Who Is Jay Kelly? Netflix’s Mysterious Rom-Com Has a Stunning Cast and an Award-Winning Composer
Clooney, Sandler, Britell — and a cryptic comedy set to surprise.
Noah Baumbach is back this December with Jay Kelly, a new Netflix comedy-drama that’s already drawing attention for its quietly loaded ensemble and vague, almost poetic logline: "Everybody knows Jay Kelly, but Jay Kelly doesn’t know himself." The film is co-written by Baumbach and Emily Mortimer, and shot on 35mm by Oscar-winner Linus Sandgren — a touch that hints at something visually rich beneath the surface.
The cast, meanwhile, is anything but quiet. Jay Kelly brings together George Clooney and Adam Sandler in leading roles, alongside Greta Gerwig, Laura Dern, Billy Crudup, Patrick Wilson, Isla Fisher, Jim Broadbent, Riley Keough — and Mortimer herself. With that kind of roll call, who needs plot details? Still, all we know for now is that the film moves between New York and London, and leans into both humour and emotional weight.
The score will come from Nicholas Britell, the award-winning composer behind Succession, Moonlight, and Andor. Britell has a talent for giving stories emotional architecture — subtle motifs, slow-building tension, and just the right amount of heartbreak. Given Netflix is calling Jay Kelly a "heartbreaking comedy," the collaboration makes perfect sense. Is this Baumbach’s way of making peace with White Noise’s lukewarm reception? Many would say: possibly.
What we’re left with is a big cast, a small tease, and a lot of open questions. Who is Jay Kelly?
