Based on the film ‘L’Emploi Du Temps’ by Laurent Cantet and Robin Campillo, the pic follows Vincent (Sandler), who after being fired from his job can’t bring himself to tell his wife and family.
Rather than reveal the truth, he spins a web of lies to conceal his situation. He escalates his lies further when he creates an investment scheme and asks friends to contribute, and the deception threatens to overwhelm his life and his family.
‘Time Out’: the director talks
Here’s Cooper on why he decided to tackle the remake:
“I first encountered Laurent Cantet’s film in 2001, and it’s lived with me ever since. I’ve been thinking about revisiting it for years, but now felt like the right moment — we’re living in a time where questions of identity, work, and self-worth have become impossible to ignore.”
Scott Cooper attends the UK Premiere of 20th Century Studios’ ‘Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere’ during the 69th BFI London Film Festival at Royal Festival Hall, London on October 15th, 2025. Photo by StillMoving.Net for The Walt Disney Company Limited.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of sitting down in-person with Adam Sandler and Oscar winner Laura Dern to talk about their work on ‘Jay Kelly’, Dern’s first reaction to the screenplay, Sandler’s approach to his character, working with George Clooney, and reuniting with director Noah Baumbach.
(L to R) Laura Dern and Adam Sandler star in ‘Jay Kelly’.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Sandler and Dern, as well as George Clooney and Emily Mortimer.
Moviefone: To begin with, Laura, can you talk about your first reaction to the screenplay and the way you approached playing this character?
Laura Dern: I mean, I fell in love with the script. Before we ever read the script, Noah saying that he had written something, and he wanted us to be part of it is just a yes immediately and a please. We didn’t know for sure our characters or exactly what it was and the evolution of his writing process and then he and Emily (Mortimer) got together. We’d get little bits and pieces. So, it was incredible reading it and knowing that he wanted to make a movie about not missing it. He talked about that, and he talks about reverse engineering from the last line of the movie, which is what he thought of first and that was so beautiful. Then all he had to say was, “I was going to get to be with Adam.” The greatest gift possible, and to be with George. It was true family.
MF: Adam, can you talk about your approach to your character, and did you draw influence from any real-life people you know or have worked with?
Adam Sandler: Sure. I have a team. Laura has a team. Clooney has a team. We all have people who grew up with us, worked with us and feel the highs and feel the times where you say, “I got to make a move and do something different,” or that kind of stuff, and they back you up and you always feel comfort with them. I love being a teammate like this for Clooney’s character. We were excited to make a movie together. We’ve been talking about this a long time.
MF: Adam, George told us that he was very excited to make this movie with you. What was your experience like working with him?
AS: All of us kind of got more in love with each other and became family. George does not like to talk about himself much. He just talks about you, how he can help you and who you should call. He goes, “You got to make sure you do this.” He looks out for your health; he looks out for the best place to eat and what’s the best gadget to use when you’re working out. He’s a stud. He’s just a nice person and he goes out of his way. When you talk about him, he’s just like, “No, no, no, no, no. Let’s not.” He doesn’t want to talk about himself much.
MF: Laura, what was it like for you working with George?
LD: I mean, just fierce loyalty beyond measure, there for us. If it’s the hardest moment or the most casual conversation about something we need to have or a meal we need to try, or an experience he wants us to have. “Oh, you got to see this thing. You guys, it’s a 20-minute drive. You got to go.”
Noah Baumbach attends the Headline Gala screening of Netflix’s ‘Jay Kelly’ during the 69th BFI London Film Festival at The Royal Festival Hall on October 10th, 2025 in London, England. Photo by StillMoving.Net for Netflix.
MF: Finally, you’ve both worked with director Noah Baumbach before, but what was it like reuniting with him on this movie?
AS: I mean, you give yourself to every thought he has. You have some moments where you bring thoughts up and try to connect more with what you’re doing or what you’re saying or where you’re at in the movie, but he just has a gentle way of guiding you and saying exactly what he’s going after, and you trust his vision. That’s a good feeling. You just say, “All right. Whatever Noah’s looking for, let me make sure I get it because it’s all part of his plan.” You have room, but it’s still word for word. You want to say it. He likes when you nail it. When I first read this thing, I enjoyed the way it was phrased, so let me make sure I phrase it just like that.
LD: I mean, that’s so perfectly put. I would just add that, as you said, in the rhythm, there’s a musicality to language for him, but there’s nothing strident, like you’re there and he wants you to try it the way that feels true to you. It’s wild to have it be so specific and meticulous and then have all the room in the world.
‘Jay Kelly’ opens in theaters on November 14th and premieres on Netflix December 5th.
What’s the story of ‘Jay Kelly’?
The film follows famous movie actor, Jay Kelly (George Clooney), as he embarks on a journey of self-discovery confronting both his past and present, accompanied by his devoted manager Ron (Adam Sandler).
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of sitting down in-person with Oscar winner George Clooney to talk about his work on ‘Jay Kelly’, why he signed on to the project before reading the script, if he could relate to the character, why he wanted to work with Adam Sandler, and what he learned from collaborating with director Noah Baumbach.
George Clooney stars in ‘Jay Kelly’.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Clooney, Adam Sandler, Laura Dern, and Emily Mortimer.
Moviefone: To begin with, I heard that you signed on to this project before reading the script because you were so excited to work with Adam Sandler and director Noah Baumbach. Can you talk about that, and have you ever done that before?
George Clooney: Yeah. I got a call, I was doing ‘Out of Sight’, and I got a call from the Coenbrothers. They said, “We’re going to send you a script if you want to do it.” I said, “I’m going to do it,” before (I read it). It was ‘O Brother, Where Art Thou?’ So, I’ve had a couple of times. There are directors in our business that you want to work with, and you would work with under any circumstances. I’d do the same thing with Alexander Payne if he called me or (Steven) Soderbergh obviously, and Alfonso Cuarón, some directors I’ve been very lucky to work with. Jason Reitman is a friend. But then I read it, and I thought, “Well, this is a really exciting project to do.” I know it sounds unusual to say but there aren’t that many great scripts. There aren’t that many great projects that you get to be a part of. When you get older, the parts become less and less. So, to be 64 years old and have somebody bring a script and a role like this, I just feel very lucky.
