George Clooney says his name over and over again in the teaser for Jay Kelly.
Even knowing what I know about Netflix and how they’ve captured the awards race the same way the Weinstein Co did oh so long ago (same publicist), I’ve still been a bit taken aback by the pre-season hype for Jay Kelly, Noah Baumbach’s latest muted male identity reflection movie.
What I know about this movie, because I know the Oscar race, is that it’s already a contender before anyone even sees it, just as Marriage Story was. It’s the formula for getting there that counts. Somehow, the pieces always fall into place exactly the same way.
A news item went viral recently where Clooney defended himself for always playing himself. That isn’t true. His best performance, IMO, is in Burn After Reading where he plays a creepy guy. I kind of think he missed his calling at playing villains.
This will go to Telluride, very likely, with bloggers who are on Netflix’s good list will be invited to join Clooney and others for drinks and party time. I don’t think I was ever on that list, even in the good old days of high-tier sycophanting. I was somehow never invited to the party, which was always fine with me as I never wanted to go to the party. I did once meet and mingle with Laura Dern but for a different studio. She was very charismatic and very tall. I only met Clooney once when my dear friend David Carr invited me backstage after a Q&A with Clooney. He was nice and polite.
So yes, mark it down, folks. Your third bonafide Oscar contender of the year. Another go-round for Noah Baumbach. Can the movie win? I do not believe so. Clooney might. I look at Best Picture like I look at the Democratic Primary. If you’re hanging your hopes on a “white guy movie” you’ll probably be disappointed in the outcome. But never say never, I guess. One thing this movie does not look to me is performatively “woke,” for which I am eternally grateful.
