A Family Affair: A Rom-Com That Misses the Mark
Zara (Joey King) works for a capricious blockbuster superstar. The actor (Zac Efron), who promised his assistant a producer career, uses her as a “gofer”: sending her to the dry cleaner, shopping, and fulfilling any other whim. At some point, the assistant can’t take it anymore and quits. Returning home after meeting a friend, she finds her now ex-boss in bed with her mother (Nicole Kidman).
Joey King in “A Family Affair”
Cardboard Characters in a Star-Studded Cast
“A Family Affair” boasts a stellar cast, but the characters are utterly cardboard, resembling paper dolls more than real people. One day they’re actors and writers, the next accountants and housewives, and the day after that, businessmen and secretaries. The professions of both protagonists do not contribute to the plot’s progression.
Lack of Chemistry
The perception of the story is also affected by the complete lack of chemistry between Zac Efron and Nicole Kidman. The sex scene, fueled by tequila, feels like a cheap parody. The once-stirring star of “Eyes Wide Shut” tears a T-shirt on the ultra-muscular idol of “High School Musical.” The preparation for “The Iron Claw” was not in vain, but the abs in the setting of a rom-com look cartoonish. The former appeal of both is completely gone here.
Nicole Kidman in “A Family Affair”
Joey King Shines, But It’s Not Enough
Only the charming and artistic Joey King saves the situation, living in the frame, unlike her older colleagues. Katie Bates as Zara’s grandmother and Brooke’s mother-in-law helps her. After the death of her son, her character remained in close relationship with his widow, and their interaction is one of the most pleasant lines of the film. But even the star of “Misery” fails to fully reveal her talent.
Escapism with a Side of Cringe
It is rather naive to expect something outstanding from a rom-com from the Netflix catalog. Samples of the genre are, in fact, postcards, hugs, or chatting with a friend - about nothing, but warming. They serve as a distraction from problems, a ticket to escapism, a bright picture, and an opportunity to forget for an hour or two. But I want a little more emotion and funny moments and a little less cringe.
Katie Bates in “A Family Affair”
Missed Potential
Director Richard LaGravenese directed “Freedom Writers” and “P.S. I Love You” and wrote the screenplays for “The Bridges of Madison County” and “The Fisher King.” He received an Oscar nomination for his work on the latter. It is sad that a filmmaker with such a past trusted Carrie Solomon’s debut script and could not turn it into something more worthy. The creators managed to play on the film trends of the year and combine the comedy blockbuster “The Fall Guy” and the melodrama with a similar plot “The Idea of You.” But, unlike “A Family Affair,” the first one does a much better job with humor, and the second one competently works with romance.
Final Verdict
“A Family Affair” is a one-time, generally funny film, but too unremarkable and sagging to stay on the shelf with other greatest hits that you want to watch again. It will surely find its audience, perhaps among fans of Netflix rom-coms, perhaps among fans of Efron or Kidman. The film leaves a strange aftertaste of not the worst work, but something completely raw - not funny enough to stick in the memory, not romantic enough to feel touched. And if Joey King at least has nothing to be ashamed of, then a couple of seemingly experienced actors did not cope with the task at all.