MF: I’ve also heard you say that when you did read the screenplay, you didn’t relate to your character. What did you mean by that and as an actor, is it better to not relate to the character because it gives you more objectivity in the performance?
GC: Well, I think you must find a way to relate. When I see the movie, I get why people go, “Oh, there’s a lot of similarity.” But when I read it, this character, he’s a guy who lives with just regret. He lives with all these things, these roads he didn’t travel, these things that he missed in life. I feel as if, for me, in general, although there’s always regret, it doesn’t fill my days and nights. When you get to the fork in the road, I’ve tended to take the more difficult fork. I’ve felt that, although I failed, which you can live with failure, it’s much easier to live with failure than it is to live with regret. So, when I read the script, it didn’t dawn on me that that it could be who I was. It just dawned on me that I was interested in playing a guy who didn’t take those turns.
MF: I know that you’ve been friends with Adam Sandler for a long time, what was it like to finally work with him on this film?
GC: Well, Adam’s a wonderful actor. That’s what sometimes people forget because he does broad comedies too and does stand-up and things. So, sometimes it gets lost in the idea that he really is a beautiful actor, and we’ve been friends for 30 years. I knew he’d be great in the part, and then the minute we got on the set, it was easy. The rehearsal process was fun. There’s a certain amount of confidence in actors, particularly of a certain age, when they’re not trying to own every scene. They’re kind of actively trying to give it to the other person. Adam and I felt that we were both going, “Oh, you get that. You take that.” There’s a kindness to that, that comes off, I think, on screen.
MF: Finally, what did you learn from watching the way Noah Baumbach makes movies that you might want to adopt yourself the next time you direct a film?
GC: Well, that’s an interesting question. For the most part, the directors that I’ve worked with don’t rehearse. They don’t believe in it. The Coen brothers don’t really rehearse, and Soderbergh doesn’t rehearse. They kind of feel like it’s all going to happen, and I’ve always worked that way as a director. I was resistant to rehearsing because I’m going to work whatever way the director wants. I think rehearsal is an interesting thing, particularly on a film that’s so deeply designed into performances. So, I think rehearsal was an interesting thing to watch and to pay attention to, and maybe something that can be more applied as time goes on.
‘Jay Kelly’ opens in theaters on November 14th and premieres on Netflix December 5th.
What’s the story of ‘Jay Kelly’?
The film follows famous movie actor, Jay Kelly (George Clooney), as he embarks on a journey of self-discovery confronting both his past and present, accompanied by his devoted manager Ron (Adam Sandler).
(L to R) George Clooney, Noah Baumbach and Adam Sandler attend the Headline Gala screening of Netflix’s ‘Jay Kelly’ during the 69th BFI London Film Festival at The Royal Festival Hall on October 10th, 2025 in London, England. Photo by StillMoving.Net for Netflix.
‘Jay Kelly‘ follows famous movie actor Jay Kelly (George Clooney) and his devoted manager Ron (Adam Sandler) as they embark on an unexpectedly profound journey through Europe, where both men are forced to confront the choices they’ve made and the legacies they’ll leave behind. Moviefone was in attendance at an in-person press conference, which featured director Noah Baumbach and stars George Clooney, Adam Sandler, and Laura Dern.
George Clooney admits that he was so excited to get to work with Adam Sandler that he was already planning to do ‘Jay Kelly’ before even reading the script.
George Clooney: I got a call that said that Noah’s gonna do a film with Adam Sandler and was I interested. And I said, “Yeah, I’ll do it.” And they said, “Do you wanna read the script?” I said, “Well, yes, I’ll read the script, but I’m gonna do it.” Because I knew, the track record of Noah and I really wanted to work with Adam. And then I read the script and I couldn’t believe my luck. I thought this was such a beautiful part. It’s funny, a lot of people have come up to me and said, it’s like you are playing yourself. It’s like, well, I don’t have the regrets that this guy has. My kids still like me. They’re eight. That might change. But at this point, they still like me. All the people that I’ve worked with, I still work with. I have a very different life than this guy. So, I didn’t really relate to him.
2) Adam Sandler Explains How He Was Able To Use Inspiration From His Management Team To Shape His Character
Adam Sandler plays Jay Kelly’s manager in the film, and while he was sure to craft his own character, he did take a bit of inspiration from his team.
Adam Sandler: We have teams. We are on the other side of it. You do see how much work goes into what they’re doing. And my favorite line, I said this on our side is, “You’re Jay Kelly, but I’m Jay Kelly, too.” I feel like our teams feel the same way. My character, it was very easy to love George ‘cause he’s just a great person, a great man to be around, very giving man. And I do, when he’s talking, I look at him and I say, wow, I could listen to him all day. I feel like it was just nice. My character loved the person like our teams they truly love us. And they believe in what we’re going after and the ups and they feel the downs. That’s what we were going after.
3) Noah Baumbach Says ‘Jay Kelly’ Is About The Price Of Fame & Regrets
Noah Baumbach attends the Headline Gala screening of Netflix’s ‘Jay Kelly’ during the 69th BFI London Film Festival at The Royal Festival Hall on October 10th, 2025 in London, England. Photo by StillMoving.Net for Netflix.
When asked about what ‘Jay Kelly’ means to him, director Noah Baumbach says it is about the realization that we only have one life, and we should do our very best with it.
