Director: Richard LaGravanese
Writer: Carrie Solomon
Stars: Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron, Joey King
Synopsis: An unexpected romance triggers comic consequences for a young woman, her mother, and her boss, grappling with the complications of love, sex, and identity.
Genre can be tricky. If you get caught up in the trappings of it, like let’s say a romantic comedy, it can be very easy to end up in cliched territory. Of course, some expected moments are fine, as they will please fans of the style. But if you tip over the edge and go too far, you end up with a Hallmark movie. Now, those have their charms, but if I’m not watching that particular brand of film, it is a tough sell. A Family Affair doesn’t quite go that far into the land of tropes, but it isn’t that far off either.
The film follows Zara Ford (Joey King), who is the assistant of major Hollywood star, Chris Cole (Zac Efron). In between being a gopher for him, she is attempting to move her career forward as a would-be producer. At home, she is still living with her mother, famed and celebrated author Brooke Harwood (Nicole Kidman). After finally losing her cool at her comic mistreatment (jobs range from bringing him coffee to making surprise gifts for his dogs) from Chris, she quits. Eventually, Chris realizes that he needs her and comes to her home to beg her to come back. There he meets Brooke, sparks fly, and relative hilarity ensues.
The first, and most glaring issue, that this film has is the romance. Believe it or not, this is necessary in a romantic comedy, and this one just doesn’t have the goods. Separately, Efron and Kidman are, at a minimum, serviceable, and both have excellent moments. The shame is that none of those moments are together. The film seems to leave us to make the assumption that they have chemistry, but there is none to be found. Chemistry is more than putting two beautiful people in sexual situations, and that seems to be the extent of the work done here.
But here’s the good news. The rest of the relationships and performances really work, even well enough to make this mostly an enjoyable affair. Joey King gives a legitimately great performance in what could easily be a thankless role. Her back-and-forth with Efron consistently works, both when she is enraged at his infantile behavior and when she is wondering if, just maybe, he is a good match for her mother, who has seemingly been romantically alone since the death of her husband over a decade ago. Speaking of Efron, regardless of the quality of the film, he is clearly always game for making fun of his celebrity self. Despite the fact that he is still heavily bulked from The Iron Claw, he gets to have fun here, whether it is performing badly on film (on purpose) or belting out Cher after a break-up. He’s a fine enough dramatic actor, but this is where Efron really shines.
And King is not just fun to watch with Efron. Her relationship with Kidman, as well as with her grandmother, Leila Ford (Kathy Bates), actually pulls on the heartstrings more than expected. This is not easy to do in a formulaic romantic-comedy, but it helps to have Bates, who immediately lends a sense of genuine care, sprinkled with a bit of sarcasm and overt sexuality, which pushes Kidman’s character towards a romantic relationship with the younger man.
It will surprise approximately no one that, visually A Family Affair is deeply unmemorable, flat, and washed out. Directed by Richard LaGravanese, this is, if anything, somehow a step down to the visual stylings of The Last Five Years, which was nearly a decade ago now. This is a Netflix original and all that this entails. It is disposable, filled with tropes, and an uninspired screenplay from first-timer Carrie Solomon. And yet, it fulfills its basic premise and promise. It is a pleasant enough way to pass a few hours, filled with good looking celebrities and enough laughs to pull you through the more predictable moments. And yes, it tries to have some real tear jerker moments, but most viewers will see the strings.
Overall, there is no world in which A Family Affair is a necessary watch. However, it is basically an easy film to sit through for just about anyone. There is a place for entertainment just like this. It is inoffensive, simple, tropey, and charming in spots. You could absolutely do worse, even if you deserve much better.
