I love it when a Hollywood movie about Hollywood is done well, think Singin’ in the Rain, Once Upon a Time … In Hollywood, or even Tropic Thunder to name a few.

With movie stars fast becoming an endangered species at risk of extinction, writer-director Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly feels very of its time.

So, who do you cast as a veteran A-lister who is beloved by the public but a pariah to his family and loved ones after sacrificing those relationships in his dogged pursuit of success?

There are a few actors to whom it might hit a bit close to home. Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise and Jim Carrey all come to mind.

Known for playing the silky-voiced, silver-tongued silver fox he’s built his movie stardom upon, George Clooney has also demonstrated range playing a ham idiot for the Coen Brothers in O’ Brother Where Art Thou?, Intolerable Cruelty, Burn After Reading and Hail, Caesar, or a competent, bitter, burnt-out career man in Michael Clayton and Up in the Air.

The latter archetype taps into a loneliness and introspective sadness that, combined with the baggage that comes 30-odd years on the A-list, makes him a terrific meta-casting as the titular Jay Kelly.

Pitched as a two-hander with Adam Sandler, I was excited to see the Sandman opposite Clooney and working with writer-director Noah Baumbach again in a more serious turn.

I think it’s a technically great performance. It’s a more restrained Sandler, actively capping his natural charisma and humour.

An interesting and appropriate choice playing Kelly’s good-hearted, hardworking, if sycophantic manager Ron.

Struggling to balance his work life and personal life, having dedicated 20 plus years of his working life to his number one client, he’s burnt out, conflicted, and feels underappreciated.

Despite substantial screen time, I still felt Ron was underserved by the story – a missed opportunity to dig deeper.

Billy Crudup gives an impactful supporting performance as a former acting classmate of Kelly’s in a pivotal scene that propels the story into action.

Laura Dern, also in a supporting role, is fine but feels wasted, disappearing midway through the second act, never to be seen again.

The story does a good job of tapping into its core themes while commenting on celebrity culture and the emptiness of fame and movie stardom.

In exploring Kelly’s past, we see him confronted with morally complex or ambiguous scenarios, making choices that drive the story and explain his current standing.

From a filmmaking perspective, Baumbach takes a few moments to flex his craft, doing so tastefully and in service of the story.

There are several flashback sequences to pivotal touchpoints in Kelly’s life that involve Clooney walking into said memory and silently observing a younger version of himself.

Despite the young stand-in for Clooney not much resembling him; each flashback was a well-crafted and integrated piece of filmmaking.

The 132-minute runtime feels a touch long, though it never drags. Ultimately, it didn’t fully connect for me, it’s clear where the film is heading quite early in the piece, and while the moral exploration is satisfying, the story does little to surprise or excite.

It’s hard to feel sympathy for a wealthy, decorated movie star who sacrificed his family for fame, and I don’t think Jay Kelly is asking us to do that, but despite that I did feel the ending quite intensely.

Jay Kelly is on Netflix from 5 December. 

Verdict: Sad Clooney is perfectly cast in this meditation on regret, isolation, and the price of fame and success. Some great filmmaking on show too but I wish Sandler’s character was better drawn and the story more surprising. 3.5 stars.