Podcast Summary: The Big Picture

Episode: The Adam Sandler Hall of Fame and ‘Jay Kelly’ With Noah Baumbach!

Date: December 10, 2025
Hosts: Sean Fennessey & Amanda Dobbins
Special Guest: Noah Baumbach

Overview

This episode features a lively and deep dive into two major topics: Noah Baumbach’s new film "J. Kelly" (starring George Clooney and Adam Sandler) and the creation of an “Adam Sandler Hall of Fame.” Sean and Amanda deliver a critical review and spirited discussion of "J. Kelly," then geek out over Adam Sandler’s career—methodically debating, ranking, and enshrining his best and most important works. The show is capped with Sean’s interview with Noah Baumbach, who shares insight into the making of "J. Kelly," his collaboration with Emily Mortimer, and reflections on his body of work and movie stardom.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Industry News & Banter

• Brief update on streaming industry news—Warner Bros, Netflix, Paramount saga—with light jokes about stock prices, studio tours, and driving golf carts.
  • “Very few men are unsheathing their swords.” — Sean (01:48)
• Sean bemoans the departure of Mets closer Edwin Diaz, expressing how sports impact his mood (03:01):
  • “It’s not germane to movies, but it is germane to my psychological state.” — Sean

2. "J. Kelly" Film Review & Analysis (05:23 – 42:02)

Film Background

• Written & directed by Noah Baumbach, co-written with Emily Mortimer.
• Cast includes George Clooney (as J. Kelly), Adam Sandler (Ron, his manager), Laura Dern, Billy Crudup, Riley Keough, etc.
• Story: Aging movie star (Kelly) faces midlife crisis, navigates regrets and family while traveling in Europe post-daughter’s college departure.

Hosts’ Reactions

• Amanda:

  • “I want to like it so much more than I do. I think it’s a real mess. I don’t understand about half of it and there’s a lot to like in it.” (06:40)
  • Appreciates the performances and the idea, but feels the film’s multiple story threads don’t cohere and that industry subplots are undercooked.
  • Notes the film wants to probe movie stardom and fatherhood, but finds the emotional beats thin.

• Sean:

  • Feels the inverse—the showbiz side works better than the family melodrama:
  • “J. Kelly, the reason why I like the second half and not the first half is that his blankness is what sells the second half...there’s no way to really change once you’ve become a big movie star.” (09:54)
  • Sees the film as an exploration of “the rare class of alien that lives among us”—movie stars whose public roles make intimacy impossible.

Memorable Scenes & Quotes

• Billy Crudup’s acting-class scene (“reading the menu”) received applause at Venice (15:26).

• Pivotal dialogue: J. Kelly is called “an empty vessel” by his estranged daughter—a metaphor for the cost of performing stardom.

• Amanda: Notes the film portrays stardom but doesn’t explore it deeply:

  • “You get the funny moments...but just as quickly it’s over and half the team disappears.” (20:35)

• The film’s tonal issues are debated—light farce vs. deeper emotional darkness.

• Scenes between Kelly and his manager Ron (Sandler)—especially their confrontation—are seen as not fully earned.

• Notable Quotes:

  • “You know what, your mileage is gonna vary. If you don’t really have empathy for somebody who’s living the extraordinarily privileged lifestyle of a J. Kelly...it’s just gonna be a hard movie for you to enjoy.” — Sean (19:42)

On Performances

• Clooney’s performance is described as “good but not great”; debate over whether scenes land emotionally or veer into mugging or whimsy (27:01–28:12).
• Sandler’s performance receives universal praise:
  • “I really found his performance heartbreaking in this movie.” — Sean (23:28)
  • The manager character is considered underwritten, nonetheless “humanizing” as commentary on stardom.

On Structure & Homages

• Parallels are drawn to 8½, Wild Strawberries, and “looking back on life” flashback movies; they appreciate Baumbach experimenting visually and structurally.
• The ending’s “cinema tribute” montage is seen as emotionally effective by Amanda, mixed by Sean, partly due to the uneven nature of the Clooney/J. Kelly character’s filmography (34:09–35:18).
  • “When I look at you, I see my whole life.” — the film’s thematic line (27:48)

3. Adam Sandler Hall of Fame Segment (44:00 – 111:00)

Sandler’s Career Retrospective

• Detailed, decade-by-decade discussion, including SNL origins, “smart dumb stars” tradition, comedic and romantic lead status.
  • “I would suggest that his comedy in the ’90s, his comedy movies are actually underrated now.” — Sean (49:16)
• Noted for being one of the biggest box office draws (21 films over $100 million), and for his pivot to Netflix ushering in the streaming era for movies.

Hall of Fame Process Highlights

• Sean and Amanda set criteria blending box office, cultural influence, rewatchability, and affection.
• Recap and passionate debate (with color-coding) on each film—what to include, what to “yellow,” and what to “red” (exclude). Many films are discussed, from Billy Madison to Uncut Gems.