Noah Baumbach: This movie is about, I think, at a certain point in life, discovering that, I mean, it’s glaringly obvious and shocking at the same time, realization that this is the only time we’re gonna do this. I think that’s what Jay comes to in some crooked, wild way in this movie, which is, I don’t have another one of these and these are the choices I’ve made. This is my life. So, what am I gonna do? I think that’s something that everybody has their own version of. When Emily Mortimer and I wrote the script, it was something we talked a lot about. The trappings of the movie star, the world around him, all of that was a world we know and was very interesting and compelling. But I really was more interested in these other emotional, psychological, essentially confronting mortality.
4) Laura Dern & Adam Sandler Admit That They Remember A Lot Of Moments In Their Lives By Relating Them To The Projects They Were Working On At The Time
In ‘Jay Kelly’, the title character goes through his memories, relating each one to the project he was filming at the time. Adam Sandler and Laura Dern admit they do the same.
Adam Sandler: I remember a sad one, ’50 First Dates’. I remember, literally, we were going to Hawaii to shoot it. I got the phone call the day before we started shooting that my dad was sick. And then I remember that entire movie was just about going home every weekend from Hawaii to Florida to see my dad. So every time someone brings that movie up to me, I love that movie and I love Drew and I love the whole process, but I do always click with that memory of, oh man, that’s when my dad got sick, and that was a roughie.
Laura Dern attends Netflix film ‘Jay Kelly’, NYFF Main Slate Premiere and Q&A on September 29, 2025 in New York City. Photo by Jason Mendez/Getty Images for Netflix.
Laura Dern: Like the film, there is the one reality of how cinema is our memories. How we are all attached to our story through those markers of film. But for me, the thing I think of, and this is a perfect moment to reflect on it, is the found family that comes with any, if we’re blessed to have, a vocation, a passion in our life. How we find our people. And my three favorite people are all sitting next to me.
5) George Clooney Answers The Question, Would He Choose Fame Again If Given The Chance
George Clooney attends the Headline Gala screening of Netflix’s ‘Jay Kelly’ during the 69th BFI London Film Festival at The Royal Festival Hall on October 10th, 2025 in London, England. Photo by StillMoving.Net for Netflix.
The main theme of ‘Jay Kelly’ is learning to enjoy the one life you have and treat others how you wish to be treated. It also explores the price of fame, as discussed earlier. George Clooney was asked if he would choose to be famous again, if given the chance to do it all over again.
George Clooney: When I was a young guy I used to watch Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous? I was cutting tobacco for $3 an hour and I’d hear some famous actor complain about their life, and I’d be like, F you, I’m cutting tobacco. So, I don’t find any reason to complain about things. I caught that brass ring. I got very lucky in my career and in my life and the chance to work with these people. Would I choose it again? Yeah. Fame is a funny thing because fame offers you the opportunity to be able to do the kind of projects you want to do. But you run towards it like a bug light and then when you get there, you really get zapped. There’s a lot of other pieces that come into play. But the truth is, what fame has afforded me is the ability to work on projects like this. I’m 64 years old. These parts don’t come around very often. I feel very lucky just to be able to get that opportunity. So, if fame has afforded me some of that, then that’s been an extraordinary experience for me. And the rest of it, yeah, there are things that you can’t do and there’s things that are limiting. But it’s a lot worse cutting tobacco.
The film follows famous movie actor, Jay Kelly (George Clooney), as he embarks on a journey of self-discovery confronting both his past and present, accompanied by his devoted manager Ron (Adam Sandler).
In Theaters on limited release on November 14 (before landing on Netflix December 5), ‘Jay Kelly’ is the new movie from Noah Baumbach, who tends to specialize in putting his characters into emotional crisis. Here, he’s turned his attention to Hollywood.
Noam Baumbach’s movies usually find characters at some sort of dramatic crossroads –– the marital fireworks of ‘Marriage Story’ or the family dynamics of ‘The Meyerowitz Stories.’
‘Jay Kelly’ is no different, even if the crises seem less urgent when focused on a wealthy movie star whose biggest issue is that his youngest daughter is about to fly the nest and he’s also reconsidering his life and career in the light of his mentor’s death.
Baumbach in some ways feels like he’s on autopilot here, the story (he co-wrote the script with Emily Mortimer, who has a small role in the movie) fueled by some very familiar beats and feelings. This is a plotline we’ve seen done before and, honestly, better.
Oddly, the real story, and the one that is much more compelling is between Sandler’s Ron and Dern’s Liz, Jay’s longtime manager and publicist, who have their own history and find themselves seeing their relationship complicate despite Ron’s seemingly happy marriage to Greta Gerwig’s Lois.
Baumbach keeps the direction mostly light on its feet, though some repetitive touches (such as Kelly’s rider containing cheesecake he doesn’t even like) weigh things down.
And the use of clunky flashbacks to explore our hero’s conflicted feelings doesn’t help.
Clooney brings his considerable star wattage to the title role, and is always watchable. It’s just an issue that the role never breaks free of a basic movie structure.
Sandler and Dern are superb in their supporting roles that have more nuance and flavor to them, while Greta Gerwig is also great as Sandler’s character’s wife.
‘Jay Kelly’ is far from Baumbach’s best, even with the cast giving their all. It’s emotionally formulaic, but wanders along amiably enough that you won’t be insulted you gave it a shot.
‘Jay Kelly’ receives 65 out of 100.
‘Jay Kelly’ opens in theaters on November 14th and premieres on Netflix December 5th.
What’s the story of ‘Jay Kelly’?
The film follows famous movie actor, Jay Kelly (George Clooney), as he embarks on a journey of self-discovery confronting both his past and present, accompanied by his devoted manager Ron (Adam Sandler).
Eminem (Center) and his fans at the New York City premiere of ‘Stans’. Photo: Jeremy Deputat.
Premiering on Paramount+ August 26th is the new documentary ‘Stans’, which was directed by Steven Leckart and chronicles both the career of rapper Eminem (Marshall Mathers) as well as his relationship with his fans.
