A Family Affair

We are finally feeling the effects of the duel strike that effectively shut down Hollywood last year. Few films are getting theatrical releases this year and anything that was produced seems to be going straight to streaming services. That said Netflix, Max, and Prime Video have all been seemingly cranking out the original content and as a reviewer I have to do my due diligence. So today we are taking on Netflix’s A Family Affair. I know nothing about this movie and honestly the most intriguing thing about it is its cast. I will watch Zac Efron in just about anything, so here we go.

Right off the bat this is hilarious. Zac Efron plays an actor and Joey King is his assistant. It’s amazing.

“Why do you write?” “To find out about things that I don’t understand. Look this movie is clearly a comedy but this one line changed my life. Holy Shit. There was a bit of a tone shift between Zac Efron/Joey King’s scene and Nicole Kidman’s. We are clearly about to go on some separate but impactful personal journeys.

Zac Efron and Nicole Kidman sleep together and I’m kind of here for it. It’s gotta be a little traumatizing for Joey King’s character but honestly this poor woman hasn’t been with anyone since her husband died 11 years ago. She deserves to get it wherever she can.

I think the best part of this movie is that it's really really, really not a romcom. They very easily could have made it fall into the same tropes but it's so much deeper than that. Zara has to deal with her grief, it pops up really aggressively when your parent starts to move on. Now I understand her grief, however she is 24 years old and her dad died 11 years ago. Her mom stayed single and did nothing but take care of her for over a decade, expecting her to die alone is actually insane. Even her grandma (her father’s mother) told her to get over it. If the mother of your dead father can support your mother moving on then quite possibly you can suck it up.

Kathy Bates also plays an incredible role in this film. She is the mother in law. She is really the wise old woman who understands everyone’s side in this story. And she really is very thoughtful. She plays a really beautiful role in moving this love story along.

They had Zara mention the age gap but they are both fully grown human beings so it really doesn’t matter. Let’s be clear in that age gaps are only an issue when one of those people are under the age of 25, their brains are mush and a 40 year old has no business being in a relationship with someone under 30. But a 30 year old and a 50 year old, though slightly weird is none of my business. Also it's really something that doesn’t occur to you as a viewer because Nicole Kidman looks so damn good.

Of course there is still a third act blow up, because you kind of have to to drive the plot forward.

This is a very sweet, deeply wonderful love story that just so happens to also be a very well written family story. It is funny, sweet and it is just a good movie. I highly recommend. The cast is incredible, the story is very well written and I think it is one of Netflix’s best originals perhaps ever. I know that the bar isn’t necessarily super high but it really is a great movie.