her limit with Jay’s neediness and disembarks from the train.
What I should make clear here is that I understand, from a narrative standpoint, exactly why Liz has to exit the story when she does. It also completely makes sense that she’d quit on Jay. However, this all would’ve worked better for me had Noah Baumbach found a way to structure his 2025 Netflix release so that Liz had even more to do before she leaves. That would've been especially great since Baumbach was working with an excellent actor like Laura Dern, who he directed to an Oscar by way of 2019’s Marriage Story.
The Scenes Laura Dern Does Have Are Very Good
Make no mistake, even though I think Dern could’ve been given more to do, she does make the most of what she does have. From the moment she appears on screen, she adds a jolt of energy to the proceedings, and that’s especially true during the train portion of the film. Liz is a no-nonsense individual, and it’s funny watching her try to wrangle Jay and serve as the voice of reason.
While Dern brings moments of levity to the film, she also brings an emotional center, which is exuded through her discomfort with work pulling her away from her son. Dern is also particularly excellent in her final scene, which involves a reveal tied to Ron.
It’s a bit of a head-scratcher that the film doesn’t do more with Liz before she says her goodbyes, especially since she’s played by such a capable actor. Honestly, if anything, the fact that Laura Dern is still a scene-stealer – as the first Jay Kelly trailer suggested – is a testament to the skills she possesses as a performer. I suppose the age-old saying is true: there are no small parts, only small actors.
Grab a Netflix subscription and stream Jay Kelly now. It’s an introspective film and one that may leave viewers grappling with a few existential questions.
