After starring in ’90s and ’00s rom-coms such as Flirting and Bewitched, Nicole Kidman’s latest movie, Netflix’s A Family Affair, places her firmly back in the genre. The Hollywood star plays Brooke, who dabbles in a steamy romantic dalliance with younger man/movie star Chris (Kidman’s The Paperboy co-star Zac Efron), much to the horror of her twenty-something daughter Zara (Joey King), who works as his under-appreciated assistant.
At 57, Kidman is the latest over-40, Oscar-winning actor to absolutely smash the female rom-com lead role. Directed by Richard Lagravenese, A Family Affair joins the ranks of films like Mamma Mia!, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, and most recently, The Idea of You, fighting against the snobbery and sexism Hollywood studios and audiences have long bestowed upon rom-coms themselves and who “should” lead them. These movies champion the joy of women’s sexual desire, autonomy, and self discovery at any age.
Remembering ‘The Paperboy’: The Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron team-up that shocked the world
People want to see women over 40 in rom-coms. And actors want to make these movies.
Comparisons between Kidman’s role in A Family Affair and 41-year-old Anne Hathaway’s turn in fan fiction novel turned movie The Idea Of You earlier this year are unavoidable. The film follows the story of a 40-something divorcée who begins a love affair with a 20-something member of the biggest boy band in the world (played by 29-year-old Nicholas Galitzine).
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