A FAMILY AFFAIR (2024) - Movie Review

Director: Richard LaGravenese
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron, Joey King, Kathy Bates, Liza Koshy
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Writer: Carrie Solomon
Runtime: 111 min
Rated: Rated PG-13 for sexual content, partial nudity and some strong language
Buy This Movie: Netflix

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Synopsis:

A surprising romance kicks off comic consequences for a young woman, her mother and her movie star boss as they face the complications of love, sex, and identity.

Review:

On the surface, a movie like "A Family Affair" is perfectly inoffensive entertainment, light and unpretentious, with good looking charismatic actors doing what they do best. But God help you if you attempt to look beyond its glossy exterior, because you'll find yourself gazing into a dark empty void, and you know what they say about staring into the abyss.

It's hard to believe this movie is directed by the Oscar-nominated writer of Terry Gilliam's "The Fisher King". The fact that it's a romantic comedy isn't the problem. The big problem is how lifeless it feels and how little sense the writing makes. Add to that Hallmark movie sentimentality (it's even set around Christmas) and production values, and you get one of the worst movies Netflix has ever released.

Joey King, Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron are perfectly fine but they also seem lost in characters that feel fake despite their best efforts. King commendably works overtime to bring some life into the comedic aspects of the movie, but the most important component, Kidman and Efron's romantic chemistry, is missing entirely. The movie is also confused about who is the real protagonist, which leads to pacing and tonal issues.

There's not much else worth mentioning about this movie, "A Family Affair" is an instantly forgettable, ridiculous and laughless rom-com that goes on for far too long and brings nothing new to the table. Entirely skippable.

SCORE: 4/10