Love

If you’re unimpressed with this year’s Christmas TV offerings, you can find a huge range of beloved festive classics on your favourite streaming services

Another Christmas is finally here and the season is all about family, food and festive traditions.

However, there will undoubtedly come a moment when parents and kids alike will be so stuffed with turkey, trimmings and Christmas pudding that they won’t be able to move from the sofa.

That’s why it’s important to have several hours of entertainment lined up, especially if the idea of board games or a long walk is too exhausting to contemplate.

While TV channels have a wide range of festive treats in store, viewers who don’t fancy yet another Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special or have already watched the Gavin and Stacey finale 100 times this year might prefer to revisit some of their favourite holiday films instead.

Let’s take a look at some highlights from the vast array of Christmas classics available to stream on the top streaming platforms, from Netflix and Prime Video to Sky and Disney+.

Netflix

Streaming giant Netflix has fast become one of the leading producers of guilty pleasure Christmas rom-coms that are incredibly easy to watch if you’re still digesting your second and third helpings of pigs in blankets.

Stand-outs include The Princess Switch trilogy, Hot Frosty, A Castle For Christmas and A Merry Little Ex-Mas. Plus, don’t forget about Lindsay Lohan’s Christmas comebacks, Our Little Secret and Falling For Christmas, and Virgin River star Alexandra Breckenridge’s recent Mrs Doubtfire-inspired hit, My Secret Santa.

Watch Bridgerton on Netflix for free with Sky

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

from £15

Sky

Get the deal here

Sky is giving away a free Netflix subscription with its new Sky Stream TV bundles, including the £15 Essential TV plan.

This lets members watch live and on-demand TV content without a satellite dish or aerial and includes hit shows like Bridgerton.

For those looking for something a bit more nostalgic, Netflix has several familiar favourites, too. Iconic Christmas rom-coms The Holiday and Love Actually are both available, as is How the Grinch Stole Christmas, both the live-action version with Jim Carrey and the 2018 animated film voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch. Animation fans also can’t go wrong with Netflix’s delightful original film, Klaus.

Those looking for something a little more high-octane should check out the Christmas thriller Carry-On, with Taron Edgerton and Jason Bateman, and, finally, Netflix is also carrying The Holdovers, a heartwarming drama that was only just released in 2023 but has already become a classic.

Get Disney+ for 24p a day

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

Disney+ has announced that it will up its annual subscription by 10% on September 30. Until then, shoppers can still lock into its £89.90 annual plan, which works out less than 30p a day.

Disney+

Although Netflix has streaming services beat when it comes to Christmas originals, Disney+ might just have the best selection of familiar favourites.

The Holiday is also available here, as is the live-action Grinch, plus both versions of the delightful Miracle on 34th Street and the entire Santa Clause trilogy starring Tim Allen as a reluctant Saint Nick.

Here you can also find The Nightmare Before Christmas, for viewers who are still disappointed Halloween is over, the iconic action thriller Die Hard, starring Bruce Willis, and, of course, The Muppet Christmas Carol, starring Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge alongside Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and Gonzo the Great as Charles Dickens.

Disney+ also features both Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, which are guaranteed to entertain the whole family.

Sky TV with Top Cashback

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

From £15 a month

Top Cashback / Sky

See the cashback

Sign up to Top Cashback to earn up to £105 cashback on new Sky TV bundles.

Sky/NOW

Several films already mentioned are also available to stream via Sky Cinema with anyone with a Sky or NOW subscription. These include The Holiday, Love Actually and the animated Grinch.

Fans will also be able to find festive comedies such as Will Ferrell’s iconic Elf, animated classic The Polar Express and one of the UK’s best animated Christmas films, Arthur Christmas.

Some older titles are also available on Sky and NOW, such as the beloved musical White Christmas, starring Bing Crosby, the chaotic Christmas creature feature Gremlins and the delightful fantasy film It’s A Wonderful Life, with James Stewart.