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Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director Steven Leckart about his work on ‘Stans’, the decision to focus on the fans, finding them for the film, working with Eminem, the legacy of the song ‘Stan’, and the moment when Eminem became the GOAT.
‘Stans’ director Steven Leckart at the SXSW London Screen Festival. Photo: Joe Maher/Getty Images.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about how this documentary came together and was it your idea or Eminem’s to focus on his fans?
Steven Leckart: So, the project predates me in terms of the original conceit, and Paul Rosenberg, who is Eminem’s longtime manager and is a producer on the film with us was an incredible collaborator. Paul has made it clear that they didn’t want to make anything conventional. They didn’t want to just look at his career and put him in a chair and tell his whole story. Paul has said very clearly and said this to me that the idea of doing that, I think it’s twofold. One, he’s such an unconventional artist that to do something so straightforward would be just not interesting, but also not very on brand for them. I think the other piece of it is, and Paul has said this, that apart from just that’s who he is as a person, you don’t necessarily do a whole retrospective of your career and life when you’re only in your early 50s and you’re still putting out music and doing things. The story’s not over. So why would you do that? So, I was delighted when I met them about five years ago and that they didn’t want to do anything conventional. Then because of the song ‘Stan’ and the way it’s impacted pop culture and become part of the ethos, so to speak, they thought, ‘Well, why don’t we turn the camera around on the fans?” Because if you know about the song ‘Stan’, it’s written from a fan’s perspective. So, when I came along, that was kind of all sitting there, but it was like, “Well, how do we navigate?” I think it’s important that we find a way to weave Marshall’s perspective through interviews and do some filming, but where’s the line in terms of when it’s him versus the fans? So, figuring out that balance is something we all collaborated very intensely on together, and as a filmmaker, it added to the challenge and that’s why I was so grateful and excited about this project.
Eminem in ‘Stans’. Photo: Paramount+.
MF: Can you talk about working with Eminem on this project and what was it like to sit down with him and interview him?
SL: Well, by the time we sat down to do the interview, obviously we’d met each other and he’s a producer on the movie. It was a long time coming. So, by the time we sat down, it was like I knew exactly what I wanted to achieve for the film. We had already been in the edit. When I met everybody, my promise to them was that we would be incredibly mindful of his time, and we wouldn’t waste his time. That’s not just because I think that’s a better way to manage the situation. It’s just, as a filmmaker, I like to be efficient. So, I wanted to make sure that what we did was we got a lot of depth in as little time as possible while simultaneously serving the needs for the film to have some balance between just being fans and needing his perspective. Because the film, if you think about it, is very much about the double-edged sword of the relationship between an artist and the fans. So, to not have the artist’s perspective to come in and punctuate it at times would’ve been a real missed opportunity. So, by the time we sat down, one, I’d met him before and we had, I think from the beginning, a nice rapport. He’s incredibly funny, sharp, witty, and all the things you’d probably expect. But what I found to be profound for me and very moving, was the way he could turn on a dime and become incredibly sincere, earnest and thoughtful. I think that’s what will be ultimately surprising to a lot of people in the film is just how much depth is there. But if you go to the records, it’s there. We just don’t necessarily know that if you haven’t listened to all the records or if you just know the singles. It’s in the albums. So, to me, he was exactly what you see in the movie, and I’m proud of that interview.
Katie in ‘Stans’. Photo: Paramount+.
MF: Can you talk about finding the “Stans” to interview for this project and did any of them alarm you?
SL: No, there was no one that was scary to me, and there was nobody that I was concerned about being in a room with, partially because we just vetted people quite a lot on the front end. We did casting-tapes and calls with people. So, we started with a link that went out over Eminem’s social media, which was fantastic because basically we put out this link to a questionnaire and we presented all the questions. So, we were able to kind of go through all of that and get a sense of each person already. Then we also asked for a 60-minute video. So, then we sort of culled from that. Then we worked with a great casting team, and they would go through the stuff, and they’d set up Zooms with people, and we would talk every few days about, “What are you seeing? Who are you finding? This person seems charming. Okay, but do they have all the story points that we’re looking for?” The thesis in POV of the movie is one of the lyrics from the song ‘Stan’, which is, “I’m just like you.” So, Stan in the original song writes to Marshall in his letter and says, “I’m just like you. Here’s how I’m just like you.” So, we looked through the profiles for people who felt they were just like him and could articulate why they were just like him. We found people that reflected on different parts of his life. Some people were like Venn diagrams, they had it all. Some people only had one kind of piece. Then we were looking for people that just popped off-screen, people that would be memorable, whether you like them, or you’re intrigued by them or you’re not sure. That was really by design. But everyone by and large was incredibly sweet. Then there were several people that I also talked to before we went to film with them, partially because I understood that if you’re going to make a film about people who will open-up about very deeply personal things, I wanted them to know who I was before we showed up on set. It was important to me to sort of, I think give them a safe space, and made them feel like they knew the interviewer before they showed up. It’s been great seeing and hearing from so many of them since they all now seen the film and that feels good that they expressed such vulnerability and they’re okay with it. Some people could feel a little either embarrassed or exposed, but they’re just like Eminem in that way because Eminem exposes so much of his own vulnerabilities in the music. It’s an interesting fun house mirror.
(L to R) Eminem and Zolt at the New York City premiere of ‘Stans’. Photo: Jeremy Deputat.
MF: Can you talk about the legacy of the song ‘Stan’ and how it has managed to stay in the pop culture zeitgeist for so long?
