Look, in some ways I’m a simple man. You show me George Clooney looking charming and melancholy in a new Noah Baumbach movie, bouncing off the interesting energy of a more serious Adam Sandler, and I get excited. That’s the pitch in Jay Kelly, which hits Netflix on December 5 and just got a lovely full trailer.
The film will actually be out in cinemas for a couple of weeks before its gets to the streaming service, which is almost always a clue that Netflix either thinks it can make more money that way or, more often, that it needs the movie to be eligible for awards contention in a few months. With that leading man and director combo, you wouldn’t bet against it, either.
Clooney’s character Kelly is one of the biggest movie stars in the world, and even if his career is in its twilight, he still has immense charm and popularity, all of which echoes Clooney’s real world position (even if he does still have years of work ahead of him). However, that doesn’t seem to be enough to stop him feeling more than a little empty.
When his daughter heads off to college in Paris and he realises her childhood is over, it creates a bit of a crisis. His answer? Embark on a promotional tour with fewer jets and more real-world encounters, dragging his long-time manager (Sandler) along with him for the ride, and just so happen to aim for Paris as your destination.
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It seems like a charming setup, and the movie looks drop-dead gorgeous, from the locations to the individuals involved, with a road trip through Europe being a fairly enticing proposition basically any time. With Clooney seemingly on excellent form and returning to acting given he tends to do more directing at the moment, it seems like a must-see whether you have Netflix or not.
For my part, I’ll aim to see it in the cinema when it comes, although knowing where Netflix will screen its movies can sometimes require a little attentiveness. Still, the knowledge that it’ll come to the streamer soon after is quite the safety net.
