A Family Affair is a Netflix romantic comedy with a cast that perplexes me. Not because they are bad, but because they don’t fit… and yet it’s a pleasant, fluffy, and reasonably cute rom-com anyway. It shouldn’t work (and I bet it doesn’t for many), but I low-key enjoyed it.

The film stars Joey King as the personal assistant to an egotistical megastar played by Zac Efron. When he falls for her mom – Nicole Kidman(!) – it creates a weird dynamic between employer/employee.

OK… family tree time. Joey King is Nicole Kidman’s daughter? And Kathy Bates is Nicole Kidman’s mom? What? Unless there’s an adoption somewhere along this family tree, I don’t see DNA working that way. And I feel like someone is slumming it but I can’t decide who…. probably Nicole Kidman… except she co-starred in two Aquaman films. And yet she doesn’t really fit a rom-com.

Then there’s the weird structure of the film. It’s a Joey King film and she stars in frothy rom-coms… except in this one, the actual Rom part of the Rom-Com is between Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron. Isn’t it a little weird the star of the rom-com isn’t the romantic lead?

On the other hand, if the Hollywood Gods want the impossibly attractive Efron and Kidman to kiss and get half-naked, they will not be denied. The rest of us mere mortals must gaze upon them with envious eyes and ponder our genetic betrayal. But maybe I’m not speaking for beautiful, gorgeous you. I dunno. Efron’s abs don’t make mathematical sense and Kidman shouldn’t legally be allowed to look this good at 57.

None of which is a dig at the cute/pretty Joey King or her comedy chops. She’s not the rom star, but she’s definitely the com star. She made me chuckle, often at some amusingly stupid physical comedy. She also gets the lion’s share of the character growth so that was nice.

This flick doesn’t compute on multiple levels and yet I laughed a few times and found it charming. It kind of surprised me by not being terrible… though it didn’t surprise me by being great either.

Score: 77