A Family Affair is a reminder that movie stars still exist and their names are Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron. 

With a simple premise outlined by Nicole Kidman playing writer, Brooke Harwood, who finds herself at a plateau of her career simultaneously as her 24-year-old daughter Zara played by Joey King feels unfulfilled in the life of a Hollywood assistant to himbo Chris Cole played Zac Efron. Three adults at different points in their lives are all seeking fulfillment in some type of form. Zara has just about reached her breaking point with Chris finally quitting until he comes black to woo her by accidentally hooking up with her mom and launching a full-on love affair that both upsets and disgusts Zara. 

The script penned by newcomer Carrie Solomon follows the recent movie slew of older woman/younger man romances that have been seen as a bit of a taboo compared to the weirdly accented social norm of older men with younger women. Solomon infuses the genres of rom-com with coming of age to craft the DNA of A Family Affair leaving it up to the iconic ensemble to bring what could be flat characters to full animation.  The script is witty and sharp throwing in the trends of today but still possessing a timelessness that could put this film on its way to a rom-com classic int he future. All three coming off of pretty gruesome projects, and it is very apparent in their performances how much fun they are having in the simple pleasures of a rom-com that still hits at an existential question of what it means to live life. 

Nicole Kidman is the ultimate movie star of movie stars and leaves behind her more serious limited series career to remind us she can do any genre and give the performance of a lifetime. She gets to act opposite Zac Efron in a steamy love affair that is certainly a dream for any person who grew up watching him in a High School Musical film. These two have been costars once before so their pulsating chemistry radiates right from the start. When they first meet in the most obvious meeting cute at her home and too much tequila is spilled, you immediately swoon and want this to happen as you lean into the edge of your seat waiting for someone to make the first move. Nicole and Zac are all in to live out this fanfiction fantasy.

Underneath the romance, this is a story of finding yourself from the perspective of these three individuals. Zara learns that she needs to stop thinking about her career crisis at the ripe age of twenty-four when the whole world is still at her fingertips. Blinded by her problems she misses what her mother has been craving since her father died 11 years ago and what was even missing in the relationship. It is when Zara can let go of her selfishness that she can finally allow her mother to experience the happiness she is seeking which in turn reignites the fire in her life meaning it’s not too late to restart your life or catch a second wind of passion. Zac Efron’s exterior of Chris is a brainless egomaniac, but as that melts a person is hiding behind that defense mechanism. A person begging to experience reality outside the walls of fame, and it unexpectedly happens to be with an older woman but maybe that is the domesticity and stability that is lacking in his 30 years of life. 

Sophistication and star power have been injected back into romantic comedies that have desperately been missing from the mix since the early 2000s. 

Grade: A

Oscars Prospects:
Likely: None
Should be Considered: None

Release Date: June 28, 2024
Where to Watch: On Netflix