Netflix’s new film became a global hit in three days. It disgusted critics: Like stale leftovers

summed up the viewership of productions in its offer in the last week of June. A new leader appeared among the most frequently watched films. We are talking about “Sprawa Rodzinna”, which appeared on the platform on June 28 and in just three days beat the competition, reaching the first place in the ranking.

“Rod Affair” is the new leader on Netflix. It’s a hit in almost 100 countries

“A Family Affair” is a romantic comedy directed by Ruchard LaGravenese, starring undisputed stars Zac Efron and Nicole Kidman. “When Zara (Joey King) quits her job as assistant to Hollywood heartthrob Chris Cole (Zac Efron), she unwittingly sets the stage for a chance meeting between Chris and his mother, famous writer Brooke (Nicole Kidman). Brooke and Chris quickly realize that there is an undeniable spark between them, which leads to comic consequences when Zara’s self-centered boss tries to win over her skeptical mother. This multi-generational romantic comedy about growing up tells the story of each of the characters as they experience a series of adventures with love, sex and identity in the background,” we read in the description of the film.

Netflix subscribers have spent almost 51 million hours watching the film, and the production has almost 27 million views worldwide. The romantic comedy has made it to the TOP10 most watched films in 92 countries with access to the popular service. However, interest in the film does not go hand in hand with its quality.

“Even actors like Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron can’t save this”

Rotten Tomatoes ratings are ruthless. The average reviewer rating is only 41% on the freshness scale, while viewers rate the production even worse – 29%. “A film whose best part is the trailer” – writes Agnieszka Pilacińska about “Sprawa Rodzinna”, “A cinema of mechanically checking off all the classic elements of a romantic comedy” – adds Marcin Pietrzyk from Filmweb.

Natasha Alvar of Cultured Vultures claims that the scenes in the film, instead of being delightful, drag on forever. “Even actors like Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron can’t save it,” she writes in her review. “Charmless, sexless, generally irritating and unfunny,” says Nadine Whitney of AWFJ. Glenn Kenny of the New York Times, on the other hand, admits that in his personal ranking the film received the distinction of a production that “rolled his eyes the most.”

“The story is made awkward and uncomfortable by the lack of chemistry between the stars,” observes Emily Zemler of The Guardian. “When Chris has to magically stop being a jerk and start being Mr. Perfect, the situation becomes truly unbearable,” complains Peter Bradshaw of the Observer. Meanwhile, Gary M. Kramer of salon.com laments the script’s laziness. “It wants to be comfort food, but tastes like stale leftovers.”