I have a love-hate relationship with rom-coms. It’s not my go-to genre (unless it’s written/directed by Nora Ephron or Richard Curtis) because I think it’s really tough to write for this genre without succumbing to clichés. The pairing of Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron piqued my curiosity, though they apparently had played lovers on screen before in The Paperboy. I’m also curious to see this because the director is Richard LaGravenese who wrote P.S. I Love You, an underrated rom-com I love that’s unfairly maligned by critics. I actually love that movie, and it’s one of my favorite movies set in Ireland.

It’s been a year of age-gap romances, as Anne Hathaway’s The Idea of You just came out this past Spring. Nice to see the gender flip as the woman is the one dating a much younger man. The movie seems to be channeling Notting Hill (which was written by Richard Curtis), right down to the poster and its opening montage showing Efron’s movie star character Chris Cole attending premieres and being hounded by the paparazzi. Alas, this is a very poor imitation of that and other much better romantic comedies. Despite having worked together before, Kidman and Efron barely have any chemistry, so that key ingredient is missing from this rom-com. Their first meet-cute is more amusing than funny and it goes downhill from there.

But that’s not even the worst part. Let me just say that I probably would enjoy this movie a lot more if the character of Zara had been played by someone other than Joey King (perhaps Zoey Deutch, Haley Lu Richardson, or Kaitlyn Dever, all of them are actually charismatic and genuinely funny). I find Zara more insufferable than her vain movie star boss who constantly abuses her. That is a problem because we’re supposed to sympathize with her character. I mean, how mortified it would be if a boss you detest suddenly banged your mother? [gasp!]

The first time I saw King was in The Kissing Booth, still the absolute worst movie I’ve ever seen (though Unfrosted is now a close second, both are Netflix movies, as is this one, wow!) She was excruciatingly bad as the lead that I pretty much refuse to see anything else she’s in, but I thought I’d give her a chance with this one. Well, she really nails the role of a selfish, petulant, and ungrateful girl so perfectly. The way Zara is written seems to perpetuate the stereotype of the quintessential entitled Gen-Z-ers who expect everything handed to them because they think of their work duties as ‘personal sacrifices.’

The more I see Kidman and Efron together the more convinced I am that they are miscast here, but they somehow make it work that the whole thing doesn’t completely fall flat on its face. It’s always lovely to see Kathy Bates though she’s barely in the movie (can we have a rom-com with her as the lead next time?) Interestingly, she plays yet another mother with a dead son or son-in-law, as she played Hillary Swank’s mom who lost her husband in P.S. I Love You. The heartfelt scene between her and Kidman is the only saving grace in this movie that doesn’t feel manufactured.

I read a bunch of reviews criticizing the plastic looks of Kidman and Efron, but you know what, it’s the least of the movie’s problems. The saggy and wrinkly script is the one in desperate need of a facelift. It’s no surprise that Carrie Solomon has never written anything before. Her only other credits on IMDb are in PA roles, which makes me think Zara might’ve been based on her life. The characters feel flat and undeveloped, and the dialogue comes off as stiff and forced.

The Christmas scene in the third act looks enchanting however, so perhaps this could make for a decent watch curled up with a blanket on a snowy afternoon. Aside from that, I can’t really recommend this one unless you’re a die-hard fan of either Kidman or Efron.

Have you seen A FAMILY AFFAIR? Let me know what you think!

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