{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2026}} {{Infobox film |name = Jay Myself |image = Jay_myself.jpg |caption = Poster |director = Stephen Wilkes |writer = Josh Alexander |producer = Henry Jacobson<br>Emma Tammi<br>Bette Wilkes |starring = Jay Maisel |cinematography = Stephen Wilkes<br>Jason Greene |editing = Armando Croda<br>Daniel Haworth |music = Joel Goodman |studio = Mind Hive Films<br>Crooked Mile | distributor = Oscilloscope |released = {{Film date|2018|11|11|Doc NYC}} |runtime = 78 minutes |country = United States |language = English |gross = $151,331<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Jay-Myself-(Documentary)-(2019)#tab=summary|title=Jay Myself|website=The Numbers|accessdate=August 10, 2021}}</ref> }} '''''Jay Myself''''' is a 2018 American documentary film directed by Stephen Wilkes, produced by his wife, Bette Wilkes, and written by Josh Alexander.
==Synopsis== The film chronicles the days during which photographer Jay Maisel decides to sell his long-time New York home, the historic six-story former Germania Bank Building on the Bowery, for $55 million. The documentary tells the story of how Maisel obtained this property in 1967. The film starts with Maisel having only five months left until his building will be sold. During these months he is sorting through 72 rooms, showcasing a collection of VHS tapes, special-sized screws, and the photographs for which he was famous.<ref name=THR>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/jay-myself-1226572/|last=DeFore|first=John|title='Jay Myself': Film Review|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=July 29, 2019|accessdate=August 10, 2021}}</ref>
==Cast== *Jay Maisel as himself *Stephen Wilkes as himself *Amanda Maisel as herself *Linda Maisel as herself
==Production and screening== The production began with Wilkes, back then a photographer himself, getting acquainted with Maisel in 1979, and soon after becoming his close friend, assistant and mentee.<ref name=THR/> The film was shot in 2015.<ref name=variety>{{cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/jay-myself-review-jay-maisel-1203285568/|last=Gleiberman|first=Owen|authorlink=Owen Gleiberman|title=Film Review: 'Jay Myself'|magazine=Variety|date=July 31, 2019}}</ref>
''Jay Myself'' premiered at 2018 Doc NYC.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.docnyc.net/featured/doc-nyc-announces-full-lineup-for-ninth-edition/|title=DOC NYC announces full lineup for ninth edition|work=Doc NYC|date=October 10, 2018|accessdate=August 10, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.talkhouse.com/a-letter-to-jay/|title=A Letter to Jay|work=Talkhouse|first=Stephen|last=Wilkes|date=July 30, 2019|accessdate=August 10, 2021}}</ref> It was screened at numerous other film festivals, including the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ajff.org/film/jay-myself|title=Jay Myself|publisher=Atlanta Jewish Film Festival|accessdate=August 10, 2021}}</ref> the Cleveland International Film Festival,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.clevelandfilm.org/films/2019/jay-myself|title=Jay Myself|publisher=Cleveland International Film Festival|accessdate=August 10, 2021|archive-date=August 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210803171628/https://www.clevelandfilm.org/films/2019/jay-myself|url-status=dead}}</ref> the Newport Beach Film Festival<ref>{{cite web|url=https://newportbeachfilmfest.com/film/jay-myself/|title=Jay Myself|publisher=Newport Beach Film Festival|accessdate=August 10, 2021}}</ref> and OTR Film Festival.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://otrfilmfest.org/film/jay-myself/|title=Jay Myself|publisher=OTR Film Festival|accessdate=August 10, 2021}}</ref> It also was screened domestically at the 2019 Milwaukee<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mkefilm.org/events/past-festivals/mff2019/jay-myself|title=Jay Myself|publisher=Milwaukee Film Festival|accessdate=August 3, 2021|archive-date=August 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210803171623/https://mkefilm.org/events/past-festivals/mff2019/jay-myself|url-status=dead}}</ref> and at the Sedona Film Festivals.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sedona.biz/arts-and-entertainment/sedona-film-festival/sedona-film-festival-presents-jay-myself-premiere-sept-24/|title=Jay Myself|website=Sedona.biz|date=September 24, 2019|accessdate=August 10, 2021}}</ref>
==Reception== On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has {{a or an|{{RT data|score}}}} approval rating based on {{RT data|count}} reviews, with an average ranking of {{RT data|average}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jay_myself|title=Jay Myself (2018)|website=Rotten Tomatoes|publisher=Fandango|access-date={{RT data|access date}}}}</ref> On Metacritic, ''Jay Myself'' have a rank of 74 out of a 100 based on 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/jay-myself|title=Jay Myself (2019)|website=Metacritic|publisher=CBS Interactive|accessdate=August 10, 2021}}</ref>
John DeFore of ''The Hollywood Reporter'' called ''Jay Myself'' "A fascinating look at an artist's life",<ref name=THR/> while Glenn Kenny of ''The New York Times'' stated simply "It's a fun journey".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/30/movies/jay-myself-review.html|last=Kenny|first=Glenn|authorlink=Glenn Kenny|title='Jay Myself' Review: A Photographer Parts With His SoHo Paradise|work=The New York Times|publisher=The New York Times Company|date=July 30, 2019|accessdate=August 10, 2021}}</ref>
''Variety''{{'}}s Owen Gleiberman praised the narration, writing "Wilke[s] views his old mentor with affection, but with a supreme awareness of what a crazy-charismatic crank he can be".<ref name=variety/>
Nick Allen of ''RogerEbert.com'' had a different opinion. He wrote: "Whether this is all for the sake of art or not, it can be too nauseating to peer into from the outside".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/jay-myself-2019|last=Allen|first=Nick|title=Jay Myself|website=RogerEbert.com|date=July 31, 2019|accessdate=August 10, 2021}}</ref>
According to Derek Smith of ''Slant Magazine'', "Jay Maisel's former home suggests a bastion of creativity in a neighborhood whose rough edges have been completely sanded down".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review-stephen-wilkess-jay-myself-finds-beauty-in-an-emptied-landscape/|last=Smith|first=Derek|title=Review: Stephen Wilkes's Jay Myself Finds Beauty in an Emptied Landscape|magazine=Slant Magazine|date=July 25, 2019}}</ref>
Leah Pickett of ''Chicago Reader'' wrote in her closing comments that "[i]n the end, the viewer might find herself both feeling the loss at the center of Maisel and Wilkes's letting-go process and craving a similar grotto of her own".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/jay-myself/Film?oid=73316495|last=Pickett|first=Leah|title=Jay Myself|work=Chicago Reader|accessdate=August 10, 2021}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{IMDb title|8890074}} *[https://www.luminous-landscape.com/jay-maisel-jay-myself-a-documentary/ Jay Maisel – Jay Myself – A Documentary] *[https://jaymyself.oscilloscope.net/ Jay Myself on Oscilloscope]
Category:2018 documentary films Category:2018 films Category:American documentary films Category:Films about photographers Category:Films set in 2015 Category:2018 English-language films Category:2018 American films Category:English-language documentary films