Netflix's so-called Romcom A Family Affair is all about how gaslighting is good

 

 

Spoilers in this review. 

 

In the Netflix movie A Family Affair there is an ongoing joke about how the action movie Zac Efron's character, actor Chris Cole, is making is a mixture of Die Hard and Miracle on 34th Street.  Chris's assistant Zara, played by Joey King, constantly states how stupid the idea is and how nobody would want to watch that. She's wrong.  First, it sounds awesome.  Second, nobody goes to action movies for the plot or the character growth; we go to watch things get blown up.  

Not so with romantic comedies.  A decent romance is all about character growth, and, in particular, how the two leads grow specifically because of what they learn from each other. They teach each other their worth, and help each other acknowledge and work on their own flaws, and that allows them to be together.

In A Family Affair, Zara's mother Brooke, played by Nicole Kidman, more or less conspires with Chris to convince Zara that she has no worth whatsoever.  Zara's friends get in on the act.  Zara believes them and her character growth consists of her apologizing to everyone. It is truly awful and I just want to hug her.

When the movie opens, Zara is working as Chris's assistant.  Chris is a petulant man-child.  He lives in a house that has a door that is so big and heavy that it is almost impossible to open.  It's unclear whether this is supposed to be symbolism or just a fire hazard.  Zara is at his beck and call.  Chris is always threatening to fire her, and finally Zara has had enough and quits.

Zara, who is 24, lives with Brooke in Brooke's house, which is gigantic.  How gigantic is it?  So gigantic that there's a scene where it takes Zara and her friend like two minutes to walk down a hallway in it.  Why are Zara and Brooke rattling around in this gigantic house?  How does Brooke, a widowed writer, afford it?  Why would sensible people want to live in a house this big?  These questions are never answered.  (Along the same lines, Zara has a vanity plate on her car.  Why?  Who does that?)

After Zara quits, Chris goes to her house to try to get her to come back.  She's not there, but Brooke is.  Chris and Brooke get drunk and  hook up.  Zara comes home, sees them, is horrified, tries to back out of the room, and injures herself when she bumps her head on the doorframe.

This is a completely reasonable and normal reaction.  Let's review:  Her mother is sleeping with her boss.

Her mother is sleeping with her boss.

Her mother is sleeping with her boss.

We don't expect more from Chris.  We already know he's a selfish little boy in David Hasselhoff's body.  But Brooke?  

Instead of feeling terrible, telling Zara that she got drunk and nothing like this will ever, ever happen again, Brooke doubles down.  She insults Zara's career choices, claiming that Zara has been all over the place with what she wants to do.  Uh, Zara is 24, she has had the same job for two years, she took the job because Chris told her that it would lead her to a producer role, and she has stuck with it even though it is unpleasant.  Fuck you, Brooke.  (The movie does seem to be a bit confused about what producers do, which is the business side of movies -- financing, distribution, stuff like that.  The movie seems to think that producers are actually a combination of production assistant and director.  Zara is not getting any experience that would lead to a producer role.)  

Also, Brooke tells Zara, she has been so, so lonely since Zara's father died ten years ago and she devoted her life to raising Zara.  (Uh, Zara is 24.  Again, fuck you, Brooke.)  Doesn't she deserve to feel alive again?  Sure, but not with your DAUGHTER'S BOSS.  What is wrong with you?  

Zara vents to her friend Eugenie (Liza Koshy).  Eugenie is a bit sympathetic to Zara about the fact that HER MOTHER IS SLEEPING WITH HER BOSS until she decides that Zara is not paying enough attention to Eugenie's own personal crisis, that she is breaking up with her boyfriend.  She tells Zara that Zara has always been a bad friend.  Fuck you, Eugenie.  I'm sorry about you and your boyfriend, and, yes, Zara could have done better by you, but HER MOTHER IS SLEEPING WITH HER BOSS.   

Once it is clear that Chris and Brooke are going to last, Zara should either quit for real, for any number of good reasons, or lean in to the nepotism and use it as a career ladder.  And also, for god's sake, either way, move out of your mother's house.  And, please, get therapy. 

Zara does none of these.  She apologizes to everyone -- Chris, Brooke, Eugenie, -- makes some grand gestures, and continues to climb the career ladder on merit alone, until the epilogue where a year later she has magically become a highly successful producer with a corner office.  

In case it's not clear, I do not recommend this movie.   

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