George Clooney’s 'Jay Kelly' gets standing ovation

George Clooney and Adam Sandler-starrer Jay Kelly received an 8.5-minute standing ovation after its screening at the ongoing Venice Film Festival 2025.

Clooney walked the red carpet on the Lido with his co-star Adam Sandler, who made a rare appearance in a tux. In Jay Kelly, Clooney is an ageing movie star, and Sandler is his manager, who has sacrificed everything for his most precious client.

As the crowd cheered during the ovation, Clooney leaned over and kissed his wife, Amal, seated behind him. He hugged Sandler and Baumbach throughout the applause.

Earlier in the day, Clooney missed the film’s official press conference as he was recovering from a sinus infection. And on the red carpet, the star did try to socially distance from his cast, which included Laura Dern (as Jay Kelly’s publicist Liz), Billy Crudup (his childhood friend) and Riley Keough (his daughter). Jay Kelly will have a theatrical run in the US starting on November 14, before being released on Netflix on December 5.

As for director Baumbach, the filmmaker has premiered a number of his films on the Lido, including 2022’s White Noise, 2019’s Oscar-nominated Marriage Story and 2015’s documentary De Palma about the filmmaking titan.

Clooney, too, has returned to Venice several times over the decades with movies such as 1998’s Out of Sight, 2005’s Good Night and Good Luck and most recently with 2024’s Wolfs. Meanwhile, Jay Kelly is Sandler’s first Venice Film Festival premiere.