George Clooney has been defining what it means to be a leading man in Hollywood for decades. In that time, he has delivered plenty of highs in movies like Gravity, Out of Sight, and Three Kings, and plenty of lows – we will mention Batman & Robin and leave it there. However, his new movie with Adam Sandler has proven that the actor still has the ability to play to his strengths and win over the critics, as Noah Baumback’s Jay Kelly has landed Clooney his best Rotten Tomatoes score since 2016’s Hail Caesar!
Co-written by Baumbach and Emily Mortimer, Jay Kelly follows a famous actor (Clooney) and his longtime manager (Adam Sandler) on a European trip that doubles as a journey of discovery for them. The full synopsis reads:
“Jay Kelly follows famous movie actor Kelly (George Clooney) and his devoted manager Ron (Adam Sandler) as they embark on a whirlwind and unexpectedly profound journey through Europe. Along the way, both men are forced to confront the choices they’ve made, the relationships with their loved ones, and the legacies they’ll leave behind.”
The film received its premiere at the Venice Film Festival on August 28, where it received an eight-minute and 30-second-long standing ovation. The first reviews followed soon afterward and gained the film a strong start with an 84% score from 25 reviews. Whether admiring Clooney’s central performance or making small complaints about Baumbach’s sentimental directing, the pros have outweighed the cons for many critics in attendance.
What Have Critics Said About George Clooney & Adam Sandler’s New Netflix Movie
It is hard to find many complaints about Jay Kelly, with both Clooney and Sandler delivering great performances and sparking off each other perfectly, even drawing Oscar contender comments from some. Frank J. Avella of The Contending writes, “This should be a slam-dunk Oscar nomination for Clooney…Baumbach treats all his characters with compassion and as much authenticity as each role will allow. And that’s precious.”
Flick Feast’s Dallas King was also incredibly happy with Clooney’s performance, stating, “With a career-best performance from George Clooney, Jay Kelly is a testament to the power and allure of movies, and the movie stars that make it happen.” However, there were some, such as The Hollywood Reporter’s David Rooney, that felt Clooney’s “natural charisma” was actually a bad thing for the character he was portraying. Rooney wrote:
“No amount of tender underscoring from composer Nicholas Brittel can make us feel much for his sudden loneliness since Clooney’s natural charisma is like armor. It makes the movie toothless and insincere.”
Sandler is no stranger to having hits on Netflix, and Clooney recently scored a strong viewership for his Brad Pitt caper, Wolfs, on Apple TV+. It looks like Jay Kelly is guaranteed to use its star power to its full potential when it gets a now compulsory short theatrical run on November 14, before landing on Netflix on December 5, 2025.
Jay Kelly
- 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
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