SL: I mean, I think it’s a perfect storm and confluence of everything that you hear in the song coming together. You have this Dido sample, which was a huge pop song that wound up in this movie ‘Sliding Doors’ with Gwyneth Paltrow. It’s just a love song, and it starts with a conga beat, and it’s just so soothing and gentle. Yet to make something that takes that and flips this on its head in terms of the narrative that was created by Eminem and his rapping, that’s what makes it so fascinating because it’s dark and light running together. I think that’s what we wanted to do in the movie was to have dark and light running concurrently together. I think what’s made it sustain is the fact that there was really nothing like it at the time. The song’s also been prophetic. Having a major artist write something about fame was I think a little bit interesting and new, right? Because he was newly famous when he wrote that song. I think that struck a chord, and then the video itself, which was co-directed by Dr. Dre, is cinematic. They shot on film; they had a crane. I mean, there’s stunts involved where a car is driving over a bridge. I think at the time it came out, people were really stunned by it and shocked. Then I think even people discovering it today, it’s just a masterpiece.
Eminem performing on stage in ‘Stans’. Photo: Paramount+.
MF: Finally, since you’ve done so much research on Eminem and his career, when do you think was the exact moment that he went from a respected rapper to the GOAT?
SL: I’m trying to remember if I can, when I feel like I heard about the GOAT conversation coming up, but I can’t remember exactly. I think looking back, I really think ‘8 Mile’ solidified the legacy and the legend of him because it gave a glimpse of where he came from, which is battle rap, which so many fans didn’t know about, but for fans who did know, it provided a sense of deep authenticity to him to come from that scene. I think the movie made average people who don’t know anything about hip hop aware of it. I think for people who are hardcore, I’m going to argue with you about this rapper versus this rapper, to see his old battle raps, which you can do on YouTube now, and find those raps, you realize just how preternaturally talented he was. I think the other aspect more recently that’s become clear about him as why people argue he’s the GOAT, is that he treats it like a 9 to 5 job. He goes to the studio in Michigan five days a week and works five days a week on music. I’m not the first person to say that. People know that. It’s hard to imagine any other rapper that’s going to work as hard as he works to create the art that he creates for as long as he’s planning to create it. I think that’s the other aspect that leads to people feeling he’s the GOAT. To me, he’s certainly on the Mount Rushmore. That’s not debatable.
Eminem at the New York City premiere of ‘Stans’. Photo: Jeremy Deputat.
What is the plot of ‘Stans’?
A revealing, edgy, and disarmingly personal journey into the world of super-fandom, told through the lens of one of the world’s most iconic and enduring artists, Eminem, and the fans that worship him.
The long-awaited sequel to 1996’s ‘Happy Gilmore’ entitled ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ which once again stars Adam Sandler as the pro hockey player turned PGA tour golfer, premieres July 25th on Netflix.
‘Happy Gilmore 2’, the long-awaited sequel to the classic 1996 Adam Sandler film is a funny and satisfying follow up for fans, although it does rely heavy on nostalgia for the original. Sandler successfully returns to one of his most iconic roles, and while the character has grown since the first film, he’s still as funny and unpredictable as ever.
Christopher McDonald also triumphantly returns as Happy’s rival, Shooter McGavin, and his onscreen chemistry with Sandler is one of the highlights of the movie. The story is strong and mostly works but takes a little time to get going and drags a bit in the third act, and when focusing too much on subplots that don’t affect the main story. But fans of the original or Sandler’s work in general will be very “Happy” with the new sequel for the most part.
The film begins by catching us up on Happy Gilmore’s (Adam Sandler) life since the original movie, and we learn that he went on to win the PGA tour, marry Virginia (Julie Bowen), have five children, and become a golf legend. But after Happy experiences a personal tragedy in his own life, he loses his grandmother’s house, turns to alcohol, quits golf forever, and must raise his children on his own.
Now, 30 years later, his four sons are all grown up (and have their father’s anger issues), and Happy is living with his teenage daughter Vienna (Sunny Sandler), who wants to go to an expensive dance school in Paris that he can’t afford. Gilmore is soon approached by a billionaire (Benny Safdie) who wants to start an extreme golfing league to rival the PGA and wants to recruit Happy. While Happy refuses, it does inspire him to return to professional golfing, but he soon finds that he is a bit rusty on the course.
Eventually, along with his new caddy Oscar (Bad Bunny), Happy joins a tournament between the PGA and the extreme golfing league, where the losing league will be disbanded forever. To make matters worse, while Happy is dealing with his own alcoholism and his new extreme golfing rival played by Haley Joel Osment, his old rival, Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald) returns from a long time away and wants his revenge. Now, Happy must fight his own demons, new rivals and old, and win the tournament to save golf and earn enough money to get his grandmother’s house back and send his daughter to dance school.
‘Happy Gilmore 2’ director Kyle Newacheck.
The script by Tim Herlihy and Sandler works exceedingly well, even though it relies heavily on nostalgia for the first movie. The script allows a lot of growth for the title character, while never losing the anger and intensity Happy had in the original. This is an older and slightly wiser version of the character, and it fits Sandler well. The rival extreme golf league plot was very clever, even if it loses its some of its steam towards the end, but the sub-plot featuring Ben Stiller didn’t work for me at all.
Kyle Newcheck who worked with Sandler on ‘Murder Mystery’ takes over director duties from Dennis Dugan, who still returns as Doug Thompson from the first movie. Newcheck does a very good job with the pacing, direction and style of the movie. While it does feel like a proper sequel, it also has a very modern vibe with great music that works well in 2025.
There are many great cameos and Easter eggs from the first movie, and they all work, even if Newcheck might go to the well one too many times. The director also gets very good performances out of non-actors like golfers John Daly and Rory McIlroy, Football player Travis Kelce, and sportscaster Stephen A. Smith, and even incorporates social media personalities like Alix Earle.
In recent years Adam Sandler has given some very good dramatic performances in films like ‘Uncut Gems’, ‘Hustle’, and ‘Spaceman’, but returns to comedic form in ‘Happy Gilmore 2’. In fact, I would go as far to say that Sandler’s dramatic work has made his comedic skills even stronger. Sandler is terrific as the older, down on his luck Happy, and is very believable in both the comedic and dramatic moments of the film.
