Review | A Family Affair - Future of the Force

“A Family Affair is a sweet and charming rom-com, in which Zac Efron and Nicole Kidman have a surprisingly great on-screen chemistry.”

Zac Efron, Nicole Kidman and Joey King are teaming up for a new comedy directed by Richard Lagravenese (Beautiful Creatures, P.S. I Love You) and written by Carrie Solomon. A Family Affair releases globally on Netflix today.

A MULTIGENERATIONAL STORY

(L-R) Nicole Kidman as Brooke Harwood and Zac Efron as Chris Cole in *A Family Affair*. Cr. Tina Rowden/Netflix © 2024

A Family Affair is a multigenerational film following the stories of three characters. Zara (Joey King) is a 25-year-old woman who has doubts about where her life is heading. She is the personal assistant to movie star and Hollywood heartthrob Chris Cole (Zac Efron). However, Chris is an egocentric boss. He is the caricature of the Hollywood star who has too money and doesn’t know what to do with it. Obviously, he also has a big superiority complex. Finally, there’s Zara’s mother, Brooke (Nicole Kidman), she is a famous writer who falls in love with Chris after they meet.

This is clearly not the ideal situation for Zara, especially since she knows exactly what type of person Chris is. She is facing a two-problem situation. Indeed, she has to put up with her boss’ horrible behaviour at work. And at home, she is facing her incredulous mother who falls for him. This makes for great comedic scenes. Chris is definitely the heart of this comedy. he brings quite a few laugh-out loud moments.

MORE THAN JUST A HORRIBLE BOSS

Zac Efron as Chris Cole in A Family Affair. Cr. Tina Rowden/Netflix © 2024

However, he is not just this one-dimensional despicable Hollywood star. There is more to him, much like there is more to Joe Fox (Tom Hanks) in You’ve Got A Mail. Except here the situation is different. It’s not his love interest who hates him, but the daughter of his girlfriend. It creates an interesting dynamic. There is a natural flow of jokes. It never feels too much. And like every character who starts as nasty in a rom-com, he gets character development. It’s compelling to see how it goes for him.

This film has the right balance of comedy, romance and drama. It knows precisely when to make you laugh, melt your heart or touch you. it’s a surprisingly sweet film that is as much about this romance between Brooke and Chris than it is about a mother and daughter relationship. This film has a lot to offer, there is a little bit of something for everyone. It’s a comfort film.

Although, it’s never too early to start watching Christmas films, I do feel like this one should have been released in November or December. It’s not labelled as a Christmas film but there is a whole Christmas sequence that is so wholehearted. It’s exactly what you would see in a Christmas rom-com. And just for this, I think not releasing it during Christmas time was a mistake.

CAST

(L-R) Joey King as Zara Ford, Nicole Kidman as Brooke Harwood and Kathy Bates as Leila Ford in *A Family Affair*. Cr. Tina Rowden/Netflix © 2024

Moreover, this is a fantastic cast. Undoubtedly, Zac Efron and Nicole Kidman share a great on-screen chemistry. It’s not two actors that I would have seen together in a rom-com, but it works so well! I love being surprised like this. On top of that, Zac Efron playing the caricature of a Hollywood heartthrob is so on point for him. People of my generation, me included, all had a crush on him during his High School Musical years. Seeing him now playing a caricature of himself is comedy gold. It’s simply a joy to see him in this role.

Joey King is genuinely funny as the annoyed daughter, she has talent for comedy. Finally, Kathy Bates is delightful as the grandmother giving advice to her granddaughter and daughter-in-la. She has a comforting presence that is required for this type of role.