The “Older woman dates younger star” concept is getting a workout lately, with “The Idea of You” now followed by “A Family Affair,” which could easily be called “The Idea of My Movie-Star Boss Sleeping With My Mom.” While the Nicole Kidman-Zac Efron pairing should provoke curiosity, the tired beats of this romantic (and only occasional) comedy don’t rub together well enough to generate many sparks. Part of the problem is the perspective tilts heavily toward the Kidman character’s daughter, Zara (Joey King), who works as an assistant to actor Chris Cole (Efron), best known for playing a superhero called Icarus Rush.
To Zara’s chagrin, he’s prone to stereotypical excesses, sending her on menial errands like running to a store to buy him isolated whey protein. (If you have to ask, it’s not for you.) Download the CTV News App for breaking news alerts and video on all the top stories Zara has watched Chris use and dump women, threatening to quit almost as often as he talks about firing her.
Their latest spat brings him to the house she shares with her mom, Kidman’s Brooke, a successful and conveniently widowed author. After some mild awkwardness, Chris and Brooke wind up in bed together, leaving her, as she says, “starting to feel things again.” Zara is understandably horrified by the prospect of the two hooking up, prompting her mom to offer that their age difference is a mere 16 years, not 20 (which is more accurate in reality, but never mind), so.
