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This article contains no Jay Kelly spoilers but it does detail the entirety of one side character’s brief arc.
The news that James Gunn has cast Lars Eidinger to play Brainiac in the upcoming DCU movie Man of Tomorrow was greeted with two responses. One was variations of the word, “Obviously,” as we pretty much knew that Brainiac would be the main villain in the Superman sequel, even if Gunn wasn’t ready to confirm it. The other, of course, was “Who?” as most non-Germans haven’t heard of Eidinger.
Eidinger has been acting on the stage since 1997, made his film debut in the 2007 German drama Everyone Else, and later had a reoccurring role on the series Babylon Berlin. Viewers outside of Germany may know Eidinger for his part in popular art films Clouds of Sils Maria and High Life, the former starring Kristen Stewart and the latter starring Robert Pattinson. But those looking for newer work need not go further than Netflix, as Eidinger currently has a small part in Jay Kelly, a George Clooney vehicle that the streamer is pushing for awards consideration.
Directed by Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale, Marriage Story), who co-wrote the script with actor Emily Mortimer, Jay Kelly follows the titular aging action star (Clooney) as he goes to Italy to receive a lifetime achievement award. Along the way, Kelly wrestles with the dichotomy of being beloved by millions while also failing everyone in his life, including his adult daughters (Riley Keough and Grace Edwards), his manager and publicist (Adam Sandler and Laura Dern), and his one-time best friend (Billy Crudup).
Eidinger enters late in the film, as Kelly is already experiencing an existential crisis but isn’t yet ready to deal with it. When he decides to take a public train from Paris to Tuscany for the ceremony, Kelly mingles along with the masses, including two cyclists, a German played by Eidinger and a Dutchman played by Ferdi Stofmeel.
Sweaty from their ride and decked out in athletic gear, neither of the cyclists are terribly impressed or bothered by Kelly’s presence on the train. However, he charms all of their fellow travelers, flashing a movie star smile when they tell him their stories and providing pithy, charming answers to their questions.
However, the mood changes later, when at a stop, an elderly woman shouts that her purse has been stolen by the German cyclist. Much to the thrill of his fans, Jay leaps into action and starts chasing down the younger, far more fit man. Eventually, Jay manages to catch him and pull away to purse, but not without some realizations.
First, the very fact that his chase was more physically demanding and less graceful than he expected highlighted the differences between the movies and reality. Second, as explained by the Dutch cyclist, the German man was experiencing a psychotic breakdown after failing to take his medication. Yet, to Jay’s dismay, that’s not what others see. They see Jay Kelly the action star stopping an evil baddie and helping an old woman.
It’s a poignant moment in an otherwise often maudlin film, helped along by Eidinger’s performance. Although he only has a handful of lines, Eidinger effectively portrays a regular person overwhelmed by the circumstances around him. There’s a genuine fear in his eyes as he runs through a field with the purse and confusion when Kelly arrives to retrieve it. In his last scene, he plays the shame and sadness of the character, who gets taken to jail because he made a mistake with his medication.
It’s hard to imagine that Gunn will need Eidinger to play many of those emotions in Man of Tomorrow. Generally, Brainiac is an evil alien who expresses emotions through monologues, if at all. But should Gunn want to feature an emotionally complex Brainiac, Jay Kelly shows that Eidinger is more than capable of pulling it off.
Man of Tomorrow releases July 9, 2027.
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