LONDON: Despite the dreadfully derivative title of “A Family Affair,” this new Netflix movie does appear to have some pretty serious heft. It’s directed by Richard LaGravenese (writer of “The Fisher King” and “The Horse Whisperer” and director of “Beautiful Creatures” and “P.S. I Love You”), and stars Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron, Joey King and Kathy Bates. Zara (King) quits her job as personal assistant to movie star Chris Cole (Efron), but when he comes to her house to beg her to come back, an unlikely romance blossoms between Chris and Zara’s mother, Brooke (Kidman). Despite Zara’s protestations, the two carry on their relationship — cue a series of sort-of romantic, sort-of comedic set pieces and some awkward exchanges between Zara (keen to forge a career in the movie business) and her mother. Where this formula breaks down is that “A Family Affair” isn’t particularly romantic, or even particularly funny.
'A Family Affair' is now streaming on Netflix. (Supplied)
Efron is far more entertaining as the empty-headed Hollywood douchebag at the movie’s outset and Chris’s transition to heartfelt nice guy simply doesn’t land – it’s hard to see what Brooke (supposedly an extremely talented and intelligent woman) would even see in the obnoxious idiot who caused her daughter to quit. King makes for an enigmatically clumsy lead and is by far and away the best thing about the movie — largely because most of her scenes aren’t transfixed by the awkward romance between Brooke and Chris. Kidman, on the other hand, is really slumming it here, saddled with material that is a waste of her considerable talents. Writer Carrie Solomon’s dialog, at times, is simply two people repeating lines back at one another — it wasn’t cute during the heyday of the rom-com and it’s not cute now.
For all the movie’s potential, “A Family Affair” just winds up feeling empty. An exploration of the power dynamic between an older woman and a younger, famous man — and the impact it can have on families on both sides — could have been fascinating. Sadly for this movie, it’s a subject explored in far more interesting way in “The Idea of You,” which starred Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine and came out several months ago.