Get 30 days of Prime Video totally free

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

£8.99

£0

Amazon

Buy Now on Amazon

Shoppers can get 30 days’ free access to binge watchable TV like Fallout season 2 by signing up with Amazon Prime. Just remember to cancel at the end and you won’t be charged.

Prime Video

Amazon’s Prime Video service’s Christmas catalogue features the aforementioned Love Actually and The Holiday, so streamers have no excuses not to revisit these romantic holiday treats this year!

Also in their selection is It’s A Wonderful Life, as well as the 1980s classic A Christmas Story, the charming family film about little Ralphie Parker’s (played by Peter Billingsley) mission to receive a Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifle under the tree.

Fans should also definitely check out Love the Coopers for an early appearance from Hollywood A-lister Timothée Chalamet, as well as the late screen legend Diane Keaton, and Prime’s recent festive original Oh. What. Fun starring Michelle Pfeiffer as a flustered mum who snaps during the holidays is also well worth a watch.

**For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new **Everything Gossip** website**

WITH its staggeringly beautiful beaches, scenic woodlands and hidden waterfalls, Cornwall has natural attractions galore.

There’s also fascinating history to discover, from legendary King Arthur’s roots, the tin mining heyday and the infamous pirates that terrorised the coastline for hundreds of years.

We’ve spoken to Sun readers who have visited Cornwall on £9.50 Holidays to get their recommendations of the best local natural and historic attractions to visit.

We’ve also asked local experts and holiday park staff for their top tips, with options that are all within easy reach of your £9.50 Holiday. Here’s what they said… 

Waterfall magic 

Dani Fillery, Owner and Guest Experience Manager at White Acres Holiday Park, near Newquay, recommends the beautiful St Nectan’s Glen, on Cornwall’s north coast.

A scenic woodland walk leads you to a spectacular 60ft waterfall with a cafe at the top (tip: wear decent footwear as it can be wet and uneven underfoot).

Kids will be amazed by the sight and sound of the waterfall.

Admission costs £9 per adult and £5 per child (free for under fives), but you can see some of the smaller rapids for free, which are also lovely. Don’t forget to take £3 cash for the car park.

Castle legends 

You could pair St Nectan’s Glen with a trip to Tintagel Castle, just a couple of miles away.

Said to be the birthplace of King Arthur, it has medieval ruins to explore, accessed by a jaw-dropping footbridge.

At low tide, don’t miss Merlin’s Cave – located below the castle, which is believed to be where Merlin lived.

If you’re staying further south, Pendennis Castle offers a glimpse into Tudor Cornwall.

One of Henry VIII’s finest seaside fortresses, it’s ideal for a family day out, with kid-friendly tours, an events programme and even a soft play for little ones. 

Tin mining legacy

For Sun reader Anne Walton, 71, from Newport in Wales, there are lots of historic attractions in Cornwall worth visiting.

She said: “You’ve got the Poldark area and Jamaica Inn, which they filmed near Holywell Bay. We’ve been down on the beach when they’ve been filming it.”

Another highlight that Anne recommends, and which features in Poldark, are the tin mines.

You can walk right next to well-preserved engine houses on the coastal path near St Agnes Head, one of the filming locations for the BBC drama.

Or, delve deeper into the history of Cornish mining and more at the Royal Cornwall Museum in Truro, which is a wallet-friendly option for families (free for under-18s, £7.50 for adults).

It houses over 300,000 artefacts, with hands-on exhibits to capture kids’ imaginations. 

Escape to an island fortress

Carol Harris, 72, from Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, stayed at Parkdean Resorts Lizard Point.

She recommends taking the hop on, hop off bus from outside the holiday park to Marazion, to visit St Michael’s Mount, an island fortress that she says is “beautiful”.

And it might look a tad familiar – it has a French counterpart across the Channel, in Normandy.

Located on a tidal island, you need to take a boat to reach the castle and its subtropical gardens at high tide (£2.80 one way for adults, £1.50 for children).

But at low tide, you can get there for free by walking across the granite causeway (it’s open for about four hours each day).

