Zara Ford (Joey King) is a 24-year-old assistant whose boss, Chris Cole (Zac Efron), is a movie star who specializes in bad action films. The show here of celebrity narcissism and inappropriate office behavior that only someone who has had their share in the trenches of such an industry can achieve authenticity; indeed, the idea was generated from screenwriter Carrie Solomon’s own life as an assistant. Chris manipulates Zara emotionally while offering her promotions to make him do mean-spirited and humiliating work for him; she stays on because she feels that this job might be the fastest route to becoming a Hollywood producer. It’s what keeps A Family Affair funny but more importantly, it leads to A Family Affair’s big rom-com twist when Chris gets hot and heavy with Zara’s widowed mother, Brooke (Nicole Kidman).
Unfortunately, even though Richard LaGravenese directed the film (a seasoned expert in the genre as The Last Five Years), A Family Affair doesn’t have much fire between them. In 2012’s The Paperboy, Kidman and Efron played a May-December couple with real sexual chemistry. When they are brought together again on the same screen twelve years later, however; it becomes flat and lukewarm barely raising its romantic temperature. And why is incredibly attractive smart and successful writer Brooke single ten years after her husband died? Hence, it is not hard to see why she’d have sex with her daughter’s himbo boss just because they took some tequila shots together one night after dinner. (Go get yours!) But other than that carnal satisfaction what does Brooke find irresistible about Chris because his script by Solomon doesn’t tell us.
What it does offer up are tired lines like “don’t break my heart,” or “he’s more than you think.” In place of any substantial plot points that show any deepening affection, there is a beach getaway montage. He’s spent the last two years making Brooke’s daughter’s life miserable in A Family Affair. Essentially, he looks good and used to wait tables; those are his only saving graces. The closest Efron comes to any character development is a quick mention of his childhood grief that is meant to explain Chris’ terrible behavior. What again does A Family Affair want us to adore about this guy?
The film’s most amusing moments come from Chris and Zara who have a love-hate relationship; at one point Zara wittily exploits Chris and the French director of his “Die Hard meets Miracle on 34th Street” blockbuster by using the language barrier between them as an excuse to lecture him about dating politics. In addition, Chris’ complaints over how much his life costs (Zara wants him to know he has no idea how much things cost), the mishandling of an expensive shahtoosh T-shirt (“it’s one of a kind. I only have two!”), and refusal to act as “a sighted alcoholic” because “it goes against my iconography” are also mildly funny. King manages nonetheless to make Zara adorably charming, goofy and lively even if she is slightly neurotic in nature.
Nevertheless, LaGravenese struggles to bring out the wackiness of three main characters’ stakes. Solomon’s script has an insider view but it is too weak and light to provide any substantial or satisfactory passing in relation to how these competing romantic, familial and professional relationships between the trio are intertwined. This script also throws in two token bffs of color – Stella (Sherry Cola) and Eugenie (Liza Koshy) – as Gen Z voices of reason. Yes, Zara is right to be weirded out by the romance and her script notes are valid but this movie-in-a-movie and Stella’s work as an indie playwright do not contribute anything. Similarly, Eugenie’s character arc is flimsy at best and solely designed for Zara to confront her self-centeredness when she ignores her friend’s relationship issues– but why is she the only one paying for her nasty traits?
Solomon does at least give Brooke some interesting strands to follow. Having just been exposed for having an affair with Chris, a fight between them reveals that there is mother-daughter tension before us that deals not just with Brooke’s intimidating success but also their shared mourning for a husband and father. The chemistry between King and Kidman provides a natural anchor for A Family Affair’s dramatic tendencies which are emotionally charged than its comedic counterparts. Another relatable aspect of this conversation takes place later on when Brooke talks with her mother-in-law who comes across as easygoingly portrayed by Kathy Bates on how career triumphs or failures can ruin love – however this is left unexplored with her present egotistical beau; instead there is minimal engagement pointing towards Hollywood-style conclusion that inadequately resolves matters.
Verdict
Joey King does pull off an impressive performance amidst a star-studded cast; nevertheless A Family Affair remains true its title: messy like conflicting personal and professional relations. The convoluted and surface level script plus gaping direction are unable to produce any character stakes worth fighting for. To make matters worse, Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron do not seem to rekindle the fire they ignited in 2012’s The Paperboy, thereby leaving this rom part of “rom-com” lukewarm at best.
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