As winter sets in and the last stretch of 2024 winds down, the streamers are rolling out some of the year’s most intriguing titles—prestige dramas, long-awaited sequels, and even a fresh shot of action from one of the genre’s most enduring stars. This week on Streaming Radar, we’re taking a look at three standout releases: Noah Baumbach’s new Netflix contender Jay Kelly, Ed Burns’ decades-in-the-making sequel The Family McMullen, and Kate Beckinsale’s stylish new action thriller Wildcat. Along the way, I sat down with the casts of The Family McMullen to talk about revisiting characters, building a sequel 30 years later, and why the film’s creative process remains so collaborative.
Jay Kelly
Netflix’s buzziest new awards-season entry is Jay Kelly, a dramedy from writer-director Noah Baumbach starring George Clooney as a once-great actor slipping into a full-blown identity crisis. Clooney’s character is managed—and in many ways babysat—by Adam Sandler, with Laura Dern rounding out his entourage.
The story kicks off when Jay accompanies an old friend from acting school to a big audition, only to end up landing the role himself. That betrayal triggers an emotional tailspin, culminating in a very public altercation outside a Los Angeles restaurant. From there, Jay flees to Europe to confront a lifetime of unresolved failures, attempting to mend long-fractured relationships with his father and daughters.
It’s deeply Baumbach—full of memory sequences, raw dialogue, and that unmistakable blend of humor and ache. Clooney gives one of his most intimate performances in years, and Sandler continues his streak of quietly excellent dramatic work. Expect this one to be in the conversation come awards season.
Jay Kelly is streaming December 5th on Netflix.
The Family McMullen
In 1995, a young filmmaker named Ed Burns debuted The Brothers McMullen at Sundance, launching an indie sensation and paving the way for a generation of personal, dialogue-driven storytelling. Nearly 30 years later, Burns has revisited the McMullen clan—this time bringing them into the modern world with The Family McMullen, a warm, funny, deeply felt look at adult children navigating life’s messiness while returning home.
When I spoke with Burns, he admitted the idea of a sequel wasn’t always on the table. “I never thought I’d want to do a sequel to McMullen,” he said, noting that he spent years trying—and failing—to crack the story. Even a prequel didn’t feel right. It wasn’t until he read an article about adult children moving back home due to the housing crisis that something clicked. “I thought, maybe that’s it. Maybe Barry’s adult kids will move back in with him.”
But the breakthrough wasn’t only narrative. Burns said he realized Connie Britton, whose breakout performance in the original film helped launch her career, had to be more than a supporting presence. “She’d become this huge star. I thought, well, she can’t just be a side character. So maybe if I make her a widow, then it’s the two brothers and the sister-in-law McMullen. That felt right.”
When he called Britton, she didn’t hesitate. “This movie is the reason I have a career,” she told me. “I feel like Eddie is my brother for life, and I’ll walk to the ends of the earth for him.” She described their dynamic as effortless. Burns writes, directs, and stars in the film—but Britton says he never brings ego into the process. “He was always collaborative. He wanted things to feel true. That’s what he cared about.”
Burns echoed that. From the beginning, he encouraged actors to adapt dialogue to what felt natural. “Especially on the first film,” he explained, “I knew how guys my age talked. But I went to the women and said, ‘If this isn’t what a woman would say, change it.’ I’ve done that my entire career.”
That ethos remains intact. Britton and Burns describe The Family McMullen as the kind of set where everyone feels empowered—actors, younger cast members, veterans alike. It’s no surprise, then, that the sequel carries the same emotional clarity as the original, while offering a fresh lens on family, aging, and forgiveness.
In addition to reuniting its original stars, The Family McMullen introduces new faces—including Tracee Ellis Ross and Juliana Canfield, who bring humor, romance, and new energy to Burns’ updated vision.
Ross said she knew of The Brothers McMullen long before she stepped into the sequel. “I went to the Angelika and saw it in theaters,” she told me, laughing as she recalled the moment. “I was in awe. I loved the movie so much I was like, I’m going to find an Ed Burns. That’s who I’m going to marry.” Taking on the role of Barry McMullen’s love interest decades later, she joked, “It might just be on screen, but this will do.”
Both Ross and Canfield described Burns as the kind of director actors dream of working with. “He’s an actor’s director,” Ross said. “Collaborative, trusting, no fuss.” Canfield agreed, adding that Burns leads with warmth and clarity. “He gives notes that are just four words, but you know exactly what you need to do. He creates a set where everyone wants to work hard and have a good time.”
The actresses say the script already carried the heart of the story, but the collaborative environment allowed the characters to take on new life. “It’s really about the glue and the connection between everybody,” Ross told me. “Ed created the space for that to emerge organically.”
The Family McMullen starts streaming December 5 on HBO Max.
Wildcat
For viewers craving something with a little more bite, Kate Beckinsale returns to her action roots in Wildcat, a muscular London-set thriller about gangs, hit squads, and the messy heroics that unfold when violence spills into the streets. Beckinsale plays a world-class assassin pulled into a combustible series of events that require her team to intervene before the city erupts.
The plot hits familiar beats—double-crosses, bravado, sharp-tongued banter—but Beckinsale’s charisma gives the film a pop that keeps it feeling fresh. The cast includes YouTube host and film personality Roxy Striar, along with a roster of character actors who lean into the genre with gusto. It’s a movie built for viewers looking for something loud, stylish, and not overly concerned with realism. Sometimes, that’s exactly the point.
Wildcat is available now on VOD.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2025.