Tip: there is a great cafe on the island, but you can keep costs down by packing a picnic and finding a grassy spot. 

Swim in a natural sea pool

Cornwall is blessed with more than 400 beaches – so you’re never short of sea swimming locations.

But for something more sheltered and a little more unique, head to a natural sea pool.

Cornwall expert and Sun travel writer Ellie Ross recommends Trevone Natural Sea Pool, which you can walk to from Trevone Bay car park in under ten minutes.

She says: “You have to time it for low tide, and clamber across some rocks, but it’s well worth it for the experience of swimming in a sea pool – which is completely free.

“There is also a shallow end nearest the path so supervised children can play here, too.”

Other tidal pools include a man-made rock pool, which is relatively unknown, hidden out of sight at Porthtowan Beach.

Claudia Schiffer plays Carol, a single mother and the love interest for Liam Neeson’s character, widower Daniel, after he mentions she is his dream woman throughout the film

She might only have appeared on screen for 60 seconds but Claudia Schiffer was reportedly paid a truly blockbuster sum of money for her brief cameo in Love Actually. The supermodel plays the role of Carol who is a single mother and the love interest for Liam Neeson’s character, widower Daniel.

This comes after he mentions her as his dream woman throughout the entirety of the film is Claudia Schiffer. It has been reported that the star received quite the pay cheque despite only appearing for about a minute in total. Her appearance came back in 2003 and she is said have been paid around £275,000, or £4,500 ($6,100) per second for the job.

READ MORE: Joanna Lumley admits extreme threat to get Jennifer Saunders on Amandaland Christmas specialREAD MORE: Strictly star to spend Christmas Day alone in heartbreaking admission

Vogue reported that Andrew Holmes’s book How Much?!: The $1000 Omelette… and 1100 Other Astonishing Money Moments revealed the impressive amount. Now, 22 years on from when the movie was filmed, the pay cheque would be the equivalent of £458,000 ($616,000) or £7,633 ($10,274) per second.

Claudia’s short scene in the film comes after Daniel’s son, Sam (played by Thomas Brodie-Sangster), finishes playing the drums in his school play in a bid to impress his classmate Joanna.

Daniel then meets Sam backstage to congratulate him on her performance when Sam says that his plan to win his classmate over hasn’t worked and she was on her way to the airport to go back to the US.

However, this doesn’t stop them as they then make their way to the car to drive to the airport. But as Daniel turns around, he bumps into a school mum, Carol, who is played by Claudia.

Carol apologises as Daniel explained that it was his fault. Carol then goes on to ask if Daniel was Sam’s dad as he then confirms and the pair shake hands.

Daniel confessed that he hopes that they will meet again as Carol replies “I’ll make sure we do”. Claudia recently opened up about her personal life as she said her focus changed after she married Matthew Vaughn and they had their three children, Casper, now 22, Clementine, 21, and Cosima, 15.

She said she found that she became less “competitive” and that she is content with what she has achieved in her life despite knowing she could book more jobs if she wished.

The supermodel recently spoke to HELLO! magazine where she opened up about her career as well as her family life. She said: “When I was in my 20s, travelling around the world, my focus was on my career – working hard, being competitive and getting to the top.

“That changed when I had kids, and now, I feel lucky to have such a wonderful family. I’m proud of my children, they’re very down to earth and their well-being is mine and my husband’s priority.”

The Mirror has contacted Claudia’s reps for comment

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.

Monique Lindner spent more than seven years as a full-time traveller before settling in one city that she says has a mixture of ‘local charm’ and ‘big city vibes’

A woman who has visited more than 40 countries says there is only one city where she would want to live. Monique Lindner has been to stunning locations in the likes of Australia, Latin America, and Asia.

She says she was the first of her family to leave their home country, Germany, and even spent more than seven years travelling the world. But eventually she found she needed somewhere that she could settle down.