But it wouldn’t be a “Happy Gilmore’ movie without Shooter McGavin played by the great Christopher McDonald. This is easily the actor’s signature role, and he is a force of nature in this sequel. He has fantastic chemistry with Sandler and seeing them together is one of the strongest elements of the film. I won’t say too much about his storyline, but it is very believable to the character from the first film and very funny.
Julie Bowen also returns as Happy’s now wife Virginia, and without revealing spoilers, I’ll just say that it’s unfortunate that the way the storyline unfolds that it does not give the actress more to do. Ben Stiller also returns as Hal L. and has a bigger role than in the first film. But his character is not my favorite, and I found his story arc to be unnecessary.
Joining the cast is musician Bad Bunny, who gives a shockingly funny performance as Happy’s new caddy Oscar and has a very relaxed and fun chemistry with Sandler. Actress Sunny Sandler, Adam’s daughter, also joins the cast as Happy’s daughter, Vienna, and gives a sweet and emotional performance.
Finally, I was very impressed with the performances from non-actors like golfer John Daly, who plays a version of himself living in Happy’s garage. There are also a few unforgettable cameos, which we won’t spoil here.
As far as legacy sequels go, especially with comedies, ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ is a very funny and compelling film. Adam Sandler brings energy, passion, emotion and a lot of humor to his character, and Christopher McDonald is fantastic as Shooter, and it’s a joy to see the two actors together again. While the movie does lean heavy on your nostalgia for the original, it still feels fresh and like a reunion with some old friends.
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What’s the plot of ‘Happy Gilmore 2’?
Thirty years after winning his first Tour Championship, retired golfer Happy Gilmore returns to the sport to pay for his daughter Vienna’s ballet school.
Premiering July 25th on Netflix is the long-awaited sequel to 1996’s ‘Happy Gilmore’ entitled ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ which once again stars Adam Sandler as the pro hockey player turned PGA tour golfer.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director Kyle Newacheck about his work on ‘Happy Gilmore 2’, his love for the original, collaborating on set with Adam Sandler, directing non-actors, working with Christopher McDonald, callbacks to the first film, and Sandler’s onscreen chemistry with Bad Bunny.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch the interview.
Moviefone: To begin with, are you a fan of the original ‘Happy Gilmore’ and what was it like to come in and direct the sequel?
Kyle Newacheck: That was truly surreal. So much that I would in my lunch breaks call my brother and be like, “Bro, is this real? Is this real? Is this happening?” He was the one who was like, “You got this. Yes, it’s real and you’re doing it.” Grounding element. There’s also an element of like, “Wow, me? Okay, let’s do it,” and so trust. Trust the instincts, trust the love, trust the skills, and get to work. Roll them up and get to work.
MF: This is the second time you’ve worked with Adam Sandler. What is your relationship like collaborating on set and do you have a shorthand together?
KN: Yeah, I think so. I think we can tell when either of us are maybe not feeling like the scene is up to its potential, and so we will try and pitch to figure out what we can do. I mean, I think we understand each other on a level and partly because I grew up on his movies. I know what he might have in his bag of tricks that he’s looking for, and I also know what he might have in his bag of tricks that we can mess with. I’m a huge fan of his work, and thankfully Adam Sandler is a hard worker. He will put in the work. I think I’m the same way. I work incredibly hard. I really put my whole self into a project, and I think we both have a similar style, where we put our whole selves into a project in the hopes that it will feel effortless. That’s hard to do, but we both try and do that.
MF: The film also features a lot of athletes and sportscasters playing themselves like John Daly and Stephen A. Smith. What is it like directing non-actors?
KN: I find it fun. I think it’s exhilarating. Most of the time they come to the table with just, they’re athletes, so they know what the moment is first. You know what I mean? They understand how to perform in the moment, and I connected those dots quickly where it was like, “Well, this guy, he knows what a moment is. He knows how to rise to the moment so basically just expecting that when we’re going to work. Then basically making the set as comfortable as possible for them so that they feel like they can own the moment I think is really the approach. Then helping them out on any little molecular issues that we might have as we get through it.
MF: Christopher McDonald returns in ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ as Shooter McGavin. What was it like directing him in his signature role?
KN: I mean, I knew Adam before so I could do that, but Shooter I didn’t know. So, when Shooter showed up, it was like, we’re really doing this. This is really happening. Chris McDonald is just a wonder. He’s a great performer. He always gives you something different and just a genuine good guy. He loves the character of Shooter, loves it. It’s not like one of the characters that he did back in the day. This is his character. He loves it, so he’s great. He’s great. It was awesome.
MF: The sequel has many callbacks to the original film, which one was your favorite and were there any cameos you tried to fit in but couldn’t?
KN: Well, I know that there’s not one that I wanted to get in that I wasn’t able to. I think we’re well-covered on that. One of the last ones that we did put in that I think was incredible was the alligators, calling back the alligators. That was a last add. As we were driving around the golf course, we were like, “We should do this,” and I think it worked well. I think it’s one of the funniest scenes in the movie.
MF: Finally, can you talk about working with Bad Bunny and his hilarious onscreen chemistry with Adam?
KN: Yeah, Benito was incredible. I think the first time I framed up a shot on him and his first lines with Adam it was truly undeniable their chemistry and what he was bringing to the character. That character is there on the page, and it has some depth, but I think that Benito put the depth in that character. I feel like he really rounded it out. Yeah, they were just fused. They were working well together, and it was so fun every time. Their interactions outside of the scenes were always pleasant and all that. Sometimes you just get a good pair, and they’re a good pair.
cwAaMR5c8AvqMLtn8UXf03
What’s the plot of ‘Happy Gilmore 2’?
Thirty years after winning his first Tour Championship, retired golfer Happy Gilmore returns to the sport to pay for his daughter Vienna’s ballet school.
Following last year’s decent if unspectacular return to Oscar standard behavior, the 2025 ceremony was one heralded with some trepidation. There was a new host (comedian and talk show veteran Conan O’Brien), the need to pay tribute to Los Angeles in the wake of the devastating wildfires and speculation as to whether many of the categories would break the way they have in other awards shows.
