Movies News Talk
Watching A Family Affair really got me thinking about what it means to be a Netflix Movie. Netflix has released a lot of cool stuff, including some of my favorite films. But those films don't define the brand. They grab all of our attention and benefit from the fact that streaming makes it easy to watch them again. A Netflix movie, as it's understood today, is much less demanding. It accepts, or maybe even embraces, the fact that people aren't always looking at the screen.
As a critic, I have to pay attention to everything I watch. Movies like A Family Affair don't always stand up to that level of scrutiny. But we should still expect them to be good - just because not all entertainment wants to be art doesn't mean it gets a pass for being bad. That brings me back to A Family Affair, which you could just listen to without getting lost. It’s not great when you pay close attention, but it doesn't fall apart either. It stays light and fun, whether you're really watching it or just letting it play in the background.
That's mainly because, at least in my opinion, the comedy in A Family Affair really works. Zara (Joey King) is a personal assistant for movie star Chris Cole (Zac Efron), which is a famously tough job in Hollywood. Zara wants to be a producer and took the job because she was promised industry experience. But after two years, she’s still mostly running errands, dealing with breakups, and cleaning up after Chris Cole (Zac Efron). When the movie starts, Zara is just about ready to quit.
Joey King and Zac Efron are the best pairing in A Family Affair. They make their characters feel like they have a real connection, even though they’re always fighting at work. They feel like siblings (except Zara is the older sister to her childish, famous boss), so their arguments feel like bickering. The script is clearly making fun of that kind of Hollywood personality, and Zac Efron nails it, making every joke at his own character’s expense.
Meanwhile, Zara (Joey King)'s mom, Brooke (Nicole Kidman), is also at a turning point. She’s a successful writer who’s finally ready to write about her personal life. Years have passed since Zara (Joey King)'s dad died, and Brooke (Nicole Kidman) is ready to move on. Leila (Kathy Bates), her editor and also Brooke (Nicole Kidman)'s mother-in-law, is telling Brooke (Nicole Kidman) to start dating again. Nicole Kidman and Kathy Bates get most of the scenes that explain what's happening in the movie, which are important for people who aren't paying close attention. But they’re so good that those scenes are still enjoyable.
These storylines all come together when Chris Cole (Zac Efron) runs into Brooke (Nicole Kidman) by chance. He was looking for Zara (Joey King), but she wasn't home. They realize how little they know about each other, and they start talking. They discover they have more in common than they thought, and one thing leads to another. This is, of course, a situation that Zara (Joey King) never could have imagined. The three actors work well together to give A Family Affair its Rom-com vibe. Nicole Kidman is calm and grounded, Joey King is over-the-top funny, and Zac Efron goes back and forth between those two styles.
It’s not a great sign when the best pairing in a Rom-com isn't actually the romantic leads, but it shows how different the good and bad parts of A Family Affair are. Their first scene together (which is also the funniest) is their best, but even though we understand why their characters are attracted to each other, Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron don't have that spark that makes us care about their relationship.
Maybe it's just chemistry, but the script could also be to blame. The movie tries to get serious in the second half, and that almost ruins the whole thing.
The good parts of the movie, though, keep it going. Because of that three-headed story, even when I wasn't interested in Chris Cole (Zac Efron) and Brooke (Nicole Kidman), I still cared about how their affair would affect their relationships with Zara (Joey King). And, like the title says, the movie is smart enough to keep all of those relationships important, even after the new couple appears. If A Family Affair has a bigger message, it’s about seeing people for who they really are, beyond their roles in your life, and letting yourself be more than just the roles you play, even if you choose them.
Even though A Family Affair has some weak spots, it's still entertaining. But it also has a common Netflix problem - it's not very visually interesting. A lot of Netflix Movies feel like TV shows, where the camera is just there to show you what's happening, not to tell a story. There are some funny visual moments, but the movie can't rely on those to keep people watching if they're not paying attention.
This is definitely a limitation. It can also make the movie look pretty bland, like paying attention to the visuals isn't important anymore. It made me think about how Nancy Meyers almost made a Netflix movie, and how A Family Affair seems to be going for the same vibe as her movies, but without her talent for designing beautiful sets. It’s noticeable, at least for someone who's actively watching.
The way people watch Netflix is probably changing. They hired a new head of their movie division, and he's reportedly putting an end to the era of making tons of movies, even if it means spending a lot of money. But the emphasis on people not really paying attention to their screens isn't going away. So, I hope Netflix executives learn from what works in A Family Affair, and realize that even if the visual language of filmmaking is less important, the visuals still matter.