(Image: Vanity Fair)
Following his last feature "White Noise," "Marriage Story" director Noah Baumbach is back with his latest Netflix film, "Jay Kelly." After releasing two teaser posters and an exclusive first look with Vanity Fair, the official first trailer for the film has now dropped.
Co-written by Baumbach and British actress Emily Mortimer, the film boasts a star-studded ensemble cast that includes Billy Crudup, Riley Keough, Patrick Wilson, Laura Dern, George Clooney, Adam Sandler, Eve Hewson, Jim Broadbent, Louis Partridge, Isla Fisher, Baumbach's wife Greta Gerwig, and Mortimer herself.
※ Watch the first trailer below ▼
The film centers on Jay Kelly (Clooney), a fictional Hollywood superstar who travels to an Italian film festival to accept a lifetime achievement award. He plans to use the trip to tour Europe with his increasingly distant young daughter and celebrate with loved ones, hoping to put a perfect capstone on his career. Along the way, however, he struggles to break through the barrier with his daughter while also mourning the recent, sudden death of the veteran director who gave him his big break. He also reconnects with an old friend from acting school who never found fame. These encounters force Kelly to confront the complex life choices that built his illustrious career but also brought him immense loneliness.
(Image: Vanity Fair)
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Baumbach admitted to feeling a bit lost after the expensive and critically divisive "White Noise," viewing "Jay Kelly" as a project to get back into his groove. He also explained that he chose to co-write with Mortimer, a first-time collaboration, after they became close friends when her two children, Sam and May Nivola, appeared in "White Noise." Baumbach found that Mortimer always inspired new ideas, prompting him to invite her to partner on the script.
(Image: Vanity Fair)
Clooney, the film's lead, had high praise for Sandler, who plays his agent, in the same Vanity Fair feature. He shared that this film showcases what a beautiful, sincere, and soulful actor Sandler is, more so than any of his previous work. Clooney added that he always tells other actors not to just call him the "Sandman" or treat him as a goofy comedian, because he is a truly brilliant performer. He noted that while Sandler often commands high pay for big-studio comedies, his work in beautiful films like "Uncut Gems" is a reminder that he is far more than just a great comedian.
(Image: Vanity Fair)
In the film, the character Jay Kelly is often criticized for "only playing himself," a critique that has also been leveled at Clooney in real life recently. When asked about this, Clooney pushed back, stating that while not every film he's made has been a success, he has consistently tried to work across many different genres throughout his career. "If that means I’ve been playing myself, I don’t give a shit what you’re saying," he stated, before quoting one of Kelly's lines from the film to make his point: "Have you ever tried playing yourself? It’s f—ing hard." Clooney suggested that even playing a version of oneself is not as easy as people might think.
"Jay Kelly" is scheduled for a limited theatrical release in North America on November 14, followed by its global debut on Netflix on December 5.
via： Vanity Fair