Noah Baumbach Remembers Mike Nichols’ Best Advice as Telluride Honors ‘Jay Kelly’ Filmmaker

More than a decade after his death, treasured American filmmaker Mike Nichols still inspires contemporary masters like Noah Baumbach.

Writer-director Baumbach was honored for 30 years’ worth of distinctive vision and indelible movie moments from “France Ha,” “The Squid and the Whale” and “Marriage Story” at this year’s Telluride Film Festival. He used the opportunity to reflect on the enduring legacy of his friend and touchstone, Nichols. 

“He was the wisest person on every subject, and would say things in a way that would distill it,” Baumbach shared at Q&A following his thunderous tribute to Telluride’s Palm Theater. 

“I was going through a painful personal time, a breakup, and I had lunch with him. I just went on and on, at that point I was telling anybody who would listen,” Baumbach said. The filmmaker then laid out a course of action for Nichols, suggesting he was trying to change the outcome of the breakup. 

“Mike said, ‘I think strategies are for second raters,’” Baumbach recalled. 

Luckily for global audiences, Baumbach channels personal turmoil into celebrated art. “Margot at the Wedding,” “The Meyerowitz Stories,” “While We’re Young” and “White Noise” we’re all touched on during the tribute — ramping up to the U.S. premiere of Baumbach’s latest, “Jay Kelly.” 

Baumbach said each of the films “represents me at the time. I feel really lucky and grateful that I have this sort of alternate document of my life in these movies.”

“Jay Kelly” stars Laura Dern and Adam Sandler turned up to celebrate the director, though film lead George Clooney was still struck with a sinus infection that partially benched him from obligations for the film in Venice. Dern called Baumbach “family,” and noted that she was introduced to the director by another legendary collaborator of hers — David Lynch, to whom this year’s Telluride festival was dedicated.

In Baumbach’s latest, Clooney stars as the titular Jay Kelly, an A-list movie star whose ambition and devotion to his craft led him away from his two daughters, best friend and an array of love interests. Now in the twilight of his career and confronting a fictional film festival tribute of his own, Kelly’s emotional chickens come home to roost. Baumbach co-wrote the film with Emily Mortimer, who co-stars with Billy Crudup, Greta Gerwig, Patrick Wilson and Eve Hewson.

It’s unclear what “Jay Kelly” tells us about Baumbach’s personal life in the present. Looking back at his catalogue, he thought of Nichols again, when the “Working Girl” helmer first saw Baumbach’s breakout film “The Squid and the Whale.”

“When he met me, Mike said, ‘That movie reminded me of why I got into the movie business in the first place,” said Baumbach. “Revenge.”