With his well -known charisma, the star in “Jay Kelly” is a star in identity crisis. Film in the running for the Golden Lion, runs from shiny sets to Europe, from Paris to Italy
In Venice George Clooney interprets George Clooney, indeed, Jay Kelly. With rhythm and narrative wisdom Noah Baumbach Bring to the Lagunare Film Festival, in competition, a film that speaks of cinema from the point of view of those who do cinema. But it also speaks of success, parenting, personal realization (which does not necessarily coincide with popularity), solitude and choices. Who do we want to be? What really matters for us in the distribution of our time on this land?
For Jay Kelly which gives the title to the feature film by Netflix personal memories are only films, or almost. Hollywood actor venerated, with 35 years of career behind him, when the director who discovered him dies (embodied by Jim Broadbent) and he had denied a new film Jay Kelly enters a sort of identity crisis.
His name is like that of Gary Cooper, Cary Grant, Al Pacino. It is the superstar hero of cinema. But who really is Jay Kelly outside the sets? Passed through multiple shipwrecked weddings, she has an older daughter (Riley Keough) so there has never been and who calls it “an empty envelope”, another (Grace Edwards) so there was little and who is doing great, a very efficient entourage to his devoted service but perhaps no friend. “All my memories are films.”
And this is how the Super Divo flies overseas and undertakes an unexpected journey to Europe, from Paris to Tuscany from Postcolina, in an attempt to rabciare neglected relationships, fleeing from new sets and contractual commitments. To accompany him and chase him the faithful manager who has the face of Adam Sandler.
In the cast also Baumbach’s wife, Greta Gerwigwhich for script instead is Sandler consort. After the poignant History of a wedding who earned her an Oscar as a supporting actress, Laura Dern He returns to collaborate with the New York director, in the role of Jay Kelly’s flooded press. In Italy, among its Tuscan hills, our parsley could not be missing Alba Rohrwacher.
The film begins with a sharp quote from Sylvia Plath: “It is an infernal responsibility to be yourself. It is much easier to be someone else or none completely”. Here is a lively and dazzling sequence plan on the set of Jay Kelly’s latest film, on the day of the last clapperboard that ends with a festive applause.
In Venice applause for Jay Kelly to the first projection for the printing in the Darsena room. But George Clooney … At the press conference there is no one to take his blink of hands. “The great stars are also sick”explains Baumbach. Despite having already landed at Lido, Clooney has a strong sinusitis and has “skipped” the meeting with journalists before the red tappet: that you start to flee from institutional commitments, like his Jay Kelly?
We could not ask him live how much this Jay Kelly resembles him, but Clooney in the press notes has already replied like this: “Reading the script I thought:” In a certain sense I know how to interpret this part “. This character has many more regrets than I would have because, Fortunately, fame came for me much later. I had to understand how to live life before understanding how to become famous, which instead did not succeed in this character ».
Baumbach wrote the part of the protagonist together with Emily Mortimer, an actress on her debut on the script, already thinking about it on Clooney. “It was really important that the public watching the film established a relationship with the actor,” he explained to the Lido. “All of us who look at him have a story with Georgejust as people in the film have a story with Jay ».
And in fact Jay Kelly, like George, releases an ineffable charisma. Around him, the carousel of the Star System that fascinates, amuses, makes the headache come.
Baumbach Orchestra Uno intriguing stagingpassing from the present to Jay Kelly’s memories with creative fluidity (like when from a door on the train to Italy, the star then enters directly on a set of its memories).
Several jokes and memorable scenes, such as Clooney’s dance on the notes of Noise by Raffaella Carrà Or his desperate race on the Tuscan country road in white dress. Instead, it is strident, more than surreal, the scene of the theft with the subsequent collective race (we don’t say further to avoid spoiler).
Italy has its celebration, between photos by Marcello Mastroianni and Sophia Loren and a phrase put in the mouth of the German actor Lars Eidinger who flatters us and who does more or less like this: “What fascinates us about Italy? I think it is a permit to be human that elsewhere is not allowed”
“All my memories are films,” repeats Jay Kelly aka Clooney. Yes, but even those count. And not a little.
Between glories and regrets, a sharp humor runs through the whole film that, with thoughtful lightness leads to anyone wondering – without necessarily being a millionaire stars – about what really realizes in life.
Baumbach wrote the four -handed screenplay with Emily Mortimer, actress on her screenwriter debut. He is a candidate for prizes in Venice. In 2019 History of a wedding He would have deserved some recognition on the Lido. Could it be the year of the redemption?
