‘A Family Affair’ Movie Review: A Trojan Horse Coming-of-Age Story with a Gentle Heart

Bringing together a trio of high-profile stars, A Family Affair takes on many complications in the arena of love, relationships, & familial dynamics with the perpetually in-demand Oscar & Emmy winner Nicole Kidman and her former co-star of 2012’s The Paperboy Zac Efron, alongside Netflix YA Rom-Com Queen Joey King, who broke out making The Kissing Booth trilogy for the streamer from 2018 to 2021. Kidman & Efron are also no strangers to Netflix films as Kidman made The Prom with fellow Oscar winner Meryl Streep in 2020 and Efron made the Ted Bundy docudrama Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil And Vile back in 2019.

Directed by Richard LaGravenese (Freedom Writers, P.S. I Love You) on a script from Carrie Solomon, the story unfolds through the life of 24 year old Hollywood assistant Zara Ford (King), who is languishing under the constant demands, pressures, & selfishness of her boss, franchise movie star heartthrob Chris Cole (Efron).

Tired of the hours, the mistreatment, & the lack of career advancement, Zara finally decides to quit her job and move on. Realizing the error of his ways and Zara’s meaningful role in his life & career, Chris drives over to her house to plead for forgiveness and ask for her to return. However, when he arrives, the only person home is Zara’s mother Brooke Harwood (Kidman), an accomplished author & widowed mother since the passing of her husband over a decade ago.

Passing the time before Zara returns, Chris and Brooke connect over tequila, tales of their tragic pasts, & some light Greek mythology on their way to an intimate conclusion. Caught in the act upon Zara’s arrival home, the couple are instructed by a mortified Zara to not see each other again.

Ignoring her wishes, Chris & Brooke continue to pursue their unexpected romance in secret just as Zara takes on a new role as Associate Producer on Chris’ latest franchise blockbuster. Set on a collision course that could alter their lives in increasingly complicated ways, the three must make hard decisions and think of more than themselves to make things work in the end.

While the marketing for the film focuses more on its comedic and salacious aspects, director Richard LaGravenese had it pegged well when he called the film, in a statement to Tudum, “a coming-of-age story for three different characters at three different stages in their lives.”

While it does have some Rom-Com hallmarks that work well at times, A Family Affair ultimately succeeds more on the strength of the growth in their characters and the vulnerability, heart, & warmth that slowly develops as the movie goes along.

It’s ironic that overcoming selfish behavior is such a large theme in the film because the film thrives in the selflessness of its actors. Having 3 quite notable performers (and one that may have stolen some scenes from the trio) can get messy sometimes with each one trying to upstage the other, but not this time; most notably, Nicole Kidman feels the most subdued & human she’s been in some time. That exposure mixed with the natural boyish looks & charm of Efron eventually meet in a believable place for a relationship that may look cartoonish on paper … boy.

For all of the big-name talent working their magic, it’s the supporting cast in this film that helps elevate the film to where LaGravenese believed it should be: more than just the new rom-com from the producers of Anyone But You.

The more we see of another notable Oscar Winner in Kathy Bates (Misery, Fried Green Tomatoes), the better the movie is for it. Bates’ character Leila, the grandmother to Zara and mother-in-law & literary editor to Brooke, provides so much maternal love & feminine wisdom to what could have been a less interesting, trope-filled romance. As a sounding board for Brooke and a calming influence to the more erratic Zara, Bates gives warmth, laughs, & a delicate touch to a story that really needed it when it pulls back from the over-the-top opening act.

Solid supporting efforts from the delightful & underutilized Sherry Cola (Joy Ride, Shortcomings) as Zara’s writer friend Stella and Liza Koshy (Players) as Zara’s best friend Eugenie, help hold a mirror up to Zara at key times later in the story.

Overall, A Family Affair is more than its exaggerated rom-com marketing thanks to a cast & crew who cared enough for its story & characters to bring its audience in to the real coming-of-age arc it wants to present. Kidman & Efron shockingly work as a pair with surprising romantic chemistry with a tinge of maternal love. Joey King has to play everything from the picture of immature youth to the guiding producer hand in a role that won’t get much credit, but should; And Kathy Bates gives the film exactly what it needs every time she appears. While it may struggle at times when it tries to be too comedic or sexy, the film will ultimately be defined for its warm look at life and love at all different stages.

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Watch A Family Affair If You Like

• Something’s Gotta Give
• The Idea of You
• How Stella Got Her Groove Back
• Sex and the City

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MVP of A Family Affair

Kathy Bates as Leila Ford

Turning 76 on the day of the film’s release, Kathy Bates has shown us many sides & many characters in her storied, well-decorated career.

From her breakout Oscar-winning role in Misery to her Emmy-winning TV career and all the plaudits she has earned over a 35-year span, Bates has built a reputation for being the ultimate character actor, with exceptional range and unflinching confidence.

With her role as Leila Ford in A Family Affair, she gets to step away from being Ryan Murphy’s current Swiss Army Knife and build on her more wise & fun role in Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret to create an experienced woman with an air of confidence, wisdom, & maternal warmth that has exactly what their counterparts need in every scene. She’s light on her feet with a smile on her face while helping the main female characters get through each passing complication in their story. Bates steals so many moments in this movie and changes the tone so easily that she had to earn the MVP over her star-studded cast mates.

Kidman, Efron, & King may grab the attention, but a Trojan horse coming-of-age story with a gentle heart and a bonus performance from Kathy Bates gives the rom-com audience more than it’s used to.