As it turned out, it was a giant night for one movie which, while it had certainly been seen as a major contender, hadn’t been performing that way elsewhere. Some history was made and while the speeches had a political flavor at times, the show itself largely eschewed politics (beyond one smart gag about a certain sitting president and his attitude to Russia).
All said and done, despite a hefty running time (three hours and 45 minutes all told), this year’s Academy Awards is likely to be seen as largely a success. Read on for more of our thoughts…
Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of the long-running stage musical may only have picked up a couple of trophies on the night (more on one of them below), but following a middling montage celebrating movies set in Los Angeles, the movie’s stars, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, kicked off the show properly with a blast of nostalgia and then smart use of ‘Wicked’s standout song.
The pair began with “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” before segueing into “Defying Gravity” and the stylish presentation combined with powerhouse pipes proved to be just the right mix of celebration and spectacle.
There were the usual concerns in some quarters when Conan O’Brien was announced as this year’s Oscars host –– would he be too intellectual for audiences, was he enough of a “name”? As it turns out, he might just have scored a regular gig (assuming he wants this much pressure every year). Because by all estimations, he was a stellar emcee for the night.
Opening with a ‘Substance’ gag that was fairly expected but still played well, O’Brien’s monologue set the right tone: witty, entertaining and as usual, full of his trademark self-deprecating humor.
From threatening long-winded speeches with ‘Conclave’ star John Lithgow looking sad and disappointed to ejecting a tracksuit-clad, cheery Adam Sandler from the audience, he was assured and calm.
There were also solid gags about Timothée Chalamet’s yellow suit and bike safety, and a funny bit about promising to show stars’ early headshots if they rambled (Chalamet again, with an ultrasound image).
Later in the show there was the crack at Trump via a mention of ‘Anora’ (“I guess Americans are excited to see somebody finally stand up to a powerful Russian”) and a promise that the show was not made using A.I. (“We would never do that; we used child labor — hey, they’re still people!”)
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Yet despite a funny musical number (featuring a dancing Deadpool and a ‘Dune’ sandworm on piano) about not wasting the audience’s time, the show still ran very long, though that was more on the producers than the host. Which bring us to…
Perhaps the most egregious example of padding was the choice of the tribute to the music of James Bond. Introduced by former ‘Die Another Day’ star Halle Berry, it was a mishmash of performance art (Margaret Qualley showing off her well-honed dancing abilities) and karaoke night for the likes of Doja Cat and Lisa from Blackpink.
It’s a little ironic that the celebration of the venerable espionage franchise comes just as it has been fully swallowed up its corporate overlords at Amazon.
Also given special memorial treatment was music icon Quincy Jones, but despite a classy intro from Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey, the choice of “Ease on Down the Road” from ‘The Wiz’ was a vaguely confounding one.
Still, if the opening montage fell flat, the respect for First Responders (who have been more a staple of recent award shows than Karla Sofía Gascón) worked much better. Initially seeming like a now-traditional wave-and-accept-applause moment, O’Brien and his writing team turned it around by having fire officers and others read out jokes he thought were too mean, including LAFD Captain Eric Scott kicking off the bit with, “well, our hearts go out to all of those who have lost their homes… and I’m talking about the producers of ‘Joker 2.’ ”
If last year was all about big-budget blockbusters with “Barbenheimer,” 2025 was the year indies struck back.
Sean Baker’s ‘Anora,’ whose combined budget ($6 million) and box office ($40.9 million worldwide) would barely cover some of the salaries for some of the giant movies, went on to take five statuettes, including Best Picture, Best Director for Baker (who also scored Best Original Screenplay and Editing) and Mikey Madison named Best Actress.
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Baker became the first person since Walt Disney in 1954 to win four Oscars in one night (and the first for one movie they have personally directed), and showed that the Academy was ready to root for the little guys again.
Madison’s win was something of a surprise itself –– while she’d been going toe-to-toe with ‘The Substance’ star Demi Moore all awards season –– there had been a narrative of Moore’s legacy forming around the Best Actress gong. Yet it was Madison who ended up taking the stage for a teary, heartfelt speech.
Madison wasn’t the only winner to express her feelings. While the Oscar stage is no stranger to strong emotion, there was the usual blend of politics and heart-string plucking.
Baker used his various triumphs as a combined rallying call to support movies big and small and for seeing films in theaters in this age of shrinking windows and streaming dominance.
Best Documentary Feature ‘No Other Land’s Palestinian co-director Basel Adra called for an end to the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, while his Israeli collaborator Yuval Abraham insisted that there can be peaceful solution to the war in Gaza that honors both Palestinian and Israeli people, adding that “the foreign policy in this country is helping to block this path. Can’t you see that we are intertwined? That my people can be truly safe and Basel’s people can be truly free?”
There were shoutouts to sex workers and immigrant children, while Team ‘Brutalist’ (especially composer Daniel Blumberg) seemed surprised and overawed by their wins, giving real, nervy speeches.
Kieran Culkin accepts the Oscar® for Actor in a Supporting Role during the live ABC Telecast of the 97th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 2, 2025.
And then there was the comedic speech of the night, with predicted Best Supporting Actor winner, ‘A Real Pain’s Kieran Culkin proving once more to be anything but on stage. He was enthusiastic and funny, and got further laughs by pointing out to his wife, Jazz Charton that they’d talked about having more children after his Emmy win, and that she’d mentioned she’d only consider a fourth child if he won an Oscar. Whoops!
Culkin wrapped up his moment in the spotlight with:
“You remember that, honey? You do? Then, I just have this to say to you, Jazz, love of my life, ye of little faith. No pressure. I love you. I’m really sorry I did this again. And let’s get crackin’ on those kids. What do you say? I love you!”
