Last Updated on July 3, 2024 by
A Family Affair 2024 movie is directed by Richard LaGravenese and the film stars Joey King, Zac Efron, and Nicole Kidman. With the runtime of 1h 51m theater released June 28, 2024
Ever since I was young, The British style of comedy has always intrigued me. Childhood programs include some TV series such as Mr Bean, Are You Being Served? It featured four shows: As Time Goes By, The New Statesman, One Foot in the Grave, and Keeping Up Appearances. British comedy on the whole is different from American because it combines more elements of both mean-spiritedness in the joke-telling and rather silly humor. In the movie titled A Family Affair, the writer and director Warren Fischer attempts to imitate such style.
The plot of the story is about a couple, Edward (played by Joe Wilkinson) and his wife Helen (played by Laura Aikman). They own a manor with a B&B where people can stay and get alternative healing, and they are locals. Sadly, they are not attracting many customers, and the negative comments made by clients on the internet are very unhelpful. This means that Edward has to sell the property through a sale by auction. To the surprise, Helen’s parents, Margaret (played by Jane Asher) and Walter go to the retreat since they have their 40th marriage anniversary. Edward’s father, Albert, portrayed by David Sherwood, also comes to visit now still mourning his wife’s death.
Accompanying them for the weekend is a friend of Albert’s, Jessica portrayed by Jazzara Jaslyn. Speaking of looks, Jessica is way younger and can be said to be a gold digger, which means she wants a wealthy husband. She gives a notion of interest in Walter, which makes him feel uncomfortable, as she is trying to determine who is richer. Maintaining the group and the flow of the movie is Rhys (Colin Hoult), the new-age spiritual leader of the retreat. Rhys has a special tea that can easily be compared to a tea for a baby, it is that soothing. Edward and Helen have to deal with family issues, selling the property to potential buyers, the loss of their business, and guests who are influenced by Rhys’s magical tea.
A Family Affair feels like a modern version of Fawlty Towers, a classic British sitcom where John Cleese played a clumsy hotel owner. However, Edward isn’t as much of a disaster as Cleese’s character. There’s a running joke about water dripping from the ceiling onto the front desk, similar to what you might see in Fawlty Towers. But the movie isn’t just about silly jokes.
He also focuses on problems with family relationships and the difficulties of trying to preserve an abusive marriage in Fischer.
Probably one of the best comedic actors of the generation is Joe Wilkinson and he recently became famous with appearances in shows such as Sex Education and Ricky Gervais’s Afterlife. He performed very well when telling jokes that only sound funny if they are told in a non-joking manner. Though there were no opportunities for Bob Hope to play the clown as much as I wanted him to do in this movie, he still has his funny moments. However, the character he portrays in A Family Affair is not only humorous but also dramatic.
Colin Hoult, who also appeared in Afterlife, is excellent as Rhys. The subplot about Rhys’s special tea leads to many funny situations. Hoult’s mischievous spirit helps lighten the tensions between the families and guests.
Some of the jokes in A Family Affair feel a bit outdated, and some moments seem improvised and don’t always result in a laugh. British comedies often appeal to me because they combine heart with humor. A Family Affair has plenty of heart but could use a few more laughs. However, the humor it does have is genuinely funny.
A Family Affair 2024 Parents Guide Age Rating
A Family Affair is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Rating (MPA) for PG-13 for sexual content, partial nudity, and some strong language
Language: This contains mild to moderate language and that includes cursing. Minor use of idioms and informal lexical items from British/American English.
Sexual Content: This movie contains sexual references that are kept pretty mild and some of the jokes include sexual connotations. Another stereotype that was depicted in this movie is a subplot of a character who is thought to be a gold digger.
Violence: No physical violence. Occasional verbal conflicts and aggression between the characters of the story.
Alcohol/Drugs: Speaking of households’ rituals, there are allusions to the ‘special tea’, presumed to have a relaxing impact on a person’s state. Different characters consume alcoholic beverages in social places.
Overall: For such a movie, there is only mild language use and thus the movie is suitable for teenagers and people with highly intense scenes but parents might need to watch out for sexual-related scenes. The film is a mix of romance and British comedy, familiar to viewers who watch British comedy films but may not be humorous to some audiences, depending on a viewer’s ability to appreciate the type of British comedy used in the film.
