Honestly, I didn't expect to like it. When Netflix dropped A Family Affair movie in the middle of 2024, the internet mostly shrugged. People saw the poster—Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron, Joey King—and figured they knew exactly what they were getting. Another glossy, low-stakes rom-com designed to run in the background while you fold laundry or scroll through TikTok. But if you actually sit down and watch it, there’s a weirdly sharp heart beating underneath all that Hollywood polish.
It’s meta.
Think about it. Zac Efron plays Chris Cole, a high-maintenance, slightly vapid action star who is basically a parody of every "difficult" actor you've ever read about in Page Six. Joey King is Zara, his long-suffering assistant who finally snaps. And then, the twist that fuels the whole engine: Zara walks in on her nightmare boss hooking up with her mother, Brooke, played by Nicole Kidman.
It’s awkward. It’s cringey. It’s exactly the kind of mess that makes for a great Friday night watch, even if the critics weren't exactly lining up to hand out Oscars.
The Weird Reality of the Zara-Chris-Brooke Dynamic
Most people focus on the romance between Kidman and Efron. Sure, that's the "hook." But the real story in A Family Affair movie is the generational friction between Zara and Brooke. Brooke is a successful writer, a widow who has spent years being "the reliable one." Chris Cole is a man-child who represents everything Zara hates about her professional life. When those two worlds collide, it isn't just a romance; it’s a betrayal of the internal map Zara has drawn for her life.
It works because the chemistry is surprisingly grounded.
Nicole Kidman doesn't play Brooke as a cougar or a cliché. She plays her as a woman who realized she forgot how to be a person outside of being a mother. Efron, meanwhile, uses his real-life "himbo" energy to create a character that is genuinely likable despite being a total disaster. You actually root for them, which makes Zara’s intense discomfort feel even more earned.
Why We Are Obsessed With Discomfort in Modern Rom-Coms
We’ve moved past the era of the "perfect" meet-cute. In the 90s, Meg Ryan would buy a bookstore or answer a letter. Today, we want mess. We want the "ick." A Family Affair movie leans into that ick factor heavily. There is a specific scene where Zara discovers the two together that feels like a masterclass in physical comedy and genuine horror.
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That scene is why the movie stayed in the Netflix Top 10 for as long as it did.
It taps into a very specific fear: our parents having lives we don't approve of. We tend to view our parents as static characters in the background of our own stories. When Brooke starts dating Chris, she becomes the protagonist of her own life again, and Zara—the actual protagonist of the film's first act—is demoted to a supporting character. That shift is jarring. It's supposed to be.
Director Richard LaGravenese, who gave us The Last Five Years and P.S. I Love You, knows how to handle sentiment without letting it get too sugary. He lets the silence hang. He let Kidman look vulnerable. He lets Efron look... well, a bit orange (that spray tan was a choice), but also deeply lonely.
The "Assistant" Trope and the Death of the Movie Star
Let’s talk about the business side of A Family Affair movie. Zara represents a very real demographic in Hollywood: the overeducated, underpaid assistant. Her life is a series of errands, buying specific brands of water, and managing the ego of a man who can’t function without her.
The movie satirizes the "movie star" lifestyle in a way that feels oddly authentic.
- Chris Cole's house is an empty, glass-walled fortress.
- His "friends" are employees.
- His career is built on sequels nobody wants.
There's a scene where Chris is trying to navigate a "serious" conversation but can't help but frame it through the lens of a script he’s reading. It’s a subtle nod to how fame erodes a person's ability to have a genuine human connection. When he meets Brooke, she’s the first person in years who doesn't want something from him. She doesn't want a job, a selfie, or a TikTok collab. She just likes him.
That’s a rare thing in 2024.
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It's Not Just a Rom-Com, It's an Identity Crisis
If you look at the screenplay by Carrie Solomon, it’s really a three-way identity crisis. Zara is trying to figure out if she has a career or just a job. Brooke is trying to figure out if she’s allowed to be happy again. Chris is trying to figure out if he’s an actor or just a brand.
None of them have the answers.
This is where the film gets more credit than it usually receives. Most "streaming movies" feel like they were written by an algorithm. This one feels like it was written by someone who has spent a lot of time in Los Angeles waiting rooms. The dialogue between Brooke and her mother-in-law (played by the legendary Kathy Bates) provides the movie’s emotional anchor. Bates is essentially the voice of reason, reminding everyone that life is short and getting upset about "who is sleeping with who" is a waste of the limited time we have.
Breaking Down the Criticisms
Was it perfect? No.
Some people hated the pacing. Others felt the ending was wrapped up too neatly with a bow. And yeah, the CGI in the "movie-within-a-movie" scenes was intentionally bad, but maybe a little too bad.
But if you compare A Family Affair movie to other recent genre entries like The Idea of You (the Anne Hathaway/Nicholas Galitzine vehicle), you see two very different approaches to the "older woman/younger man" trope. Where The Idea of You went for high-drama and Harry Styles-adjacent fanfiction vibes, A Family Affair went for the sitcom-style chaos of family dynamics.
It’s less about the sex and more about the Sunday dinner.
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How to Actually Enjoy A Family Affair Movie
If you haven't seen it yet, or if you turned it off after twenty minutes because Zara’s screaming got on your nerves, you have to change your perspective. Don't watch it as a romance. Watch it as a movie about a girl who realizes her mother is a human being.
- Watch the background details. The set design of Brooke’s house compared to Chris’s house tells the whole story of their characters.
- Pay attention to Kathy Bates. She steals every single scene she is in.
- Appreciate the "Hiring" scene. The way Zara handles her "resignation" is something everyone who has ever worked a service job will find cathartic.
The film isn't trying to change the world. It’s trying to occupy ninety minutes of your time with a story that feels like a slightly more expensive version of a conversation you’d have with your best friend over drinks.
Looking Ahead: The Future of Mid-Budget Streaming Films
The success—or at least the massive viewership numbers—of A Family Affair movie proves that we are in a new era of the mid-budget film. These movies don't go to theaters anymore. They live on your TV. They are "cozy" watches.
We are seeing a return to the "Movie Star" vehicle. For a while, the IP was the star (Marvel, Star Wars, etc.). Now, we are back to wanting to see Nicole Kidman be Nicole Kidman. We want to see Zac Efron flex his comedic muscles. The plot is almost secondary to the pleasure of spending time with these faces.
In a world of gritty reboots and three-hour epics, there is a place for a movie where the biggest stakes are a ruined Christmas and a bruised ego.
Actionable Takeaways for Your Next Movie Night
If you're planning on diving into this one, here is how to get the most out of the experience:
- Double Feature it: Pair it with The Idea of You or Notting Hill to see how the "famous person dates a regular person" trope has evolved over thirty years.
- Check the soundtrack: The music supervisor did a great job picking tracks that bridge the gap between Brooke’s generation and Zara’s.
- Ignore the Rotten Tomatoes score: This is a "vibe" movie, not a "prestige" movie. If you go in expecting Citizen Kane, you’ll be disappointed. If you go in expecting a messy, funny, heartwarming look at family, you’ll have a blast.
Stop overthinking your watchlist. Sometimes the most "basic" sounding premise yields the most relatable moments. Whether it's the specific way Joey King delivers a line or the palpable chemistry between Kidman and Efron, there’s plenty to chew on here. Just enjoy the mess.