REVIEW: ‘A Family Affair’ is More Than Your Average Romantic Comedy
Zara Ford (Joey King) is down on her luck. Her egotistical boss, Chris Cole (Zac Efron) refuses to see Zara as anything more than his assistant. Deciding she is fed up with his treatment, Zara quits. With no job and no idea what she wants to do with her life, Zara finds herself on a downward spiral. In an attempt to win Zara back, Chris has a chance encounter with Zara’s mom, Brooke (Nicole Kidman). When sparks fly between the two, an unexpected romance begins, but quickly ends when Zara catches them in bed together. Asking them to end their romance, Brooke and Chris decide to keep their relationship a secret from Zara, but when Zara finds out Brooke’s relationship with her daughter is tested in ways neither of them expected.
The chemistry between the characters makes Netflix’s A Family Affair. Kidman and King are the perfect mother/daughter duo. Underneath the comedy and the romance is a movie about a mother and daughter trying to find themselves again. Whether in love or life, both Kidman’s Brooke and King’s Zara are facing an uncomfortable journey of what ifs that superbly play out on screen. Their relationship brings the drama, but its Efron and King’s that bring the laughs. Efron’s play as the egotistical actor is brilliant while King’s performance as the selfish employee/daughter will make you love/hate her. However, when they are on screen together, King and Efron’s back and forth banter is comedic gold.
Efron and Kidman are no newcomers to playing love interests, and these two prove, once again, why creatives continue to cast them alongside each other. They are a joy to watch on screen together. Kathy Bates (Leila Ford), Sherry Cola (Stella), and Liza Koshy (Eugenie) round out the cast and all three characters bring some laughs and a lot of grounding for our leading ladies. They may be considered secondary characters, but this movie would be lost if it didn’t include their characters.
Directed by Richard LaGravenese and written by Carrie Solomon, these two have created a movie that beautifully highlights the love between a mother and daughter. The movie is an exploration of oneself and whether or not we have the courage to take a risk on ourselves. My only wish for this movie is it should have been released during the Holiday season. The movie features Christmas decorations and Christmas music, which took me out of the movie for a bit. However, if you can push that little setback aside, you will genuinely love the movie.
A Family Affair is a joy from start to finish. Efron proves why he should be in more romantic comedies with his portrayal of Chris, while King proves she needs to be in more comedies with her portrayal of Zara. I highly recommend grabbing a seat this weekend and checking this movie out.
Grade: A