Writing in BusinessInsider , Monique says there was one destination that stood out above the rest. After some careful consideration she found herself setting up home in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

She says the city is the perfect mix of “local charm” and “big city vibes”. Located a few hundred miles north of Bangkok, Chiang Mai is home to around a million people and boasts an array of Buddhist temples and ruins.

Monique said: “My first visit was about a decade ago, when the city felt more like a backpacker’s paradise with cheap beer on every corner, $5 hostel beds, and loads of young people driving around with their gear on rented scooters.”

She says she “loves” that the city is home to both shopping malls as well as smaller “mama shops” owned by local families. It has local tea and fresh food markets as well as chains like Starbucks.

Monique admits she would “never get bored” visiting the Buddhist temples and attending musical performances and local art galleries. But says she still “loves to travel”, regularly finding herself on daytrips by car and boat.

A 25 minute drive from the city would find Monique in the middle of an “amazing” national park while an hour gets her into the historic town of Lamphun. When she first settled in Chiang Mai, Monique found herself living in a gated community with a garden, tennis court, and pool, all on a “modest budget”.

She added: “Although my neighborhood felt quiet, it was still convenient, with car-repair joints, fresh food markets, and numerous shops nearby. Building a community and making friends in the area has also been easy for me.”

Monique says she has attended events advertised on Facebook and even connected with other “digital nomads” during her time in Thailand. She says it feels like there are “activities and gatherings for everyone” ranging from yoga classes to drumming workshops.

She however admits there is no “perfect” place to settle down, and struggles during the traditional “burning season” where crop fields and forest debris are burned.

She says she has embarked on road trips during the last couple of burning seasons, but admits she finds herself “missing” Chiang Mai.

Monique concluded: “Falling in love with this city was easy for me, and it was wonderful having a home base there for several years. Though I’ve still got a few logistics to work out, I hope to call this piece of Thailand my permanent place of residence in the future.”

A SUPERMODEL was reportedly paid an astonishing amount to appear in one of the world’s most famous Christmas films.

Claudia Schiffer appears in the perennial festive favourite Love Actually for one minute  – and earned the equivalent of the average UK salary in just EIGHT seconds.

Richard Curtis, the film’s director, cast the supermodel in brief – but memorable – scenes alongside Liam Neeson’s character Daniel.

On several occasions in the 2003 film, Daniel, recently widowed, tells his love-sick step-son, Sam, played by Thomas Brodie Sangster, that the path of true love rarely runs smooth.

Daniel tells Sam that he need only look to his step-dad for proof after telling him several times he wants to date supermodel Claudia Schiffer.

The pay-off in the film – when it finally arrives – works a treat.

CASH IN

Astonishing amount The Pogues make every year from Fairytale of New York

PARKA LIFE

Astonishing amount East 17’s Tony Mortimer makes a year from Stay Another Day

In one memorable scene, Daniel hits it off with one of Sam’s classmates – played by the supermodel.

The pair then appear on screen loved-up near the end of the film.

Although her appearance is brief, her paycheck for the role in the film proves it was well worth turning up.

As reported by Vogue, in his book ‘How Much?!: The $1000 Omelette … and 1100 Other Astonishing Money Moments’, author Andrew Holmes revealed Schiffer was paid $350,000 for the role.

That works out at £275,000 for the entire screen time – or £4,500 per second.

In contrast, two-time Academy Award winner Emma Thompson, who plays Alan Rickman’s long-suffering wife Karen in the film, has stated she felt she was underpaid for her role.

Thompson’s fee has not been disclosed.

While on Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the Tutti Frutti actress said she no longer rewatches Love Actually,

LOVE Island star Lucie Donlan is shockin’ around the Christmas tree in a saucy low-cut Ann Summers dress.

The model, 27, helped the raunchy retail chain launch its Styles range, including this red All Wrapped Up festive number with a giant bow.

She has also been seen sleighing it in the company’s Sexy Santa Basque set.

In July Lucie enjoyed a spectacular break in Abu Dhabi which she received free of charge in exchange for an advert to her 1.5m Instagram followers.

