It's one of my favorite Netflix hidden comedy gems by a director who's only made 3 movies — and you may well have heard of it!

We all have them. Films tucked away on Netflix that we re-watch time and time again and never fail to hit the spot. Chances are they’re not blockbusters, but more modest and lower budget, but the fact that they’re lesser known makes them more personal.

Step forward a film that ticks every box and was made by a director who only has three films to her name — so far. Let’s hope there’s more to come from Tamara Jenkins but, for now, her third and most recent movie, Private Life (2018), is waiting on Netflix. And it’s an overlooked joy.

New York couple Richard (Paul Giamatti) and Rachel (Kathryn Hahn) are both in their 40s and going through IVF treatment for the umpteenth time. She’s a writer, he used to be a theatre director but now makes pickles to sell at farmers’ markets.

Trying to conceive has strained their relationship to breaking point and they’re struggling to hold it together so, as a safety net, they decide to explore adoption while spending their final $10,000 on a last attempt at fertility treatment. One of them has to work, right?

Private Life | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix - YouTube

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Jenkins’ first film since the Oscar-nominated The Savages 11 years before is achingly, bitingly funny and emotionally mature. She wrote the script just after going through fertility treatment herself, so the details are accurate to the point of brutality, from the stress of IVF to the mixed messages women receive about when they should become pregnant.

You can wait until you’ve established your career but, by that time, you’ll be post-30 and your biological clock is winding down. And then there’s other people’s opinions to contend with, in this case a disapproving sister-in- law (Molly Shannon) who labels them "fertility junkies". It’s no wonder they feel they can’t win.

One of the reasons Private Life stands out is that the infertility storyline isn’t just a device for creating comedy. It never shies away from the practicalities, the ecstatic highs and the dark lows of what is a long, hard slog. Not only does it feel authentic because of the director’s own experiences, but it’s also full of compassion, coupled with some wonderful humour. The film received a warm welcome when it arrived on Netflix in 2018, but the plaudits faded under the flow of new releases on the streamer.

Yet it’s one of their best and much of that is down to the casting of the two main roles. Giamatti became the go-to actor for playing grumps with a heart after Sideways (2004) and, while there’s an element of that in his Richard, it’s a role that demonstrates his range and depth, exhausted yet unwilling to give up and constantly looking for other options.

Hahn had her own breakout in 2023 in rom-com How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days, when she more than held her own against the starry pairing of Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey. She was in her element as Hudson’s best friend, finding the spotlight with an uninhibited, often wild style that’s become her trademark, as we saw last year in Disney Plus's Agatha All Along and again on Netflix in their second Benoit Blanc mystery, Glass Onion (2022). But alongside Giamatti, she gets the chance to play largely against type: the comedy is still there, but she digs deep into Rachel’s longings and ability to stare the cruellest of disappointments in the face.

Most recently, she’s brought her distinctive energy to Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's The Studio on Apple TV Plus, and fans of series one were over the moon a few weeks ago when a second outing was confirmed. Set in a legacy Hollywood movie studio, the satire traces the misadventures of a group of hapless executives, headed by Rogen’s Matt Remick, who find themselves in constantly torn between art and money. Alongside co-stars Catherine O’Hara and Ike Barinholtz, plus a non-stop flow of guest stars including Anthony Mackie and Martin Scorsese, Hahn is the manic marketing executive desperate to hold on to her job while fighting off the threat of up-coming younger talent.

The first season, which scored 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, ended with big questions that will hopefully get their answers when the show returns. Most important is the possibility of Amazon taking over the studio, but there’s also the Kool-Aid movie, which will either make dreams come true or shatter them into smithereens.

There's no date set for production to start, but given the scope of the anarchic comedy, with its big-name guest stars and lavish sets, it could be a while away.

Audiences may have to wait until the end of 2026 or even early 2027 before it arrives on screen, and that may not be confirmed for a while. So the wait is on for more news, but it looks like a safe bet that season two will be full of the Hollywood chaos that’s made the show one of this year’s biggest hits.

Private Life is on Netflix in the US and the UK. All episodes of season one of The Studio are on Apple TV Plus in the US and the UK.