Best reaction to that? Culkin’s former ‘Succession’ co-star J. Smith Cameron, who played the long-suffering Gerri Kellman to his foul/motormouthed Roman Roy, offering the perfect tweet:
For the most part this year, the presenters did not embarrass themselves and the bits were relatively painless.
We got Ben Stiller slowly being swallowed by scenery to introduce Best Production Design, June Squibb admitting she’s being played by ‘Nosferatu’ star Bill Skarsgård in prosthetics whenever she’s at an event and Robert Downey Jr. following Conan’s comedic lead and then going sentimentally honest handing out Best Supporting Actor.
Some awards, such as Best Costume Design were presented by the stars of the nominees’ movies, and that proved to be a mixed bag, since they worked on an emotional level, but tended to drag a little. Thank goodness then, for John “I love a roomy cassock” Lithgow and ‘Wicked’s Bowen Yang bringing the funny.
A highlight? Rock icon Mick Jagger taking the stage to present Best Original Song, full of jokes about how Bob Dylan was asked to do his job first (which was true; the Academy offered the subject of ‘A Complete Unknown’ to host and perform, and he turned them down).
Was this the start of a stealth campaign to get Jagger a belated, throwback Oscar for ‘Freejack’? Your guess is as good as ours. And our guess is, “maybe?”
Sean Baker wasn’t the only filmmaker making history on Oscar night. ‘Wicked’ costume maestro Paul Tazewell became the first black person to win his category, making emotional note of the fact.
And while we all knew she would scoop her trophy (despite, er, being much more a lead than a supporting turn), Zoe Saldaña was gracious in victory and was clearly moved by becoming the first American of Dominican descent to win an Oscar as one of two for ‘Emilia Pérez.’
‘Flow’ surprised in the Animated Feature category, and became the first Latvian Oscar winner. “Ball’s in your court, Estonia,” quipped O’Brien after the team left the stage.
Proving that stars don’t have to just recreate classic scenes for Super Bowl commercials, ‘When Harry met Sally’ leads Billy Crystal (no stranger to Oscar hosting, he quipped “I used to work here,” following Ryan’s question of how long ago with “nine tuxedos…”) and Meg Ryan came on stage to give out Best Picture.
They were a classy, classic wrap to a successful event, which ended with ‘Anora’s Best Picture triumph.
(L to R) Jillian Bell and Amy Schumer star in ‘Kinda Pregnant’.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Amy Schumer and Jillian Bell about making ‘Kinda Pregnant’, Schumer’s work on the script, their characters’ long friendship, working together and improvising on set, the lie Schumer’s character tells, and if she’s ever told a lie that big in her own life.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Schumer, Bell, Will Forte and Brianne Howey.
Amy Schumer in ‘Kinda Pregnant’. Photo: Netflix.
Moviefone: To begin with, Amy, can you talk about your first reaction to the screenplay and as a writer what were some of the elements you wanted to add to the film?
Amy Schumer: My first reaction was this is an incredible premise that felt like a classic comedy that I couldn’t believe hadn’t been made yet. I wanted to ground it a little more in truth about how friends talk to each other, and the circumstances. I wanted my character to be believable that you could like her and the circumstances to be possible, and just add bigger set pieces and make this a big comedy. I saw this as just huge.
MF: Jillian, can you talk about Lainy and Kate’s long friendship and how it is tested through the course of the movie?
Jillian Bell: Lainy and Kate have been friends since childhood, and they’ve probably had some bumps along the road, but this is probably the biggest one. I just think that it really showcased something that we don’t see often in film, which is truly what happens when you go through the hardest challenge in a friendship and overcoming that and seeing the ugliness of that and seeing it through and being like, “Great. Now that you’ve gotten that out, that you’re very jealous and want to have your own kid, where do we go from here? How do we keep this friendship on the tracks? Because I love you and your worth it.” They need each other. I think especially, I mean, I’ve never been through a pregnancy before, but in thinking of wanting that in my future, I would need my girlfriends to be around me as much as possible just to keep my sanity, it feels like.
(L to R) Amy Schumer and Brianne Howey in ‘Kinda Pregnant’. Photo: Netflix.
MF: In the film, Lainy tells a big lie that spins out of control. Amy, can you talk about that, and have you ever told a lie that spiraled out of control and how did you handle that?
AS: I’m sure. I’m such a liar. I am sure I’ve told so many lies, but that’s the thing. I can’t really remember. I don’t have a great memory, so I really keep it honest these days because I can’t remember. But I just think there’s nothing funnier than lying. Seeing somebody in the moment having to lie just really gets me, and it’s so fun to play with. Also, it’s just something to keep up. The tension of the bump and then the faking it is just such a roller coaster to have to ride, and I feel like it’s such a good hook. I think people really hook into it and want to know how is this going to happen? How is this going to play out? Yeah, so the lie is what the whole movie is, at its core.
MF: Finally, Jillian, how much fun was it working with Amy and creating the friendship between these characters, and was there time for improvisation on set?
JB: There were so many moments to improvise and play and have fun, and Amy supported that throughout the entire process. I wish I could make every movie with Amy Schumer. I truly want to. It’s just easy and we have so much fun together. It was the best.
(L to R) Amy Schumer, Urzila Carlson, and Jillian Bell in ‘Kinda Pregnant’. Photo: Netflix.
AS: Let’s just make every movie together. I’ll sign a contract right now. I couldn’t even look at Jillian a lot of times. She would just set me off and I couldn’t stop, and I would have to look right past her. But we have this whole sequence that isn’t even in the movie anymore where we were going, “You’re off.” And she’s like, “No, you’re off.” I don’t know, just improvising. It was heaven.
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What is the plot of ‘Kinda Pregnant’?
After her friend (Jillian Bell) gets pregnant, Lainy (Amy Schumer) becomes jealous and starts to wear a fake belly. Things become complicated when she meets the man (Will Forte) of her dreams.
