A Familiar Affair
This is you girls' night movie!!
"A Family Affair," written by Carrie Solomon and directed by Richard LaGravenese, is one of Netflix’s latest rom-coms. It centers around the love story between a young famous actor, Chris Cole (Zac Efron), and an older woman, Brooke Harwood (Nicole Kidman), who is also the mother of Zara (Joey King). The twist here is that Zara is Chris Cole's assistant, and they share a very close relationship. This dynamic is evident from the very first scene, where we see Zara helping Chris as he tries to dump his latest girlfriend while waiting for Zara to bring a pair of earrings.
For me, it was both fun and funny—a smooth movie to watch, which I would recommend for anyone looking to spend their free time on something light-hearted. I liked the color palette used in the movie as it conveyed a bright vibe, and the Los Angeles setting was also quite captivating to watch. The director does a great job balancing humor and heartfelt moments, making the story flow smoothly. His direction makes the characters' chemistry feel real, and he captures the key parts of each scene well. The pacing of the film keeps the audience engaged from start to finish.
The dialogues between Chris and Zara, as an actor and a wannabe assistant producer, offer a critique of Hollywood movies. One particular line stands out: when discussing Chris’s latest project, they describe it as “It’s like ‘Die Hard’ meets ‘Miracle on 34th Street,’” to which the reply is, “So it’s not about anything". It is interesting to see how Netflix critiques itself, given that there are many movies on the platform that one might argue are not about anything.
Also the movie reminded me of “The Idea of You”, an Amazon original, which also centers around the love between a famous young man and an older woman who is a mother. The age gap between two people dating always grabs attention, but when the older person is a woman, it is much more criticized compared to the vice versa situation. I hope movies such as these two, and the themes they cover, help alleviate the unfair criticism women face daily regarding gender roles.