A family affair

 "A family affair".

Watched English movie "A family affair". 

This movie is directed by Richard LaGravenese. Written by Carry Solomon. Produced by Joe Roth and Jeff Kerschenbaum. Cinematography by Don Burgess. Music by Siddhartha Khosla. It features Zac Effron, Nicole Kidman, Joey King, Kathy Bates, Liza Koshy. Film runs for about 1 hour and 54 minutes and was released in 2024. I watched it on Netflix with Aditi on 5th July 2024.

Zac is a movie superstar. His superhero flicks are hit. Joey works as his assistant slogging and running around to satisfy all his whims, enduring in the hope of becoming assistant producer and then producer. Nicole is her mother, a successful author and a widow. One day fed up with Zac, Joey quits her job. Zac realizes that he can’t do without Joey and comes to her house to apologize and ask her to come back. Here he meets Nicole and sparks fly.

Zac is full of himself. His world centers around himself. He is afraid of relationships, has no friends and is really alone despite being famous. He behaves like a kid in man’s body. Nicole hasn’t married or had no relationship since her husband died more than ten years ago. She is a successful author but in a way she is lonely despite having a daughter and loving mother-in-law. Joey tolerates all the whims and tantrums of Zac hoping to make assistant director and then director. She knows how shallow Zac is. She is livid about Zac and Nicole’s affair because she knows this won’t end well. For her it’s difficult to be the daughter of a successful mother but loves her mother and is protective about her.

A nice tangle, isn’t it? It’s not a fast paced movie but still you are involved. The emotions run high. Every character is well thought. There are no unnecessary scenes. Although it’s a feel good movie, audience goes through the ups and downs of the relationship. Zac’s character needed a little more elaboration to make his transition smooth.

Zac portrays the lonely man in crowd. His insecurity manifests in his childish behavior, tantrums and whims. Nicole plays a good mother who is distanced from love for too long. She loves her daughter but likes Zac too. However, Nicole’s looks are nowhere near to what she used to be. Joey plays the protective daughter, aspiring producer and a good girl. Kathy plays the pragmatic mother-in-law who considers Nicole more as her daughter than daughter-in-law.

It’s a good movie. Enjoyable. Likable.

Positives: Overall movie. 

Negatives: Limited elaboration of Zac’s character. 

Recommend watching.