A Family Affair turns out to be a hollow rom-com burdened by an irritating lead character and excessive product placement. Despite its superficial resemblance to The Idea of You, Netflix’s latest offering falls short in delivering the chemistry and engaging drama that made the Prime Video film a success.
Starring Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron, and Joey King from The Kissing Booth, this film fails to live up to its promising premise, and even a star-studded cast can’t salvage it.
The film kicks off by showcasing Hollywood star Chris Cole (Efron) through a montage of recycled TIFF red-carpet footage, magazine covers celebrating his “world’s greatest abs,” and a brief vocal cameo by Sean Evans from Hot Ones.
Chris, known for his leading role in the popular superhero franchise Icarus Rush, is gearing up for a sequel. His assistant Zara (King), who dreams of becoming a movie producer, is dismayed by the script for the new film, which she describes as a mix of Die Hard and Miracle on 34th Street with a dash of Speed.
Zara’s frustration grows from handling Chris’ every demand—ranging from laundry and apology letters to supplying jewelry for his romantic exploits—only to find her mother, Brooke (Kidman), in a relationship with Chris after a spontaneous tequila-fueled night.
For Brooke, a successful author and widow for eleven years, this new romance represents a chance to move on from her past grief and find personal happiness beyond her role as a mother. Chris sees Brooke as an escape from his public persona. A Family Affair explores the complexities of family dynamics when personal and professional lives collide in unexpected ways.
However, Zara is resolute in preventing their relationship from progressing.
The film would benefit from focusing more on Brooke and Chris’s personal struggles rather than the petty, entitled journey of Zara—a 24-year-old demanding a role in a major film production without relevant experience and chastising her mother for dating a younger man.
A Family Affair : Kathy Bates Shines in an Otherwise Lackluster Rom-Com
A Family Affair centers on Zara’s coming-of-age journey but is marred by her portrayal as a largely unsympathetic character throughout the film.
Despite this, Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron manage to inject some enjoyment into the film, with standout moments such as their first date and Chris’s extravagant celebrity persona.
The real scene-stealer is Kathy Bates as Leila, Brooke’s mother-in-law and Zara’s grandmother. Bates brings a warmth to the role that the rest of the film sorely lacks, echoing the charm of her role in Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
Rom-com enthusiasts may feel let down by A Family Affair, though they might be intrigued to discover that strawberry-shortcake Oreos do exist.