How to watch Jay Kelly in New Zealand
George Clooney is on a trip across Europe and into his past in Noah Baumbach’s latest.
Adam Sandler reteams with director Noah Baumbach—and George Clooney jumps on board for the first time—for this trenchant, country-hopping dramedy.
How to watch Jay Kelly in New Zealand
Jay Kelly is screening exclusively in New Zealand cinemas from November 20, 2025, before debuting on Netflix on December 5.
What is Jay Kelly about?
The titular movie star is on a publicity trip in Europe along with his best mate and manager, Ron, en route to a career retrospective celebration. But our golden boy Jay isn’t exactly golden any more, much less a boy. He’s wrestling with the anxieties related to being an ageing movie star, with a wealth of regrets and betrayals shoring up his storied career. And so, as Jay attempts to reconnect with his estranged kids and reckon with his legacy, we flash back to events from his past to see how he got here from there.
The cast of Jay Kelly
George Clooney is famous actor Jay Kelly, which isn’t exactly a stretch; Adam Sandler is Ron Sukenick, Jay’s manager; Laura Dern is Liz, Jay’s publicist; Billy Crudup as Timothy, Jay’s old acting buddy; Riley Keough is Jessica Kelly, Jay’s eldest daughter; Grace Edwards is Daisy Kelly, Jay’s youngest daughter; Stacy Keach is Mr. Kelly, Jay’s father Jim Broadbent is Peter Schneider, the recently deceased director who first gave Jay his big break; Greta Gerwig is Lois Sukenick, Ron’s wife; and Patrick Wilson is Ben Alcock.
Baumbach has also assembled a ridiculously stacked supporting cast for this one, including Eve Hewson, Josh Hamilton, Lenny Henry, Emily Mortimer, Isla Fisher, Jamie Demetriou, Charlie Rowe, Kyle Soller, Tom Francis, and Giovanni Esposito.
Jay Kelly trailer
Why we’re excited about Jay Kelly
Noah Baumbach excels at closely observed character-focused dramedies, so this is well within his wheelhouse. He’s also one of few directors who can consistently pull great performances out of Adam Sandler, so there’s that to look forward to as well. As for Clooney? He seems absolutely made for this, which could yield some interesting results performance-wise.
