Barbie Writer’s Buzzy New Netflix Movie Becomes Instant Streaming Hit

Noah Baumbach’s new movie is climbing the streaming charts, as awards season is upon us. Baumbach is the director and co-writer of Jay Kelly, a showbiz drama and buddy comedy starring Hollywood icons George Clooney and Adam Sandler. While chasing after his daughter on a trip through Europe, veteran actor Jay Kelly (Clooney) reflects on his career and personal life.

Sandler is drawing the most awards buzz, however, for his supporting performance as Ron, Jay’s long-suffering manager. Jay Kelly also stars Laura Dern, Billy Crudup, Riley Keough, and Greta Gerwig, among a much longer list of celebrity cameos. Jay Kelly had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival in August 2025 and currently has a 76% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Following its limited theatrical release in order to qualify for awards consideration, Jay Kelly dropped on Netflix on December 5, and is now one of the Top 10 Movies in both the U.S. and worldwide. Today (December 9), Jay Kelly is at No. 2 in the U.S. and No. 4 worldwide (per Netflix and FlixPatrol). It falls below My Secret Santa, Troll 2, and The Rats: A Witcher Tale.

Baumbach is the acclaimed writer and director of titles including Marriage Story and Frances Ha; he also frequently collaborates with his spouse, Greta Gerwig, co-writing some of the movies she directs and vice versa. This includes Gerwig helping write and starring in Frances Ha, and Baumbach co-writing Gerwig’s 2023 cultural phenomenon Barbie.

Notably, movies produced by the pair together and separately regularly show up on the awards circuit. This year, Jay Kelly secured Critics Choice Awards nominations for Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Casting and Ensemble. With more spots available for lead actors, Clooney was recognized with a 2026 Golden Globes nomination.

Sandler was also nominated for a Golden Globe for his Jay Kelly performance, but this awarding body did not nominate the Netflix entries as one of the best movies overall, weakening its standing with the Academy Awards. In a very competitive year, Jay Kelly is potentially going to lose a Best Picture nomination to a stronger Netflix film, such as Train Dreams.

Jay Kelly may fall off this awards season, but it still offers standout performances, from Sandler especially. Its newfound popularity among Netflix subscribers could still turn things around at the last minute, but it still isn’t quite as popular as Frankenstein was when it hit streaming, and will soon be competing with the streaming release of Wake Up Dead Man.