Nicole Kidman, Joey King and Zac Efron in a scene from ‘A Family Affair’ | Photo Credit: Netflix
After weeks of showing steamy scenes between a thirsty Zac Efron and Nicole Kidman, Netflix is now streaming A Family Affair – a romantic comedy that once again delivers a boring story about age differences. The latest romantic comedy is proof of Hollywood’s delusion that even the dullest stories can be saved by pairing up provocative stars.
The story revolves around Chris Cole (Zac Efron), an overly arrogant movie star whose knowledge of everyday life is as limited as his acting range. His character, a thirtysomething diva struggling with intimacy issues, comes into the life of Brooke Harwood (Nicole Kidman), a widowed fashion writer living in a waterside mansion, and the mother of Cole’s frustrated PA, Zara (Joey King). The two are thrust together into a number of contrived and painfully awkward situations, which are presented as forbidden romance.
A Family Affair (Hindi)
Director: Richard LaGravenese
Mould: Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron, Joey King, Liza Koshy, Kathy Bates
Runtime: 114 minutes
Plot: A surprise romance leads to comical consequences for a young woman, her mother and her movie star boss as they confront the complexities of love, sex and identity
From the start, the film’s narrative is filled with frustration. Chris, angry, barges into his overworked assistant’s house, where he meets Brooke. The ensuing romance between Chris and Brooke feels inorganic, wooden and devoid of any real chemistry, instead relying on the novelty of the star-couple to carry the story forward.
A scene from ‘A Family Affair’
There are obvious similarities with Prime Video’s Anne Hathaway-starring film, your viewFrom the start of this year, it seemed like it was inevitable. your view A new, nuanced look at romance between a middle-aged woman and a young star – with genuine chemistry and mature reflections on love and life – with family The film is awash in a sea of clichés and forced humour.
Hathaway’s acting draws you into a believable, tender relationship that resonates, while the Ephron-Kidman pairing feels like an awkward blind date gone wrong, spoiled by writing that replaces wit with slapstick. Their sexual tension is neither provocative nor convincing, and the supposed horror and disgust at Zara is played for non-existent laughs.
after a stellar performance last year Iron ClawIt’s painful to see Efron revert to his typical comedic overacting. His character here is so out of touch with reality that he hasn’t been to the grocery store in decades. Efron’s performance veers from smugness to confused incompetence, never finding a middle ground that makes his character even slightly relatable.
Kidman, on the other hand, is woefully miscast as Brooke. Her sudden inexplicable attraction to this man-child is about as believable as a tabloid headline. The script doesn’t do much for her, giving her nothing more than recycled rom-com tropes to work with.
A scene from ‘A Family Affair’
Director Richard LaGravenese and screenwriter Cary Solomon lose their way early on. The film’s pace is erratic, with unresolved sexual tension being squashed too early, causing the plot to wander from one predictable scenario to the next.
There’s not much to say about King, his selfish impulses are just annoying. The supporting characters played by Liza Koshy and Sherry Cola are reduced to mere supporting roles. Even Kathy Bates, the only voice of reason in the film, exists only to highlight the flaws of the main characters.
In the end, the only laugh with family All that remains of the film is a desperate “Your Mom” joke at her own expense. The real punchline? It feels like the film’s existence hinges entirely on this last attempt at humor — or maybe the biggest joke of all is that it was made at all.
A Family Affair is currently streaming on Netflix
