“A Family Affair,” the new, somewhat superficial Netflix rom-com from writer/director Richard LaGravenese (“The Last Five Years,” “Beautiful Creatures”), is by no means brilliant or full of depth. And yet, still, the trio of Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron, and Joey King create an interesting dynamic; the ultimately well-intentioned film has some interesting things to say about late-in-life love, the many facets of self-absorption, and the way we use the notion of protecting the ones we love under the guise of selfish self-interest.
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The premise is admittedly a little shallow in a trivial Hollywood way. Joey King stars as Zara, a young woman who works as the long-suffering personal assistant to the narcissistic, hard-abbed Hollywood star Chris Cole (Zac Efron). Cole is a selfish, clueless, self-regarding jackass with his head up his ass. He teases Zara with the promise of becoming a producing partner on his films or moving up into development but treats her like garbage and has her do all of his lowly, menial tasks, including last-minute late-night runs to the grocery store when he needs ice cream (has he never heard of DoorDash? He probably has, but would never bother to figure out how to use it, that’s what an assistant is for).
The star of the “Icarus” superhero franchise, described often as “’ Die Hard’ meets ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ with a little bit of ‘Speed,’” obviously some kind of generic action sequence seemingly ripped out of the pages of the fake films in “Tropic Thunder,” Cole is a massive star, mobbed by fans, the paparazzi, his dating life questioned by Us Weekly and he lives life with all the cliched trappings of celebrity life.
But the latest “Icarus” film is in trouble even by Cole’s dismal, low-bar standards. The script is terrible— he thinks, unsure of what’s actually quality writing— he’s thinking about rewrites, and despite Zara’s best suggestions to find new writers—she has a keen eye for this type of producorial creativity— he mostly ignores and further infuriates her.
Soon, their toxic, abusive relationship comes to a head, and Zara, already contemptuous of her idiot boss, quits in haste. Cole initially says “good riddance”-like about it but then immediately becomes contrite and panicked, knowing that Zara basically organizes and manages his entire life. He’s hopeless without her.
Heading to her house to apologize and beg for her to come back, Cole, instead, finds Zara’s widowed mother, Brooke Harwood (Kidman), an award-winning author at home cleaning the house. Initially taken aback by who she thought might be an intruder, eventually chemistry sparks between them, especially when generous doses of tequila become involved. Eventually, the two are ripping each other’s clothes off in a fit of passion. Still, before the deed can be consummated, Zara comes home and finds them naked together, and in her grossed-out freak-out revulsion, she concusses herself and ends up in the hospital.
And thus truly begins the movie’s premise: a budding May-December romance between a Hollywood hunk, a lonely mom, single for years and deserving more, and a daughter in the middle horror-stricken by the idea of her shallow, stupid employer having an affair with her mother.
Clearly, in the firm belief that Cole is beneath her mom, not to mention the complications it makes as she returns to work for him, “A Family Affair” has its cliches, but it’s also surprisingly entertaining. While the couple tries to hide their affair from Zara, the second half of “A Family Affair” starts to at least become a bit more thoughtful in contemplating who Zara truly is.
While Cole is supposed to be the self-obsessed, oblivious egoist, “A Family Affair” cleverly shifts that notion onto Zara. For all her ideas of protecting her mom from this idiot she despises, she is completely blind and oblivious to her mom’s needs and desires. And a 50-something mother’s lusting desire might be gross for a 20-something kid to ponder, but the rom-coms greatest strength is its well-perceived observation about children making everything about themselves and rarely considering how their parents are human beings, with their own foibles, needs, and yearnings.
While “A Family Affair” doesn’t hold too many surprises, it can be unexpectedly amusing, enjoyable, and even, at times, mildly sweet and touching, especially in Zara’s awakening to the fact that she’s actually the self-serving one; the problematic cockblocking villain in this story, and perhaps she should butt out of her mother’s affairs and just live and let live.
Moreover, “A Family Affair,” despite some tired tropey elements, can be charming and contains some good chemistry and energy. Efron is surprisingly great with King and Kidman, and Kathy Bates plays a good and wise “follow your bliss” mom to Kidman, reminding her daughter’s angsty discontent shouldn’t shortchange her own happiness. It doesn’t hurt that everyone knows the movie they’re making and doesn’t have delusions about its importance. “A Family Affair” doesn’t reinvent the rom-com mold by any stretch, but in a year filled with many Netflix Original disasters, it’s a tiny, diverting little bright spot worthy of at least a little affection. [C+/B-]