In her caption, Lucie wrote: “This week I’ve had the pleasure of staying at @erth.uae.

“A breathtaking and unique Hotel located 15 minutes from downtown Abu Dhabi.

JANE ATKINSON

Helen Flanagan is right to call out ex Scott Sinclair – boys need role models

MV-GLEE

Michael van Gerwen cheered on by OnlyFans model then says ‘look at my dates’

“When I first arrived it felt like stepping into nature as the whole hotel has been beautifully designed with sandy warm colours inspired by our planet and aspects of rich cultural Emirati heritage.

Lucie has been in a relationship with her former co-star, Luke Mabbott, 29, with the pair going on to become engaged in 2021.

Back in December the loved-up pair got accused of ‘getting engaged for likes on Instagram’ when they celebrated their proposal on holiday.

Luke shared a snap from their special moment with the caption: “2 year’s engaged…”

Some took to the comments section to share how confused they were by their engagement.

One user commented: “I’ve always said that an engagement isn’t real unless they’ve set a date for a wedding.

They continued: “Otherwise, it’s just like my plan to be a millionaire: it’s it’s vague goal without any realistic “when” or “how”.”

The couple shot to fame on different series of Love Island.

Joe Ely, a singer-songwriter and foundational figure in Texas’ progressive country-rock scene, has died. He was 78.

According to a statement from his representatives, Ely died Dec. 15 at home in New Mexico, from complications of Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinson’s disease and pneumonia.

Ely had an expansive vision for country and rock, heard on singles like “All My Love,” “Honky Tonk Masquerade,” “Hard Livin’,” “Dallas” and “Fingernails.” Born in 1947 in Amarillo, Texas, Ely was raised in Lubbock before moving to Austin and kicking off a new era of country music in the region, one that reflected both punk and the heartland rock of the era back into the roughhousing country scenes they came from.

After founding the influential band the Flatlanders with Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock (which dissolved soon after recording its 1972 debut), he began a solo career in 1977. He released several acclaimed albums, including 1978’s ambitiously rambling “Honky Tonk Masquerade,” before finding his popular peak on 1980’s harder-rocking “Live Shots” and 1981’s “Musta Notta Gotta Lotta.”

Ely, beloved for barroom poetry that punctured country music’s mythmaking, was a ready collaborator across genres. He befriended the Clash on a tour of London and sat in on the band’s sessions recording their epochal “London Calling” LP. He later toured extensively with the group, singing backup on “Should I Stay or Should I Go,” and earning a lyrical tribute on “If Music Could Talk” — ”Well there ain’t no better blend than Joe Ely and his Texas men.”

Ely was a favorite opener for veteran rock acts looking to imbue sets with Texas country swagger. He performed with the Rolling Stones, Stevie Nicks, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and Bruce Springsteen, who later sang with him on “Odds of the Blues” in 2024. Springsteen once said of Ely: “Thank God he wasn’t born in New Jersey. I would have had a lot more of my work cut out for me.”

In the ‘90, Ely joined a supergroup, the Buzzin Cousins, with John Mellencamp, Dwight Yoakam, John Prine and James McMurtry, to record for Mellencamp’s film “Falling From Grace.” Robert Redford later asked Ely to compose material for his film “The Horse Whisperer,” which led to collaborations with his old Flatlanders bandmates and a reunion in the 2000s. He also acted in in the musical “Chippy: Diaries of a West Texas Hooker” at Lincoln Center in New York City and joined the Tex-Mex collective Los Super Seven — he shared in the band’s Grammy for Mexican-American/Tejano Music Performance in 1999, his only such award.

Ely was inducted into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame in 2022 and released his last album, “Love and Freedom,” in February.

Actor Sir David Jason, known for playing Del Boy in the hit show Only Fools and Horses will discuss the sitcom and show unseen footage in new series

Sir David Jason has insisted “the love for Only Fools has never faded” after reuniting with cast members from the beloved sitcom for a new documentary series.

