A Family Affair: A Netflix Rom-Com Review
A Family Affair Review
Introduction
Didn't we just have a movie just like this in 2024? Am I crazy? Well, what's up Netflix fans, this is my review of A Family Affair, the brand new romantic comedy on Netflix. Is it funny? Is it romantic? Also, apologies if you hear Miss Rachel in the background—my daughter’s home, so she's doing that, and I'm doing this. It’s a family affair—hey, he said it, he said it
A Family Affair Trailer
Plot Overview
An unexpected romance triggers comic consequences for a
young woman, her mother, and her boss, grappling with the complications of
love, sex, and identity. It’s a Netflix movie, so obviously Joey King is going
to be in there, but you also have Zac Efron, Nicole Kidman, and Kathy Bates.
Genuinely, it’s one of the most stacked rom-com movie casts I have seen in a
long time. And they’re all great, of course—they’re going to be great. I’m not
saying the characters are written well, I’m not saying the movie’s written
well, but the performances, as you expect individually, are really good.
Performances and Character Highlights
Actually, you know what? I’ll say Joey King’s the
standout. I liked her story the most, I liked her struggle the most, I liked
her frustrations the most. Her boss, who’s kind of a little bit of a deag—can I
say that on YouTube? Dag, watch your profanity! And her mom, who’s been single
for a while now—Kathy Bates playing the mother of her former husband—is just
kind of looking for something, a little bit of spark. She doesn’t know she’s
looking for something, but when she sees this hot, sculpted man in Zac Efron,
she says, I’m looking for that piece of Ace. Calm down!
Strengths of the Film
Let’s stick with the good. If you like this genre and
you’re okay with putting this on as a background watch, you just want to see a
couple of romantic scenes and one or two subplots that you may respond to—some
heartwarming moments with Kathy Bates' character—admittedly, this movie does
get better as it goes. By the time we get to the end, part of me is like, Oh,
okay. But then the other part of me is like, But wait...
Chemistry and Relationship Dynamics
The most important thing with a rom-com is that the
main two people have to have chemistry. Unfortunately, that’s where this movie
falls apart. Again, individually, good performances. But when Efron and Kidman
are on screen together, they’re good, but I didn’t buy that relationship. I
didn’t buy the beginning of the relationship. I didn’t buy the fact that they
have anything in common. You don’t have to, I guess, for a movie like this, but
you at least have to have some conversations and share moments with each other
that allow us to believe that this relationship is actually happening.
Unfortunately, it just feels superficial and dishonest.
Physical vs. Emotional Connections
It spawns from them getting physical and intimate—not
emotionally, but physically—for the first time. And then they come back, and
they do it. They actually do it—they do the dirty. The physical part of the
relationship’s there because that’s what the audience craves with a movie like
this. But where’s the intimacy? Where’s the emotional connection? You have
Efron’s character who really just kind of needs that figure in his life to
guide him and lead him in the right direction. Is that the other person in a
relationship, or is that like a motherly figure? And then Kidman, who hasn’t
been physically intimate in so long, is just kind of looking for the physical
part. After going out and spending some time together, she realizes that he
actually is a sweet guy. But what is there beyond that?
Character Development and Storyline Issues
When we learn some things about his character later on
in the movie—not to spoil this very familiar romantic comedy—but when we do,
that’s the point where I said, Alright, Nicole Kidman, let’s move on. Let’s go
on. No, no. Again, individually, they’re good, compelling. And the storyline
with Joey King’s daughter—actually, that mother-daughter relationship was much
more impressive for me than the actual romance that’s going on in this movie.
That was the good part of the movie because of what she’s struggling with, and
she is trying to be a writer in Hollywood because Efron’s character is this big
star.
Meta Commentary on Script Quality
They keep making jokes throughout the film like, Yeah,
this movie that we’re working on is really poorly written, so we have to work
on the script. And I’m thinking, Was that the writers trying to tell themselves
that they should work on this script, but they didn’t? What’s going on?
Humor and Background Watch Value
Are you going to laugh at the moments where Joey King
walks in and her mother and her boss are getting it on? Yeah, I mean, those
types of moments—they write themselves. They’re really funny and they’re sweet.
Again, this isn’t a romantic comedy that’s atrocious on every level and you
can’t put it on in the background while you’re doing laundry or something like
that. It’s on Netflix, conveniently, so you can absolutely do that.
Comparisons to Other Films
But if you want to buy the relationship, if you want to
get invested in their relationship, and you want to see kind of a dollar store
version of that Anne Hathaway movie from earlier this year, this is that. It
just didn’t have really any of the charm romantically of that film, and
stylistically, it doesn’t necessarily bring anything to the table—just one or
two funny storylines and plot threads, and again, some really sweet moments
with Kathy Bates towards the end. She makes everything better. I got to the
final moment, and even though I didn’t buy the chemistry, it is sweet in
itself. But it wasn’t enough to convince me that this entire thing should have
happened in the first place because of the clear lack of chemistry and just the
way their relationship is written—they didn’t give them enough to do together.
Final Thoughts
Just one little stroll through an area that you learn
later on is just a thing that he does. So I’m like, Ah, don’t. And he’s not a
good person, and obviously, that’s going to change as this movie goes. But even
at the beginning, I’m like, How am I supposed to root for this guy? I mean, he
was in the iron CLA right there, so maybe I just imagine it’s actually Zac
Efron. That’s about it. What more is there to say here?
Conclusion
Leave your thoughts down below. Did this romantic
comedy work for you as a background watch, or were you genuinely invested in
the characters? Dropping that like would be awesome to support this video. And
check out our podcast, Movie Mode, where I'll talk about this this weekend.
Summary
A Family Affair has a lot going for it at times—from
its charming moments to some quirky gags. The missing ingredient, however, is
the most important element for a romantic comedy, and that is the chemistry
between the main couple. Not only is their relationship poorly written, but
there is absolutely no reason to root for them. Joey King's plot thread is the
MVP, but the rest fails to come together, and this movie failed to work for me,
even though it wasn’t actually the worst time I’ve had all year. So I guess it
could have been significantly worse. Thank goodness the charming moments
overcame the lack of quality of the script.
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