By skyforbes 
Seated under a bridge on the pavement at night, Jay Kelly (George Clooney) broods desperately, “I don’t want to be here anymore, Jerry. I want to leave the party.” He was talking to himself.
It cuts to an adult party. Hundreds of adults are partying like their Gen Z while wearing suits and dress shirts. Jay Kelly arrived in a white suit. Ron (Adam Sandler) comes out holding a glass, “Jay Kelly, so handsome!” he declared.
On the side of a building, you see a large, black-and-white portrait of Jay Kelly.
“Look at you, you’re the American Dream,” Ron continued, “the last of the old movie stars.”
“I’m down here,” Kelly pointed to himself.
“You’re up there. You’re down here. You’re in here.” Ron pointed to his iPhone. “We did this together.”
That’s a cool way to tell YOU that this is a modern story set in the current world. Because the movie feels like an older film set in 1950s Hollywood.
It cuts to a beautiful Italian countryside. You see Jay Kelly’s beautiful villa. Beside the pool, her daughter Daisy (Grace Edwards) carried a handbag, “See you, Dad. I’m leaving this Saturday for Paris.”
“This is your last Summer,” Jay said. “I’d be so lonely here without you.”
“No Dad, you’re never alone,” Daisy shook her head.
“Really? I think I’m always alone,” Jay responded.
An older guy in sunglasses handed Jay a cocktail. “Thanks, Silvano.”
Daisy smiled.
Jay Kelly’s life is very similar to the real life of George Clooney. He has an Italian villa too. If you are a successful actor, you always have a team around you. You have a manager, bodyguards, make-up artists, etc. That’s on top of the staff inside your house, like the gardener, housemaids, chef, etc. And the bigger and more successful you are, the more visitors you have. Jay Kelly might feel alone. But for Daisy, her dad is never alone.
It cuts to Daisy on the bus as it leaves for Paris. Jay and Daisy did look at each other from the bus window, giving each other a half smile.
At a bar, talking to a friend, Jay told him, “Thinking about her leaving, I feel like I missed it.”
That’s kinda sad. He felt like he ‘missed it.’ Does he mean he will miss Daisy, who is leaving for Paris for a job/college, or something? Or, sadder, does Jay Kelly mean that he missed being a father? Because the life of an actor is very hectic. You might have projects that need a location shoot for 7 months. And in your off months, you might have photo shoots, ads, and random gigs. You barely have time for family.
It cuts to Liz (Laura Dern) and Ron talking on the phone. Liz is in the office, and Ron is in a baseball game, probably with his kid. Maybe everyone has a personal life and a family, but not Jay Kelly, especially when Daisy left.
“We need you now. Jay’s having a breakdown.” Liz said. “It’s BAD. It’s really, really bad.”
It cuts to Ron entering Jay’s house. “Jay? Where are we going?”
A frantic Jay packed his things, “Meg! Where are we going?”
A lady with bob hair entered the room and said, “France.”
“France!” Jay said.
“France?” Ron said.
It cuts to a busy Italian train station. Jay and Ron wore sunglasses, but people still recognized them. He’s a big star. Jay Kelly is the George Clooney of this multiverse. And it’s a freakin’ train station. People waved at him and shook his hand. You see a group of teenagers recognize him in the distance. He is a big international star.
Inside the train, an older man told Jay, “When I look at you, I see my whole life.”
The man is older than Jay. That means Jay might be a child star when this old man was in his 20s. That means Jay has been a celebrity all his life. When old people see him, they see their whole life. When we are in our 60s and see Millie Bobby Brown in her 50s, this is how we will feel.
The entire train cheered him. Jay laughed along.
“I don’t know who to be mad at,” Liz said, “but I find myself very mad at you, Ron.”
“Be mad at me, Liz,” Jay said. “This train is my idea.”
“That’s the problem, I’m not allowed to be mad at you,” Liz said.
That’s another problem. The more successful you are, the more ‘yes people’ you have. Everyone says YES to you because they are on your payroll. It feels good, at first, but you don’t know what’s right or wrong. That comes back to bite you in the a$$ later in life.
“Lately, my life doesn’t really feel real,” Jay told Ron. “I’m suddenly remembering things.”
It cuts to a young Jay Kelly after sleeping with a beautiful woman.
“What is that?” Jay asked Ron. They are back on the train, BTW.
“Memories,” Ron replied.
“It’s like a movie where I’m playing myself,” Jay said.
It cuts to young actors auditioning. It could be young Jay in his memory, auditioning for a role.
Then you see Jay partying at another adult party.
It cuts to Jay arguing with a woman. I thought it was his love interest, or ex-wife, or something. But it’s Jessica (Riley Keough), his eldest daughter. Daisy is his youngest.
“I just want you to come with me,” Jay told her, “to see what I did. It’s got to have meant something.”
Jessica looked away and then looked back at his father’s eyes, “What if it didn’t.”
That’s sad. Jay wants to be with family. We don’t know if he had or ever had a wife. But he is an estranged father. What was his fault? I don’t know. He doesn’t seem like a bad guy. And on the surface, he has all the financial success in the world. Maybe he was a womanizer who had cheated on his wife before. Or maybe, as large as his bank account is, there is less in his Emotional Bank Account, especially with his kids. This is a concept from Stephen Covey, who wrote the 7 Habits book. An Emotional Bank Account is filled with trust and positive feelings in any relationship. Jay has less of that with his daughters.
“Does none of this mean anything to you?” Ron asked. “Because it means something to me. I mean, you’re Jay Kelly, but I’m Jay Kelly too.”
Jay Kelly achieved all this. He is an A-list Hollywood Actor known worldwide. And that comes with a lot of financial success. But he still feels empty inside.
You got a short montage:
Jay Kelly is having an al fresco (outdoor) lunch with friends amidst the unblocked views of the beautiful mountains and fields of Italy.
Jay Kelly wore glasses. I think it’s for a film role.
Jay Kelly smiling as he saw Ron hopping out of a taxi.
“That’s the crazy thing. Everything you thought you were, isn’t true.” It cuts to Jay Kelly, back from the beginning, seated under a bridge on the pavement at night.
But then you hear a director say, “And…..CUT!”
Jays leaned forward, “Can we go again?”
“Really?” the director asked.
Jay nodded, “I like another one.”
Okay. Maybe that’s the issue. He is a perfectionist for his craft, and he didn’t give time for family.
It cuts to a nice apartment. Jay’s dad (Stacy Keach) is making a sandwich in the kitchen. Jay sat in front of him, “All my memories are movies.”
“That’s what movies offer us,” Dad said. “Pieces of time.”
“Pie-ces-of-time!” Jay echoed.
I think this will be a heartwarming movie for Boomers. But Millennials and Gen X, who have Boomer parents, would also relate. It’s on Netflix on December 5, 2025.
***Shop***
Shop on Amazon
Insanely Black Custom Wrapping Paper
Buy Me a Coffee
(As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
(As an Zazzle Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)