Celebrating the show’s 45th anniversary, Only Fools And Horses: The Lost Archive will air behind-the-scenes footage as well as material that the series producer said was “filmed but never broadcast”.

The sitcom, which was a ratings smash hit for the BBC, including at Christmas, first aired on September 8 1981 and proved to be a career-defining role for Sir Jason, who played Del Boy, and Nicholas Lyndhurst, who played his brother Rodney.

Announcing the new UKTV documentary series, Sir David, 85, said: “The love for Only Fools has never faded. It’s incredible to see how many people still hold it close to their hearts. Revisiting these rediscovered moments reminded me just how special the show was – and still is. It’s incredible to be able to share them now.”

The two-part series features interviews with cast and crew and includes archival material from more than 10 classic episodes, including The Jolly Boys’ Outing and Mother Nature’s Son.

In interviews, cast members including Sir David, Tessa Peake-Jones (Raquel), Gwyneth Strong (Cassandra) and Sue Holderness (Marlene) pay tribute to creator John Sullivan, who died in 2011 at the age of 64.

Further discoveries, which didn’t make it into the original episodes due to timing or structural constraints include new material from the episodes He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Uncle, Mother Nature’s Son, Time On Our Hands. There is also an unseen opening scene of Del and Rodney in a nightclub from The Class Of ’62.

Clips have been digitally scanned and restored from 16mm negatives, meaning the cast appear in high definition. Sean Doherty, director and series producer, said: “Few shows have the kind of enduring popularity that Only Fools enjoys.

“The archive has uncovered some extraordinary material – 66 unseen clips and scenes so far that were filmed but never broadcast because they didn’t fit the timing or structure of the original episodes, plus nearly 100 assets from rushes and location filming. We’ve truly been spoilt for choice.”

Helen Nightingale, UKTV’s head of factual and factual entertainment, commissioning, said: “Only Fools And Horses is part of the national DNA.

“With its humour, heart and unforgettable characters, it’s British comedy at its very best. This series is a celebration of its legacy and a chance to share new discoveries with the fans who’ve loved it for decades.”

In 2019 a musical adaptation of Only Fools And Horses starring Paul Whitehouse opened at the Theatre Royal Haymarket and it toured across the UK and Ireland in 2024 and 2025.

In 2022 on Only Fools and Horses actor Michael Fenton Stevens told how many jokes were lost from the sitcom over time due to time constraints.

Speaking on the Only Fools and Horses podcast he recalled his own episode and said: “It was a very big programme by then. I was in Series 6 and it had just gone to 40 minutes so they had the extra time to do things. That was the point by which they had turned into mini plays, they were just beautiful.

“They did that because John Sullivan would always write 10 minutes more than was needed. So every half hour script has 10 minutes of material which was cut. If you can find the original scripts from before they were printed to be used in the studio, if you can get them from when he was writing – and they must be somewhere, his family must have them on record, I think – it would be brilliant to read through all those bits that were cut.” The extra scenes and gags from Del Boy and Rodney were filmed, only to be omitted in the final edit.

The sitcom featured the colourful escapades of market trader Del Boy and his less streetwise younger brother Rodney as they went through the highs and lows of life trying to become rich.

The characters lived in Peckham with Grandad, played by Leonard “Lennard” Pearce, and their friends included Trigger, played by Roger Lloyd Pack, and Boycie, played by John Challis.

* Two part series Only Fools and Horses: The Lost Archive will be airing on U&GOLD in 2026.

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.

George Clooney plays the title character in Netflix’s “Jay Kelly,” a Clooney-esque movie star who is seemingly on top of the world — but is, in fact, at a crossroads. He’s finished his latest movie and is at a point in his career where he’s begun to worry that every project could be his last. His hope to spend the summer with his youngest daughter, Daisy, is squashed when he realizes she’s set to travel in Europe before heading off to college in the fall. (Jessica, Jay’s eldest daughter, barely speaks to him.) His mentor, a British director who cast him in his first movie, has recently died; on top of the looming sense of mortality is the guilt Jay feels for not attaching his name to the director’s final project in order to get the financing. And after the funeral, Jay runs into the former friend who brought him to that fateful audition as emotional support — and who remains bitter that Jay got the role and “stole his life.”

