A Family Affair – A Sweet Romance

A Family Affair is the latest Netflix film with big-name actors and a lot of buzz. Directed by Richard LaGravenese and from a script by Carrie Solomon, it tells the story of an egotistical actor, Chris Cole (Efron), who unexpectedly starts up a romance with his assistant Zara’s (King) widowed mother Brooke (Kidman). The result of that is exactly as awkward as one would expect with sneaking around, enjoying the perks of being a movie star, and even weirdly visiting a pediatrician. But as awkward as some of the film’s moments are, it finds the right combination of endearing and enchanting, while featuring compelling performances from Efron, Kidman, and Ford.

Here, it feels like Efron is playing a version of himself as Cole, a Hollywood hero at the center of a mythologically inspired cinematic universe. As part of the introduction to the character and his lifestyle, audiences are treated with a montage of various magazine covers and bits of paparazzi-inspired clips that would be right at home on TMZ. Meanwhile, as the film goes on, there are even a few wink-wink references to the real-life shift in Efron’s look after a catastrophic jaw injury left him almost dead. Undergoing the most growth throughout the film, Efron’s sincerity will have many wanting to like him and hoping that his relationship with Brooke work out. Cole starts off as someone with no qualms about making his Zara suffer through his ridiculous demands and the type of person who has a standard breakup gift for the women in his life. Although that ego very much remains by the end of the film, he has an earnestness thanks to being in love.

Brooke, is a prize-winning author who has a side hustle (with the unfortunately unused closet to match) as a Vogue contributor. Now a widow, she and Zara, for whom she had a close relationship, lived together in a fancy house. As Brooke, Kidman brings a quiet sort of power and wisdom to her. Brooke is not yearning for something in her life, and once audiences meet her, she seems completely fulfilled. But her relationship with Cole reveals that something’s been missing in her life, and it’s delightful to see Kidman bring that to life on screen.

When it comes to that relationship, a similar film, Bewitched, comes to mind. As Samantha, there’s a certain quality to Kidman’s acting that’s played up here. There is a certain etherealness to her that she embodies here, too. How she delivers her lines, with a contemplated softness that’s never weak, makes her believable as someone in the early stages of infatuation and love. And it’s way more fun to watch her and Efron open up to each other in these roles rather than it was back then. While it’s unclear whether the duo have believable romantic chemistry or any heat as a couple, there is something sweet there. Efron and Kidman offer up such strong performances that are very obviously rooted in friendship and mutual respect for one another that it is easy to overlook an issue like that.

King’s Zara is the third wheel in this story. Although she does a great job at bringing this young woman to life, hilariously showing her exasperation with Cole and her mom, she hogs too much screen time. A subplot where Zara realizes she’s been an awful friend to her bestie Eugenie (Liza Koshy) that, though it does tie into the main story, walks that line of almost making her unlikeable. While it gives her agency and growth, and keeps her from being a background decoration in the story of Cole and Harwood, it takes away real estate from the other leads. And they are who most audiences came here to see anyway.

In the end, the film has the feel of a classic romcom, with everything triggering that nostalgia for films like The Holiday or even Notting Hill. But the fact that the romance part takes far too long to kick in, makes it tough to classify it as such. It simply does not afford audiences nearly enough time with Efron and Kidman for it to be a wholehearted effort at that genre. That being said, every moment they are on screen, either together or alone, is just wonderful. A Family Affair is worth checking out on Netflix now, especially for those who are fans of old school romcom.

still courtesy of Netflix

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Ayla Ruby

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