JAY KELLY   (Netflix)

Let’s talk about Adam Sandler. A man/actor I never focused on until 2019’s “Uncut Gems”, a shocking tour de force for one who never paid him an ounce of mite. He has garnished multiple awards: Critics Choice Movie Award, Independent Spirit Award, nominations for 7 Prime Time Emmy Awards, Golden Globe and Grammy salutes and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; the list continues and I shamefully ignored him. Why? His film choices never appealed to me, comedy, humor, slapstick, repose at the lowest level on my movie monitor. But in “Jay Kelly” he is riveting, far more interesting than the chiseled, hunky, handsome protagonist “Jay”, adeptly depicted by George Clooney; an actor who on occasion has piqued my interest: “Michael Clayton” (2007), “Up in the Air” (2009), “The Descendants” (2011); he robbed Jake Gyllenhaal (“Brokeback Mountain”) of the 2006 Best Supporting Actor Award for his role in “Syriana”.  Amazingly, his dynamism has aged beautifully, and at 64 still subjugates the screen, and redundantly keeps proselytizing its prowess throughout the two hours and twelve minutes. His memories pirouette around movies. Jay’s Achilles Heel surfaces in the form of his past friend/rival “Timothy” (rendered tersely by Billy Crudup) and the media glorifies their altercation.

Director/writer Noah Baumbach presciently pairs the actor and his manager “Ron Sukenick” (Sandler) as both having personal and familial roadblocks; the difference is that Ron is simultaneously dealing and trying to compartmentalize his own conceits with Jay’s.  Jay, conditioned by his fame, is incapable of comprehending his role as “absentee” dad with his two grown daughters; hence comically follows his youngest on a train trip through Italy (a homage to thousands of train films: 1932 “The Shanghai Express”, 1938 “The Lady Vanishes”, 1951 “Strangers on a Train”,  2007 “3:10 to Yuma”,  2017 “Murder on the Orient Express” and today’s “Train Dreams”.

The film excels when Ron, more that Jay, becomes the object of rumination; he descends into romantic angst when reminded of a missed opportunity years ago in Paris; paralytic process trying to get Jay to oblige his filmic obligations, perpetually dealing with the hubris of his children and wife “Lois” (Greta Gerwig, Baumbach’s partner); a scene where Ron is fired by actor “Ben Alcock”,  (Patrick Wilson),  is emotionally pulverizing; Sandler gives a revered performance unequalled, unmatched, peerless in recent films. His growth, maturity and honest self-awareness blossoms throughout “Jay Kelly”. The films’ flaws are offset by Sandler’s prodigious characterization.

Interestingly, the anomalous Hollywood conclusion with its indelible salute to remembrance, friendship and to a life defined by celluloid, (digitalization not used) is poignantly, plaintively, almost perfect.

THREE & ½ STARS!!!

Peneflix