Instead of sitting down to process these conflicts, Jay decides to run away from them, dropping out of his next movie to follow Daisy to Europe. His professional entourage — a group that includes his longtime manager and friend Ron (Adam Sandler) and his no-nonsense publicist Liz (Laura Dern) — immediately springs into action, accompanying Jay on a chaotic trip abroad, with the final stop being an Italian film festival where Jay is set to receive a career achievement award.

“I did have an idea of an actor having a crisis of some sort, and it would be a journey forward and backward at the same time,” says writer-director Noah Baumbach of the spark that eventually became “Jay Kelly.” As Jay flees Hollywood, the city and its people continue to haunt him. Visions of himself as a young actor float in and out of his mind as he recognizes the mistakes he made by screwing over his friend and neglecting his older daughter. But no matter where he goes — even on board a crowded train from Paris to Tuscany — he’s instantly recognized as the A-list star that he is. Jay Kelly cannot escape himself no matter how hard he tries.

Laura Dern, George Clooney and Adam Sandler in “Jay Kelly.”

(Peter Mountain / Netflix)

Baumbach wrote “Jay Kelly” with British actor and screenwriter Emily Mortimer, who also appears in the film as Jay’s go-to makeup artist: “It really wasn’t until I brought Emily into it that it started to shape itself more into the movie you see,” Baumbach says.

One might assume that the pair’s years in the business (now in their 50s, Baumbach and Mortimer both got their start in the mid-1990s) informed their depiction of fame and stardom, but Baumbach is adamant that he didn’t set out to write a satire of their industry. “As Emily and I were focusing on the characters and the story, meaning started to reveal itself,” he explains. “Part of our job is to be open and aware of that.”

It tracks that a megastar like Jay would be surrounded by a close-knit circle of people managing his life, which led to Baumbach and Mortimer exploring those complicated relationships. One central storyline is the friendship between Jay and Ron, who have worked together for decades. Despite his devotion to his wife and kids, Ron’s top professional priority is Jay, and the inherently transactional nature of their relationship is a conflict that slowly bubbles up to the surface. There’s simply no getting around the fact that the person Jay is the closest to is also someone who takes 15% of his earnings.

Filmmaker Noah Baumbach.

(Sela Shiloni / For The Times)

It’s an awkward situation that many who work in the entertainment industry will recognize — but it’s also a humorous truth, the kind that underscores all of Baumbach’s films. “Jay Kelly” isn’t his first film set, at least in part, in Los Angeles. In “Greenberg,” Ben Stiller’s title character is a cantankerous and neurotic New Yorker who has fled west after a nervous breakdown. In the autobiographical “Marriage Story,” Adam Driver’s Charlie, a New York-based theater director, finds himself trapped in L.A. during his divorce from his actor wife, Nicole (Scarlett Johansson).

Baumbach, a Brooklyn native, calls his relationship with Los Angeles complex. “It’s a place I don’t always love being in,” he says — a bit of an understatement. But he’s more fascinated than repulsed by the city. “I was never drawn to be satirical about it. I think it’s such an interesting, strange place. [My films that] take place here do so for a reason. With ‘Greenberg,’ L.A. is a metaphor for loneliness. In ‘Marriage Story,’ Charlie is forced to fight for a home outside of where he feels his home is.” And at the end of the day, where else could a star like Jay reside? “I mean, Jay Kelly couldn’t have lived in New York, right?”

There is, of course, show business, an industry that values make-believe and vanity and couldn’t possibly exist anywhere else. “Ron has the line, ‘Death is so surprising, particularly in L.A.,’” Baumbach says, reciting Sandler’s dialogue from early in the film. “[These characters are] living in a place that, for the most part, doesn’t change — and that helps support the collective illusion that we’re all going to live forever.”

Jay Kelly might not, but the movies will.