Spoiler alert: The following article contains spoilers from A Family Affair.

Netflix’s A Family Affair is a good ol’ rom-com (similar in theory to Amazon Prime Video’s earlier 2024 film The Idea of You but less dramatic) about a young woman learning that her mother is sleeping with her boss, much to her horror. A Family Affair was directed by Richard LaGravenese, written by Carrie Solomon, and stars Zac Efron as Chris Cole, Nicole Kidman as Brooke Harwood, and Joey King as Zara Ford. Chris is a famous movie star known for being dramatic, overbearing, and self-absorbed, while Zara is his years-long assistant and Brooke is a writer and Zara’s mother.

After Zara has had enough and quits, Chris ventures to her house to beg her to reconsider her decision. However, Brooke is the only one home, and while waiting for Zara to return, Chris and Brooke begin talking and before anyone knows it, they’re ripping off each other’s clothes. Zara walks in on them having sex, and as A Family Affair goes on, the young woman makes it known how opposed she is to Chris and Brooke’s relationship. Nevertheless, after some trials and tribulations, Zara, Chris, and Brooke get their happy ending. A Family Affair is a Netflix rom-com, after all.

Do Chris & Brooke End Up Together In A Family Affair?

Zara Masterminds Chris & Brooke’s Reunion

Of course, Chris and Brooke’s relationship is considered a bad idea because Chris is Zara’s boss and Brooke is Zara’s mother. But it’s also a bit “scandalous” because of the age difference between Nicole Kidman’s and Zac Efron’s characters in A Family Affair. However, the age gap isn’t a significant topic in the film, which is refreshing due to how an older woman dating a younger man is typically viewed. Despite these obstacles, Chris and Brooke fall in love and find a way to be together. They try to disregard their connection, but it proves to be too strong.

Chris and Brooke give in to their sexual tension and begin dating in A Family Affair, much to Zara’s dismay. Unfortunately, just when Zara is coming around to the idea of her mother dating her boss, she finds the earrings that Chris gives to his girlfriends when he wants to break up with them. Assuming the worst, Zara exposes Chris, and Brooke ends their relationship. However, Chris and Brooke become miserable without one another. Zara sees the error of her ways and masterminds their reunion.

Zara takes Chris to a grocery store full of extras (unbeknownst to him) during A Family Affair‘s ending, while Leila forces Brooke to get her food to help her “dementia.” They run into one another, and Zara lets Chris and Brooke talk. The couple makes up, and Zara turns on the “rainstorms” in the vegetable aisle to set the scene. Towards the movie’s beginning, Chris confides in Zara about how he misses out on mundane life due to his celebrity status, including seeing the “rainstorms.” So, Chris and Brooke get their happy ending and the film concludes with them together (with Zara’s approval) and in love.

Why Zara Changes Her Mind About Chris & Brooke’s Relationship

Zara Was Vehemently Against Her Mother Dating Her Boss At First

Joey King’s A Family Affair character is a bit clueless in A Family Affair. Zara, who is only 24 years old in the movie, is initially selfish and refuses to consider her mother’s feelings towards Chris (and vice versa). However, after her best friend, Genie, gives her a reality check about her behavior, Zara finally sees that she was wrong to interfere with Chris and Brooke’s relationship and stubbornly oppose it. So, she hatches a plan to get them back together, and, as mentioned above, it works.

As his assistant, Zara has a front-row seat to how Chris treats women. She’s afraid he will break her mother’s heart as he did with many other women at the beginning of A Family Affair on Netflix. Plus, Zara knew how insufferable Chris could be (partially due to his tragic past and sheltered lifestyle).

She uses her mother’s happiness as an excuse to drive Chris and Brooke apart. But Zara also doesn’t want them to be together for the sake of her own sanity. Ultimately, with the help of Genie and some self-reflection, Zara finally sees how happy and in love Chris and Brooke are when they’re together, which is why she plots their reunion in the 2024 rom-com A Family Affair.

A Family Affair’s 1-Year Flash-Forward, Explained

The 2024 Netflix Rom-Com’s Ending Jumps Ahead A Year

After Chris and Brooke rekindle their romance at the end of the Netflix movie A Family Affair, the story jumps ahead one year, and seemingly everyone has significantly advanced in their careers. Zara has moved up the ranks at Chris’ production company — she even has her own office and assistant. Chris is starring in Stella’s coming-of-queer dramedy film (that Zara is producing). Finally, Brooke has released another book — Second Time Around. Plus, Chris and Brooke are still together, and they and Zara are one little happy family who love one another very much.

How Brooke’s Past With Zara’s Father Influences Her Relationship With Chris

Brooke’s Husband Died Many Years Ago

Zara’s opposition to Chris and Brooke’s romance plays a big part in the turmoil in A Family Affair. However, Brooke’s previous heartbreak and concern about how the relationship will end also sets her and Chris back. As viewers know, Brooke’s husband and Zara’s father, Charlie, died 11 years ago. However, the audience (and Leila) learn towards the movie’s ending that Charlie wanted a divorce before he learned he was sick.

Brooke is scared of Chris breaking her heart and their relationship ending, which would hurt her significantly, because of her past with Charlie. Brooke even expresses to Leila, played by Kathy Bates in the cast of A Family Affair, that she doesn’t want to need Chris because of her fears. But as Leila says, “The end is none of your business.” There’s no point worrying about tomorrow when Brooke knows she loves Chris today. Thankfully, Brooke overcomes her reservations and jumps headfirst into a relationship with Chris.

Why Chris Promotes Zara As A Producer

Chris Finally Sees Zara’s Worth (After Dating Her Mother)

Although Chris often takes Zara for granted in A Family Affair, his panic whenever she threatens to quit shows viewers how much he truly needs and cares about her. Sadly, it takes his deep connection with Brooke to make him see and acknowledge Zara’s worth. But once Chris opens up to her mother, he makes good on his promise to Zara and promotes her to associate producer. By the end of the movie starring Nicole Kidman, Zara continues to advance in Chris’ production company, finally finding what she was meant to do (one of Zara’s many worries in the film).

The Real Meaning Behind A Family Affair’s Ending

Chris & Zara’s Relationship Might Be The Most Important One In A Family Affair

Chris and Brooke’s romance is certainly one of the most important relationships in A Family Affair. However, one could argue that Zara’s separate relationships with her mother and her boss are equally (or even more) significant by the film’s ending. Zara realizes that she has rarely considered Brooke’s feelings throughout her life, and the two have a heart-to-heart where they mend their issues and strengthen their bond.

Meanwhile, Chris and Zara’s dynamic is surprisingly the most intriguing one in the 2024 Netflix movie. Zara helps Chris find a home, and Chris helps Zara figure out what she wants to do and who she wants to be. Despite their fights and differences, Chris and Zara love each other. But no one should expect Zara to be calling Chris her dad anytime soon (probably at all) after A Family Affair.