George Clooney has long been more than an actor; he is a way of showing off his teeth. And he has known this for a long time, to the extent that the latest stretch of his filmography is just that: George Clooney and his pearly white, perfect teeth playing the role of George Clooney flaunting his pearly white, perfect teeth. It happened in Voyage to Paradise (2022) alongside Julia Roberts, where both reimagined romantic comedy by shining a light on their respective legends. It happened again in Wolfs (2024), where they shared jokes as seasoned actors winking at the audience. And now it happens completely explicitly, without shortcuts or implications in Jay Kelly. George Clooney portrays an old movie star who, nearing the end of his leading man career, strives to find the meaning of it all. Who is truly an actor who has spent his whole life being someone else for everyone else? And then, Clooney smiles, shows his teeth, and the lights go out. That's how it goes.
The blackout was experienced (or enjoyed, depending on the perspective) in the movie, but not in the physical reality of the Venetian Lido where, due to sinusitis, the actor did not appear before the press or anyone else. He did show up on the red carpet, and who knows if it was all part of a perfectly planned strategy. After all, the star that Clooney portrays in the film, and that he wants to embody both on and off-screen, is about that. Not about nasal illnesses, but about the mystery of bygone eras that always accompanied stardom and has nothing to do with Instagram overexposure. Showing less to make the dream bigger.
The director himself, Noah Baumbach, perfectly healthy, made it clear to the media. "I have known Clooney for a long time and always wanted to do something with what he represents. Not just with who he is. He is the last of a lineage related to the Hollywood conception of another era, the Hollywood of always," he said, admitting that at certain moments during filming, he even felt emotional. "If I am proud of something, it is that, even if just a little, we have managed to show who the person behind the myth is," he added for dramatic effect.
In fact, the main difference between the aforementioned previous works and the one recently presented at the Venice Film Festival is, to a large extent, its director. It's not Ol Parker, Jon Watts, or Paco Piernas. No, this time, having a director and screenwriter who knows what they are doing gives the star and his teeth the privilege of matters such as shine and gum care. In short, it's much better, with a lot more fluoride.
As we were saying, the story is not just about a renowned actor but about a star. But from the old days, the ones that still enjoyed the virtue of mystery, the ones without social media, the ones who didn't eagerly share the brand of their shoes. At most, an espresso and that's it. "If something has changed in my profession, it's precisely what you have in your hands." Speaking now is Laura Dern, who is also there. And healthy. She continues: "Being completely exposed at all times makes everything different. I'm not saying it's better or worse, but it's different. And that's what the movie is about."
Jay Kelly, a character that probably only Clooney and two others can portray to this day, reaches that moment in life when life goes from passing by to weighing heavily. We talk about the movie, and the movie talks about reality, perhaps. And of course, the regrets come, the doubts, and that feeling that everyone has felt at some point of whether it really makes sense to be disgustingly rich, disgustingly famous, disgustingly powerful, and disgustingly disgusting. It's true, some will say that not everyone goes through the same thing. But let's admit it, the plain old disgusting part does come close to being universal.
"In truth," continued the director, perhaps as an interlocutor, representative, or ventriloquist of the man absent with sinusitis, "it's all about identity. All of us, in one way or another, can experience the same situation as an actor who has to define his identity partly based on what others think of him. The difference is that with actors, as public figures, everything is much more extreme because their profession consists of being others. And in the case of a star, even more so, because in a way, they are part of our lives. We are all a bit like the stars we admire. And having said that, we all remain pensive. Some about what Baumbach just said, and others, of course, about Clooney. What a thing. Even when Clooney is not there, he ends up being there.
Baumbach, with a script co-written with actress Emily Mortimer, tailors a suit. With a touch of Fellini's 8 1/2, a bit of Preston Sturges' Sullivan's Travels, and even a hint of Hitchcock from any of his films with a man on the run, the director creates the quintessence of enjoyable, charming, enjoyable, and quite silly films, it must be said. And what a set of teeth this man has!
Baumbach and Clooney embody the quintessence of enjoyable, charming, enjoyable, and quite silly films, it must be said
The cast of actors surrounding the candid sadness of a man unable to truly know who he is deep down, when he removes the layers of makeup, is not oblivious to the party. Adam Sandler, as the trusted man, the manager; Laura Dern as the publicist who prohibits everything; Billy Crudup as the rival whose life Kelly stole; Greta Gerwig as the manager's wife (and, why not, the director's too), or Alba Rohrwacher transformed into a gesticulating Italian are just some of the perfectly tuned chorus that not only keeps the rhythm like a metronome but sometimes even sets it above the eternally nostalgic expression of the protagonist.
The result, as you may have guessed, is, let's all say it together, a tribute to cinema. But not to cinema in general, ready to be seen in any way, anywhere, and on any screen. It's about paying homage to cinema dedicated to creating community, forming memories, clouding everyone's vision. Put that way, it's a bit cringeworthy, due to the boomer homilies, but if we relax, it might even excite us. And then, truth be told, it doesn't matter how, where, or on what screen we watch the movie. There are George Clooney and his teeth ready not to be stained by any drop of coffee, no matter how strong it is.