A Family Affair Is A Fun Movie With A Questionable Love Story

A Family Affair, more than anything is at its best when it thrives on the comedic back-and-forth between ignorant famous actor Chris Cole and his young aspiring producer Zara Ford. Zac Efron and Joey King bring their all in quick quippy moments that allow them to lean into jokes that work for the film.

Zara and Chris have a unique professional relationship where Chris exists in a strange medium of having a strong dependency on Zara in moments that show he genuinely cares for her, and constantly holding her job over her head in a way that makes her uncertain of if he will fire her soon.

For as troubled as their professional relationship might be, Joey King and Zac Efron present a fun dynamic as they easily bounce off of each other in lighthearted scenes which are good for surface-level jokes and add more depth to the professional friendship they have.

But, when Chris starts dating Zara's mother, Brooke, that is when things get complicated. A Family Affair wants the audience to root for Chris and Brooke's romance, but, of course, is it really fair to write Zara into a selfish corner when her professional career has a chance of being impacted by this newfound romance?

Chris and Brooke's dynamic exists between two consenting adults, and their age gap is acknowledged and ignored with a wave of a hand. In this movie, their age gap is presented as irrelevant. But, what is not irrelevant, as much as A Family Affair tries to address it and simultaneously ignore it, is that Zara is allowed to have feelings about her mother dating her boss.

While A Family Affair tries to show that Zara is selfish and her mother deserves a shot at happiness, the movie could have offered Zara's reaction to this development with a little more sympathy, rather than making her out to be more villainous. While she never does anything to try to purposefully manipulate the situation to break them up, and is only ever honest with her mother, A Family Affair ignores the actual potential implications and impacts this could have in favor of portraying Zara as a selfish whining young adult.

When it comes to the romance itself, Chris and Brooke's relationship comes off feeling more like fun companionship rather than an inevitable romance. They give each other a new perspective on what their lives could be in the future. But, the writing nor the acting presents a performance or chemistry that makes them an undeniable romance to root for.

A Family Affair is almost trying to be two movies. In one, Zara is undergoing a desire to break out into a more successful professional venture and is held back by her boss who deems her most useful at his side. In another, a famous actor finds love and solace in a talented writer but ordinary woman who is striving to define her identity after spending years as a single mother.

While each movie could be interesting on their own, mixed together, it does not offer the screen time necessary to offer either central storyline the time it needs to grow. Rather than a more in-depth approach, A Family Affair's reliance on both plot lines results in a film that is fun to watch, but does not entirely lean into its full sense of identity.