Movie Review
A FAMILY AFFAIR
by Anwaya Mane
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron, Joey King, Kathy Bates // Written by Carrie Solomon // Directed by Richard LaGravenese
A dull and uninspired romantic comedy that misses the mark.
I’m convinced A Family Affair is essentially a rejected draft of Babygirl, with Nicole Kidman once again taking on the lead role. How you may ask? The two films share a strikingly similar premise, though they unfold in different genres and settings. While Babygirl is an erotic thriller about an older, married woman engaging in a secret affair with a much younger intern at her company, A Family Affair is a romantic comedy where an older widow falls for a young-ish movie star who also happens to be her daughter’s boss. Both films feature Kidman as the female lead, torn between pursuing a relationship with a younger man and grappling with her own doubts. However, while Kidman excels in one of these roles, even her impressive talent can’t save the other.
Zara, played by Joey King, is a 24-year-old personal assistant to Chris Cole (Zac Efron), a top Hollywood star who checks all the stereotypical boxes – self-absorbed, entitled, treats his staff terribly, and expects the world to revolve around him. Zara is practically his maid, managing his home, running errands, and even handling his breakups on his behalf.
When Zara makes a mistake, Chris fires her on the spot. However, after some time, he has a change of heart and visits her house to offer her an assistant producer role, hoping to win her back. But instead of Zara, he meets her widowed mother, Brooke (Nicole Kidman), a successful author in her own right. The two hit it off, and by the time Zara returns home, she walks in on her mother... well, having sex with her former boss. Awkward, right?
Zara is left in shock, and Chris assures her that nothing like this will ever happen again, promising she’ll never have to face such a situation if she agrees to work as his associate producer. However, Chris goes back on his word when he invites Brooke to dinner, and the two become intimate again. Zara soon discovers that Chris is not only dating her mother behind her back but has also hired her as the new writer for his film.
Zara angrily confronts her mother Brooke at a gala about her relationship with Chris, fearing he will break her heart just as he has done with other women. Despite Zara’s warnings, Brooke insists that being with Chris is the happiest she’s felt since her husband’s death and refuses to end things. During Christmas at her late husband’s mother Leila’s house, Leila gently urges Zara to accept that Brooke deserves a chance at love again. Zara then overhears Brooke admitting that her marriage had been troubled even before her husband died, adding to Zara’s mixed feelings.
When Zara later finds diamond earrings in Chris’ car, she assumes it’s his usual breakup tactic and convinces Brooke to leave him. Chris, however, tells Zara the earrings were forgotten in his bag and that he truly cares for Brooke, which makes Zara realize her mistake. Hoping to fix things, Zara arranges for Chris and Brooke to run into each other at the supermarket so they can talk openly. She apologizes to both for interfering and misjudging their relationship, but ultimately, Brooke decides not to get back together with Chris despite Zara’s efforts to mend things.
Chris and Brooke reconcile, realizing they truly love each other, and a year later, they’re stronger than ever. Zara, now promoted to producer and working alongside Chris, has also repaired her professional relationship with her former boss, who is now her mother’s boyfriend.
I feel just as frustrated writing the plot points as I did while watching the film. I get that a romantic comedy is meant to be fun, carefree, and irreverent, but it still needs to have a heart, even if the circumstances are a bit unrealistic or hard to relate to.
Unfortunately, A Family Affair fails to deliver either a story that we can get behind or characters that we care about.
The plot follows a familiar pattern often seen in Korean dramas: a young, handsome man declares his undying love for an older woman, their May-December romance is frowned upon by society, there’s some distance between them, and in the end, they triumph through their true love and commitment. A Family Affair tries to do something similar by encouraging us to empathize with Brooke, highlighting her loneliness, her struggle to move on after her husband’s death, and her desire to find love in a younger, hotter movie star.
However, instead of making us care about her, I personally found Brooke to be selfish and, frankly, not a great mother to Zara, who was completely justified in her concerns about her mother dating her movie star boss. It was quite disappointing to see Nicole Kidman appear as though she were sleepwalking through the film, especially given her stature as an actress.
Let’s be clear, Chris isn’t exactly a shining example of a good partner either. He isn’t very honest with Brooke, has no regard for Zara, his assistant, and struggles to communicate with either of them. It was heartbreaking to see Zac Efron, whom I adored in High School Musical, fail to capture the easy charm and flamboyance he once nailed as Troy Bolton.
Joey King, as Zara, was the standout performance in this otherwise lacklustre movie. Zara is flawed, far from perfect, and makes her fair share of mistakes, but she has the strongest character arc, making an effort to grow, understand her mother’s situation, and protect her. Zara is the better daughter and the better person, and she deserves more. Joey King, Nicole Kidman, and Zac Efron deserved a much better film to showcase their talents.
I’m a big fan of rom-coms and love the actors, but unfortunately, A Family Affair misses the mark as both a romantic comedy and a family drama. A Family Affair is streaming on Netflix, but watch it only if you're a die-hard fan of the actors or truly have nothing else to watch. Otherwise, a much more satisfying May-December romance is just a subtitle away in a Korean drama!