2025 Telluride Film Festival Report – Day 4 – ‘Jay Kelly’ and Conclusions
The last day of the Telluride Film Festival came down to one last film, ‘Jay Kelly’.
The last day of the fest is pretty much a winding down. Many of the celebrities have left by noon to head back to work. The festival schedule has blank slots (TBAs) filled with many of the popular shows that sold out in the prior three days, an attempt to give everyone a shot at catching that film they’d heard most about from their line-mates. Then there’s the picnic. Like the Feed that starts the fest, the picnic in the town park is a nice opportunity to grab some grub (don’t forget the ice cream) and share stories about your favorite films or individual “only in Telluride” moments.
Because of the majority of randomness that fills in those slots, it is often difficult to predict how many films I’m able to see. This year, because I’d already seen all of the TBAs, it came down to one last film to cap off my Telluride journey. Jay Kelly.
Jay Kelly
After thirty years of making films, Noah Baumbach has learned a trick or two. In Jay Kelly, he has used his finely honed arsenal of filmmaking skills to form a well-crafted, nuanced, accessible tale. His is a master of detail, even if missed by most of the audience, there are subtle flares that enrich the tale telling. This is by far his most accomplished and complete film, with all the nods and winks, choices and transitions fitting together seamlessly while examining the life of those souls who have nearly lost theirs in the chaos of the film industry.
Often reminiscent of Orson Welles’ The Other Side of the Wind in theme and overlapping rapid-fire dialogue, Baumbach has fully embraced knowing everything he has deliberately placed on the screen and in the story may not be caught by everyone, but because it’s there, the result is a feeling of completeness resounds. A discerning audience will not be left hungry. This feast is Baumbach at his very best.
In casting, besides tapping powerhouse players to fill minor roles with finesse, one of the only masters who could play the lead role of a movie star at the top of his game while hitting the hollow bottom of his personal life is George Clooney. As Jay Kelly, Clooney could easily imagine the scenes coming from his own home movies. He totally understands where the character is in his career. He knowingly nods to the inner feelings one in that position would experience when confronted with fans and family from opposite poles. Clooney is a king of the close-up. His knowing eyes and slight smile tells the story of his internal thoughts. He will probably be dinged by some reviewers by playing himself, but as Kelly says in the film, “Do you know how hard it is to play yourself? Try it.”
The entire cast is stellar in support, each one could have been the throughline of the story. They were all believable and fully realized by fantastic actors. The imagery, locations, and production values all rise to meet the needs of the story perfectly.
Jay Kelly will probably be the most successful of films from this year’s crop at Telluride in finding an appreciative audience. It is well done.
Conclusions and lasting impressions
The Telluride Film Festival always feels a little different on the end day than what was felt going into the first. Of course, the undiscovered themes kept growing. (We can add inadequate fathers to the list.) Now, having seen a number of the films I had only conjectured about (or had no clue about) I can imagine what audiences would best appreciate each of them, what kind of path these films will take to find those audiences. This year’s crop of films, as usual, offers a stellar selection of choices and pleasures to be experienced. They’re nearly all worthy in some way of being lauded.
The same feelings of the future can be applied to the festival itself. Getting close to the wall and listening to the murmurs, I can tell there are rumblings that may indicate change, growth or trouble, depending on how things turn out. Getting the Nugget building and theater back online, hopefully by next year’s festival dates, is key to addressing some of the big issues. It has been quite evident over the last two years without the venue that cramming the same number of films into the available slots of the remaining venues has caused a lot of grumbling and souring of experiences, both outside and in. They still need to raise the remaining capital to finish the project, so that looms over things as well.
But I have faith that the institution that is the spirit of the Telluride Film Festival will figure it out and set out in new directions, make the corrections to smooth out the pathways, and will be around and be a beacon of the highest pinnacle of cinema excellence for years to come. The magic of “only in Telluride” will live on.
Until next year...
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Christopher Schiller is a NY transactional entertainment attorney who counts many independent filmmakers and writers among his diverse client base. He has an extensive personal history in production and screenwriting experience which benefits him in translating between “legalese” and the language of the creatives. The material he provides here is extremely general in application and therefore should never be taken as legal advice for a specific need. Always consult a knowledgeable attorney for your own legal issues. Because, legally speaking, it depends... always on the particular specifics in each case. Follow Chris on Twitter @chrisschiller or through his website.