'A Family Affair' Review: Zac Efron, Nicole Kidman's rom-com is ...

Netflix's new rom-com 'A Family Affair', starring Zac Efron and Nicole Kidman, attempts to blend romance and comedy. However, it doesn't leave a lasting impression.

Netflix's 'A Family Affair' stars Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron and Joey King.

Netflix’s new rom-com, ‘A Family Affair’, starring Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron in lead roles with Joey King, has all the elements needed for a successful romantic comedy. You have a leading movie star, his new love interest who also happens to be the mother of his assistant and a Pulitzer-winner writer. There is enough conflict for one to invest in, but it just doesn’t pick up.

Screenwriter and director Richard LaGravenese of 'PS I Love You fame' is a master at making you fall in love with love. But, unlike his previous directorial, ‘A Family Affair’ lacks the tempering without which it tastes almost bland and uninteresting. Chris Cole [Zac] is a clueless film star who is so disconnected from the real world that he doesn’t know what a convenience store looks like. He is self-absorbed, mostly obnoxious with almost no self-reflective traits. His character is an exact prototype of a stereotypical movie star we hear of. His assistant is Zara [Joey], who understandably dislikes him for making her run his errands and randomly keeps telling her she is fired. He even gets her to buy gifts for his dogs from her salary! Yes, that is the level of obnoxiousness we are talking about.

His affair with Zara’s mother Brooke [Nicole] begins one day when he visits his assistant and ends up finding a spark in her. The biggest roadblock in this romance is not the public scrutiny or the 16-year-old age gap but Zara’s disapproval. Zara, who is quite aware of her boss’ reputation, doesn’t want to see her mother heartbroken. So, this ‘family affair’ begins, but doesn’t take off.

Yes, it’s lovely to see romances where a man is not intimidated by a more intelligent woman and is attracted to her. But the surface-level writing doesn’t seem convincing enough. Chris’s dual personality never really convinces you of the person he is. Sure, you get the concept of 'stardom' and 'loneliness' and why he always uses the ‘popular’ card, but it just never scratches beyond the surface. Zac, however, is wonderful. His charismatic presence makes Chris watchable.

Watch the trailer of 'A Family Affair' here:

Nicole is a star. She makes you empathise with Brooke with every bit of conviction possible. Although, the writing tilts in Brooke’s favour because her character gets it all. Joey King, however, had a lot of slapstick to pull off and she stands out as Zara. Efron and Kidman serve a good romance to the audience with their easy chemistry on-screen. They have a sweet thing going on, but the writing never really elevates.

The writing of the film is fluff and frivolous with seldom serious tonality. It’s as if they are confused about the romance they want to present. If you are lucky, you will find yourself chuckling once or twice during the runtime.

However, by the end, you wouldn't know how to feel. Or maybe heave a sigh of relief that the film is finally over.

2.5 out of 5 stars for ‘A Family Affair’.