The three best Noah Baumbach movies to watch on Netflix after ‘Jay Kelly’
The name Noah Baumbach has been circling the Hollywood circuit for decades now. But after his latest Netflix offering, Jay Kelly, with the dream team of George Clooney and Adam Sandler, it makes sense that viewers want more of his genius to make December all the more festive.
Jay Kelly, which Baumbach co-wrote with Emily Mortimer, serves as the 15th film in the Brooklyn-born director’s illustrious resume.
Since kick-starting his career in 1995 with the premiere of his debut, Kicking and Screaming, Baumbach has received four Oscar nominations and two Golden Globes, winning a Critics’ Choice Award for ‘Best Original Screenplay’ for Barbie, which he co-wrote with Greta Gerwig. While that partnership is a match made in Hollywood, for those craving more of Baumbach on Netflix, we have you covered.
So, for those done with Jay Kelly, it’s time to dive deep into the Baumbach collection on Netflix with the three best movies to watch this week.
The three best Noah Baumbach movies to watch on Netflix
Marriage Story (Noah Baumbach, 2019)
When it comes to range in storytelling, perhaps no one comes close to Noah Baumbach’s excellence. But if you still have doubts, there’s no way you can risk missing out on Marriage Story, starring Hollywood veterans Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver. The Oscar-nominated drama tells the story of a stage director, Charlie, and his actor wife, Nicole, as they navigate their messy bi-coastal divorce.
While the pair initially intend to split amicably, their contrasting lives in New York and Los Angeles ultimately stand in the way as Nicole takes their son to LA for a TV pilot, making the process increasingly bitter. Marriage Story originally premiered at the 76th Venice International Film Festival, subsequently bagging six Academy Award nominations. In fact, Laura Dern won the Oscar, Golden Globe, SAG, BAFTA and Critics’ Choice Movie Award for the ‘Best Supporting Actress.’
Frances Ha (Noah Baumbach, 2012)
Frances Ha is yet another outcome of the long-existing professional relationship Noah Baumbach shares with Greta Gerwig, who co-wrote the screenplay and starred in the 2012 movie as a struggling dancer, navigating the highs and lows of New York City. While initially, she has her college best friend and roommate, Sophie, to fall back on, 27-year-old Frances’s life soon begins to unravel when Sophie announces her plans to move out.
When we meet Frances, she’s just as much an outsider. But once Sophie leaves for Brooklyn, the world comes tumbling down for Frances, who now has to vacate the home she shared with her bestie, simultaneously confronting her lack of direction while coming to terms with her financial instability and fleeting relationships. Frances Ha chronicles a journey of self-discovery captured from a rather ordinary point of view. But the exploration is anything but mundane, making it one of the best that Baumbach has to offer.
The Squid and the Whale (Noah Baumbach, 2005)
When you embark on this Noah Baumbach movie marathon, spanning two decades, you’ll start believing in the concept of timelessness. So, end the binge session with The Squid and the Whale, the independent comedy drama produced by Wes Anderson. The 2005 movie, currently streaming on Netflix, revolves around the semi-autobiographical story of two Brooklyn boys, navigating their parents’ divorce in 1986.
Interestingly, the movie title is drawn from the giant squid and sperm whale diorama at the American Museum of Natural History, which also makes an appearance in the film. While The Squid and the Whale won many awards, including the Gotham Award for ‘Best Ensemble,’ and the LA Film Critics Award for ‘Screenplay,’ the film is most notably remembered for earning Baumbach his first-ever Academy Award nomination.