Final Adam Sandler Hall of Fame List

• Hanukkah Song (1994, non-film but signature cultural moment)

• Billy Madison (1995)

• Happy Gilmore (1996)

• The Wedding Singer (1998)

• Big Daddy (1999)

• Punch Drunk Love (2002)

• Funny People (2009)

• Grown Ups (2010)

• The Meyerowitz Stories (2017)

• Uncut Gems (2019)

  “We are who we are. J. Kelly could come through...and you would cut Meyerowitz or something else.”
  — Amanda (110:45) & Sean (110:46)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “There’s not a strong case for Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore except we like them both. Right?” — Sean (103:32)
• “It’s a great life thesis statement—which is: use your success to do things you want to do with the people that you love.” — Amanda, on Sandler’s family-focused projects (98:44)

4. Interview: Noah Baumbach on ‘J. Kelly’ (111:14 – 146:26)

Key Topics

• Receiving “late career” tributes:
  • “I’m over 50. So now, now...we get to look back...when you see the back to back in the clip reel...” (112:03)
  • Surprised at seeing continuity in his work only through tributes and retrospectives.
• On not rewatching his own films:
  • He mostly does not revisit his films except for technical work (114:46).
• Writing with Emily Mortimer:
  • Effortless collaboration, stemming in part from White Noise (personal relationships with her and her kids) (116:46–119:11).
• Impact of COVID and Barbie on ‘J. Kelly’
  • Covid made White Noise a tough shoot and sapped his joy for filmmaking; Barbie restored some of that joy (120:52).
• Aims and Tone for ‘J. Kelly’:
  • Intended as a dreamlike journey, blurring memory and present, reflecting on stardom, identity, and regret.
• Cinematography:
  • Worked with Linus Sandgren to create a poetic, magical-world feeling (126:39).
• Movie Stardom:
  • Clooney’s character meant as a reflection on the fading “timelessness” of movie stars, and the inability for new stars to rise without movies being made for them (128:16–129:45).
• Sandler’s Performance:
  • “They are kind of shadow versions of each other, Jay and Ron...I think there is something, there’s a comic version of what Adam’s doing in the movie that you could imagine in another [movie]...and a very moving, desperate, sad, even heroic version.” (130:29–133:17)
• Mentorship, Aging, and Tributes:
  • Built the Jim Broadbent character (Peter) partly as a tribute to Peter Bogdanovich and other mentors, blending admiration and the tragedy of legacies that only receive accolades after death (134:58–137:27)
• White Noise:
  • Hopes for reappraisal as the impact of the film’s COVID subtext is processed by the culture over time.

Ending Reflections

• Baumbach’s last great watch: Small Change (Truffaut), calling it as good as 400 Blows and lauding 1970s Truffaut (144:45).

Notable Quotes

• On Stardom:
  “There’s this rare class of alien that lives among us and they make all these sacrifices and they hurt people around them to get where they get. And then they get to the end and no one can really love them in the way that they want to be loved.” — Sean (09:54)

• On Sandler:
  “He is like one of our great vocalists. Both like singing, but in terms of what he can do with his voice to make you laugh...That is singular, like, among living people.” — Amanda (47:18)

• On Baumbach Collaborating:
  “I felt very comfortable with her [Emily Mortimer]...when I started I told her a bit about what I was working on...it was a movie that I was ready to kind of explore and do...” — Noah Baumbach (117:06–119:11)

Selected Timestamps for Key Segments

• J. Kelly Review begins: 05:23
• Crudup cameo / “empty vessel” conversation: 15:21–16:50
• Debate on Clooney’s performance and tonal trouble: 27:01–29:34
• Analysis of the ending and Clooney’s filmography montage: 34:08–36:08
• Sandler Hall of Fame draft opens: 44:00
• Final Hall of Fame selections: 110:21–111:08
• Noah Baumbach interview begins: 111:14
• Baumbach on aging, tributes, and influence of mentors: 134:58–137:27

Tone & Style

The discussion is breezy, smart, and tangential, full of jokes and pop-cultural asides but grounded in serious film appreciation. The hosts embrace nostalgia and personal taste while openly acknowledging generational biases. Amanda’s skepticism and Sean’s Sandler enthusiasm offer a balanced lens for listeners, while Baumbach’s interview adds a reflective, thoughtful counterpoint.

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This episode is a treat for film buffs and Sandler fans alike. The hosts break down the strengths and weaknesses of "J. Kelly" with candor and humor, giving you a sense of its place in Baumbach’s filmography and in contemporary meditations on stardom. The Hall of Fame segment is a comprehensive, good-natured argument through Sandler’s wild, varied career—perfect for discovering which films have truly stood the test of time. Noah Baumbach’s appearance rounds it out with behind-the-scenes detail and philosophical musings on aging, artistry, and what lasts.

Essential for:

• Fans of Noah Baumbach, Adam Sandler, and meta-Hollywood films.
• Listeners interested in film criticism that blends close reading and fandom.
• Anyone weighing the difference between box office success and artistic legacy.