A FAMILY AFFAIR -- A Cliche and Annoying Rom-Com

Review by Adam Donato

A Family Affair. Nicole Kidman as Brooke Harwood, Zac Efron as Chris Cole, and Joey King as Zara Ford. Credit: Tina Rowden / Netflix © 2023.

Netflix loves shitting out these standard rom-coms. Just change the stars and the setting for a brand-spanking new movie. It's not just Netflix, as competing streaming services like to utilize the same formula. Just recently, Amazon released The Idea of You, a romantic comedy where Anne Hathaway plays a mother who falls in love with a boy band member when she takes her daughter to a music festival. It's hard not to think of that movie when A Family Affair is about a mother who falls in love with a movie star for whom her daughter works. Hollywood is unoriginal; what else is new? Director Richard LaGravenese returns to the director's chair after a year off. The director mostly does romance pictures outside his biggest hit, Freedom Writers. With A Family Affair, this should be right in his romantic wheelhouse. Can he make this tired premise feel fresh?

The stars occupying this formulaic content are pretty prolific. On the one hand, that legitimizes this movie, but it also is sad for stars of this caliber. Nicole Kidman is one of the greatest actresses of the 21st century. Sure, she starred in those Aquaman movies, but a Hallmark Netflix original romance? Sad! Her love interest is drooping to new lows as well, as Zac Efron plays the douchey boss turned MILF-lover. Although he's no stranger to the romance genre, this type of streaming schlock feels below him. The real protagonist of the film is played by Joey King. She stars as Kidman's daughter and Efron's assistant, who accidentally brings the two together and struggles with their flourishing relationship. King is no stranger to Netflix originals, as that's where she belongs. Kathy Bates is also here for some reason. The only actor elevated by this project's pedigree is the former social media personality Liza Koshy.

A Family Affair. Nicole Kidman as Brooke Harwood, Zac Efron as Chris Cole, and Joey King as Zara Ford. Credit: Tina Rowden / Netflix © 2023.

Kidman is as solid in the film as she can be. She has decent chemistry with Efron, but her soiled connection with her daughter is not given the dramatic weight to feel like there are any real stakes. Efron's comedic chops are the highlight of the film. His character is very funny as an exaggeratedly rude and out-of-touch celebrity, but his energy drops entirely once his relationship with Kidman starts. It's as if he turned into a whole new person, which makes it harder to feel for King's struggle to cope with their relationship. King is comedic enough, but mostly just annoying to follow. Her conflict is so unreasonable and predictable. Bates is good for some solid scenes of advice. Koshy's skillset is much more suited for the stage as she's so animated and overly expressive. She has social media fans, but some find her content to be cringe and annoying. She has a dramatic scene with King that comes out of nowhere, and she feels like a different person. 

There's definitely an audience for films like A Family Affair. With an endless combination of hot actors and actresses, this formula is a perpetual goldmine. It's got a good sense of humor but fails to connect on an emotional level. Even with the high pedigree of actors at play, this one definitely belongs on a streaming service. Netflix makes some of the best movies of the year on a regular basis, but this is not trying to be one of those. It's the same movie but with different actors in a different setting. Nicole Kidman was nominated for an Oscar two years ago. Don't lose sight of that, despite what this movie may have you believe. ​

A Family Affair streams on Netflix beginning June 28.

Rating: 2/5