Jay Kelly (2025)

Clooney plays a successful actor (wink wink) going through an existential crisis, who takes an impromptu trip to Europe, while his entourage follows him wherever he goes. It's a very "inside baseball" look at the entertainment industry, occasionally meandering and self-indulgent, but performances are strong and it's easy to get caught up in the glitz. It didn't quite work its magic on me, but it's a solid effort and an examination of a life lived good enough.

3 slices of cheesecake out of 5

Bernard and the Genie (1991)

Bernard has just been sacked from work, found out his fiancée is fucking his best friend and is left with nothing...except an antique lamp which happens to house a disgraced genie imprisoned for thousands of years. Luckily, it's not one of those lame "three wishes" genies, but an infinity wish genie, which restores Bernard back to grace. This charming tale was created by that core talent responsible for Blackadder, Mr. Bean and the like. Lenny Henry inhabits the genie as a boisterous presence with a love for 20th century marvels. More than anything, it's just fun. I'm a sucker for these old made-for-TV movies. They sure don't make 'em like they used to.

4 Mr. Successes out of 5