We’ll never know when precisely it happened, but somewhere betweenJohn Cusackholding a boombox over his head toJennifer Garnerdancing to “Thriller” withMark Ruffalo, audiences quietly broke up with therom-com. It might have been the redundant narratives that discouraged us over the years, but when streaming began to build its catalogs with the help of diverse voices, Netflix found its niche. Following the success of originals likeSet It UporTo All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, the streamer swept boldly into the genre, offering fresh perspectives that broke heteronormative molds and white-centric stories. But despite Netflix’s best efforts, it feels like the saturation has worked against our interests. So much so, that its newest release,A Family AffairwithNicole KidmanandZac Efron, struggles to find its footing and unique style without ever standing outlike the streamer’s previous originals.
Brimming withNora EphronandNancy Meyersvibes,A Family Affairtries hard to be something it isn’t and that’s where it loses its appeal. Across two hours, the film never finds its authenticity, even when the cast led by Kidman, Efron,Joey King,Kathy Bates,Liza Koshy,andSherry Colagive it their all. Directed byRichard LaGravenese(P.S. I Love You) and written byCarrie Solomon(The Good Fight),A Family Affairnever quite lets you care about its characters, even when they are given more complex, nuanced layers. Instead,they play straight to tropes that lead to predictable plots that give you enough to realize its conclusion right when the leads meet. While LaGravenese and Solomon endeavor to bring a strong, enjoyable film to life with its stylization and cast, it just never feels natural.
What Is ‘A Family Affair’ About?
While the concept ofA Family Affairfeels zestful and funny as aromantic comedyblending a coming-of-age story, it lacks sincerity and fails to find its voice — even with the addition of itsstrong Gen Z touchfrom King, best known for her role in Netflix’sTheKissing Booth. Setting the tone and style of the film through her eyes,A Family Affairopens up with Zara, who is every bit the stereotype of her generation. She is burned out, doesn’t know what she wants to do with her life, is the personal assistant to a cliché-filled Hollywood actor named Chris Cole (Efron), and has a sharp neuroticism while sitting alone in her car eating donuts. After what is supposed to be a funny moment where she most awkwardly helps her boss break up with his girlfriend in a restaurant,Zara decides to step back from her role as the Hollywood heartthrob’s helper.
A shouting match ensues between the pair at his mansion, andwe see these two as rather vapid characters that fall intorom-com repetition hell.However, it’s this moment that has Zara obliviously setting the stage for an unexpected encounter between the egocentric himbo and her very accomplished mother, Brooke (Kidman), who has been closed off from romance since her husband’s death 11 years ago. As Chris seeks Zara’s forgiveness at her home, he instead meets her mother. The two become acquainted and, a few tequilas later, Chris and Brooke form a connection. Through their conversation, we learn the pair have a lot more in common and bond through their shared grief quickly, expecting the audience to be convinced by this snappy, clichéd dynamic. Once the alcohol kicks in, things get hot and heavy,but not before Zara walks in on the pair in what is, tragically,the funniest scene in the entire film.She collides directly into the doorframe for some screwball funniness, but it’s this beat that finds Brooke considering if she should pursue this spark with Chris or end it before it begins for her daughter’s sake.
Despite the Star Power, ‘A Family Affair’ Fails Its Cast
When you get a movie starring the likes of Kidman, Efron, and Bates, you think it’s going to deliver everything you need. Unfortunately,A Family Affairfails its cast despite every one of them giving it their all. The interactions between King and Efron are funny, but not that funny. Instead, the dynamic feels forced, and at times, appears like the actors are not wholly convinced by their roles.Though there is a faint chemistry between the two, it never feels fully formed in the scenes that need it the mostand would benefit our understanding of Chris and Zara. Instead, it’s all rather one-dimensional and feels incomplete.
