A Family Affair Review: An Entertaining Imperfect Rom-Com

Some movies you automatically know that critics will be divided on it. A Family Affair is one of those movies. However, that’s part of its charm.

Some of the greatest rom-coms are silly, nonsense that makes you giggle and smile. A Family Affair falls into that category and it’s beautiful.

A few things save this Netflix movie from being another romantic comedy that makes you sigh as you wonder if the art of romantic comedies has been lost. The first thing is that it has genuinely funny moments.

The movie starts shaky as Zac Efron tries to make his character, Chris Cole, funny in this ridiculous way that he starts to morph into Dennis Reynold from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

We all love Dennis, but no one should date him.

However, Chris tones down the ridiculous (slightly disturbing) behavior and becomes the romantic lead you expect. He also becomes a funnier character. Efron has some of the funniest moments in A Family Affair.

Joey King also gets some funny moments as Zara, his assistant and eventual kind of stepdaughter. The film allows these characters to have big comedic moments so that Nicole Kidman’s Brooke and Kathy Bates’s Leila can be the heart.

It’s a true rom-com where comedy is a main ingredient but thrives with tender moments too. These especially shine when Kidman and Bates are on-screen together.

Most romantic comedies don’t have huge laugh-out-loud moments but more things that make you chuckle or giggle. A Family Affair is a master at those small comedy moments. It meets the expectation level you should have with the comedy in rom-coms.

It’s enough to satisfy your thirst for comedy, but you’re watching mainly for the romance.

A Family Affair is at its strongest with the romantic moments. 

Kidman and Efron ease you into the Chris and Brooke romance. Their first scenes together feel a bit awkward, but eventually, you become invested in their relationship. It’s the chemistry that sells it.

Then A Family Affair gives you all the cliche romantic film tropes, dance sequences, extravagant first dates, misunderstandings, etc.

In many ways, A Family Affair feels like it’s giving tribute to romantic comedies without trying to go beyond a standard set of qualities.

Some may want more from this movie, especially with such a strong cast and two leads who are experts at creating on-screen chemistry. And maybe there is a better version of this movie out there (it definitely is somewhere).

Nevertheless, A Family Affair is fun. It has many flaws but it’s entertaining and sometimes that’s all you need from a movie.

You just need a film that allows you to forget your troubles and immerse yourself in the fantasy of this world. You want the charm of people falling in love, even if the people aren’t necessarily the best.

That also may be an issue people have with the film. All three characters behave in some selfish ways, but that’s partly why A Family Affair works.

Chris is a bit of a narcissist but love and a family make him more grounded and less self-centered. Brooke picks love over being a perfect mother, but, in the past, she has chosen her daughter repeatedly. It’s time for her to pick herself.

Zara acts like a child but she has reason because her boss has been a monster to her. Nevertheless, she matures and doesn’t hold them back from love.

It would be a lie to say A Family Affair is a top-tier romantic comedy. It’s not, but it hits the right beat comedically and romantically. It doesn’t reinvent the romantic comedy standard but just proves why they work. 

Stray Thoughts

• The movie parodies and discussions on them are some of the funniest parts of A Family Affair.
• Some lines feel improvised and that adds to the film’s charm.
• If Vogue pays in designer clothes, I need to get a Vogue gig.
• Yes, I did search to see if Strawberry Shortcake Oreos were a real thing. They are but they are not available anymore, so product placement you won this round.

What did you think of A Family Affair? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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A Family Affair is streaming on Netflix.

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