You might feel it’s a parody of the recent age-gap film The Idea of You on Prime. Anne Hathaway, mother of a teenager falls for a celebrity pop singer. In A Family Affair, it’s Brooke (Nicole Kidman), a writer and a hot widowed mother falls for Chris (Zac Efron), a movie star. To spice up the comedy and confusion part, her daughter Zara (Zoey King) works for him.

I think there’s a demand for the genre on streaming platforms now, and so is its mediocrity. Nicole dragged me to the film. None of the actors are bad. But the tropes put me off. In coming-of-age dramas, like this, the order of emotions hardly shifts. First, the affected kid’s surprise, then protest and anger, and realization like a mother is also a woman with desires and feelings follow. With that unescapable compassionate scene, all roadblocks are clear and how can Zara, a talented assistant producer end it normally? She sets up a small-scale True Man Show. Cherry on the cake.

There are no surprises in the script, it also fails to impress the audience with character nuances. A Family Affair is watchable but has nothing refreshing to offer. The healthy relationship and talks between Brooke’s former editor and mother-in-law Leila (Kathy Bates) is a relief. Quips like -no great tryst ever started with someone being rational. Kidman has the usual charm in carrying Brooke. Romcoms in a similar fashion is a trendsetter in wooing veteran actresses as leads. Do they find it experimental? I am not sure. Efron’s Chris meets the requirements of the role, that’s it. The Efron-Kidman pair was so-so. Somebody caught my attention was Zoey King.

A Family Affair with Nicole Kidman disappointed me,

Script: Carrie Solomon
Director: Richard LaGravenese