While the film does lend itself to nuanced layers of character development, it’s just not convincing enough. Efron’s Chris grows into a more evolved person by the end amid his long list of shortcomings and struggles with impostor syndrome, but it’s because we are forced to understand a new side of him through his interactions with Brooke. Efron doesn’t give us much more than this and it’s because of poor writing that it doesn’t feel as organic.It’s all told to us rather than shown through the performance.The same goes for King’s Zara, who is exactly like Chris, but we see it in a somewhat more substantial build-up for her character. Thoughshe is still trope-ridden, she has a more natural progression that we see laid out in interactions with Kidman and co-star, Koshy — an actor who strongly holds her own in a fluffy film.
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T as in Troy?
ThoughA Family Affairsuffers from a formulaic plot, there is a charm brought forth by Kidman and Bate’s chemistry. This might be one of the most glowing contributions to LaGravenese’s feature, as we see two very seasoned actors elevating every scene they’re in. Even with their characters not feeling fully fleshed out, we see a lot going into their scenes alone and together through the smallest, most affecting of expressions that speak louder than the film’s diluted writing.It’s a testament to their craft that it powers the most basic appeal in what is a relatively underwhelming rom-com.
‘A Family Affair’ Is Another Rom-Com Lost in Netflix’s Library
A Family Affairfalls back on formulaic, archaic narratives simply to serve star power. Yes, it’s another film like Prime Video’sThe Idea of Youthat pits the “taboo” narrative of an older woman with a younger man, which is refreshing and something more of us want to see. But where theAnne Hathawayrom-com delivered a genuinely smart script with a romantic plot,A Family Affairlacks depth and any real-world complexities. It also regresses into former genre norms by pushing its diverse cast to side stories, stranding those like Koshy’s character Eugenie, who is Zara’s best friend, or Cola’s Stella, an aspiring screenwriter. While not much can be said for Cola’s role, who is on for less than three minutes, Koshy showcases some of the most depth as a supporting character with a thoughtful arc.
Instead, we are forced to believe the twists and turns Brooke, Chris, and Zara experience are supposed to be meaningful. Take Efron’s character, who is unhappy about being so famous that he can’t walk into a grocery store. We are never given enough time to understand his anguish until that conversation with Brooke. Meanwhile, Zara never once gives her mom a chance until her grandmother tells her to look at them together, and it’s this gesture in the plot that feels abrupt. Because of these qualities that will have you forget the film beyond a few details,A Family Affairwill no doubt get lost in the shuffle of Netflix’s rom-com catalog— even when itpops back up for Christmas. One of the film’s more awkward choices for a backdrop is the holiday season, which adds nothing and feels out of place. Sure, there are films made around Christmas that are not about the season, but injecting some of that holiday charm makes you wonder how many rewritesA Family Affairendured to be this disconnected in its execution and comedy. The scenes are defined by strung-out humor that go on too long, like when Zara and Chris argue over a script that isDie HardmeetsMiracle on 34th Street“with a little bit ofSpeed.” The joke repeats over and over in a moment that loses its comedic appeal quickly, much like when Zara talks about Oreo cookies for what feels like a solid minute-and-a-half.
As the film attempts to weave itself into a screwball comedy, it unexpectedly bobs into a weak character study, skewing situations and characters while never quite touching the ground or giving us reason to care. It’s this imbalance of sentiment that makes the film’s overall charm confusing.Those who love romantic comedies should expect more from Netflix’s latest. Taking the reins on a genre now found at the bottom of Walmart’s $5 bargain bin, the streamer is proving with its monthly titles likeMother of the BrideandIrish Wishthat it never had any interest in creating its ownSleepless in SeattleorWhen Harry Met Sally. Instead, its focus has been on quick, starry-eyed productions that overlook the genre’s integrity and charm for a quick, immediate burst of comfort for audiences. The prospect of new Netflix rom-coms beaming with all-star casts always leaves us feeling a little excited, but the attractiveness alone isn’t enough to sustain the passion in our streaming relationship.
A Family Affair
A Family Affair is another rom-com for Netflix that will leave fans of the genre longing for more passion.
A Family Affairis available to stream on Netflix in the U.S. starting June 28.
