By Jan Wahl –
Imagine being George Clooney. Hundreds of scripts are sent to you, you are mobbed everywhere, and you completely lose your privacy. Yes, there are money and many perks, but there’s the emptiness inside. That is what Clooney’s new movie Jay Kelly explores.
Clooney stars as himself, a superstar searching for meaning behind the glitz and glamour. He travels through Europe with his manager, played with puppy dog sadness by Adam Sandler. Together, they reflect on their life choices, legacies, and relationships. This goes on and on, with the movie being at least a half hour too long. But there is one idea that has me fascinated.
I grew up with famous people in West Los Angeles. Many of them, parents of my childhood friends, seem to confuse paid loyalty with caring and affection. I always thought of the phrase “he’s like an empty suit” fitting this situation. Though most people look at movie stars with envy, the actors themselves are often searching inside for meaning in their lives. While trying to journey to a big movie tribute to his greatness, Jay Kelly wanders through long hallways of darkness and desperation.
This is what Clooney and writer/director Noah Baumbach are trying to make clear. Chasing the dream of fame and fortune, then living it, can be unfulfilling. But then is this movie worth seeing? I think it is, but look at it like this: as a chance to walk on the boulevard of broken dreams.
A fun way out of this darkness is a double feature: Wicked and Wicked: For Good. See them on the big screen for the gorgeous sets, costumes, and music. The new film is fun, better than the last one, and a reminder that, when Hollywood goes full-on about storytelling, it is joyful and a blast.
So, then it is time for home and the DVD of 2016’s Women Who Run Hollywood featuring Ida Lupino, Mary Pickford, and, my favorite, Dorothy Arzner, who was a pioneer director and queer activist. At the end of a long career, she became a film professor at the University of Southern California, where she instructed a young Steven Spielberg on cinematic storytelling. I hope someday she is on our Rainbow Walk of Fame!
Don’t Miss The Great Dickens Christmas Fair!
It is time to get in the holiday mood and this year’s The Great Dickens Christmas Fair is better than ever. I go every year and absolutely love it. Four acres of the Cow Palace come alive to transport guests to Victorian England. It is a truly wonderful experience that you should add to your December calendar, since it only lasts until December 21. For tickets and more information: https://dickensfair.com/
Jan Wahl is a Hollywood historian and film critic on various broadcast outlets. She has two Emmys and many awards for her longtime work on behalf of film buffs and the LGBTQ community. Contact her at www.janwahl.com
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Published on December 4, 2025
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