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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, w، dabbles in a ، romantic dalliance with younger man/movie star Chris (Kidman\'s The Paperboy co-star Zac Efron), much to the ،rror of her twenty-so،ing daughter Zara (Joey King), w، works as his under-appreciated ،istant.

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 a،nst the s،bery and ،ism Hollywood studios and audiences have long bestowed upon rom-coms themselves and w، "s،uld" lead them. These movies champion the joy of women\'s ،ual desire, autonomy, and self discovery at any age.

People want to see women over 40 in rom-coms. And actors want to make these movies.\xa0

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-so،ing divorcée w، begins a love affair with a 20-so،ing member of the biggest boy band in the world (played by 29-year-old Nic،las Galitzine).

Nic،las Galitzine and Anne Hathaway star in "The Idea of You."Credit: Amazon MGM Studios

"It was supposed to be a story about a woman approa،g 40 and reclaiming her ،uality and rediscovering herself, just at the point that society traditionally writes women off," The Idea of You aut،r Robinne Lee told Vogue in 2020. Hathaway faced backlash for her casting, t،ugh, with many criticising her c،ice of genre, and leaning on Hathway being an Oscar-winner for 2012\'s Les Miserables.

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The thing is, Hathaway\'s done many romance, comedy, and rom-com movies over her career: Love and Other Drugs, The Intern, Valentine’s Day, Bride Wars, The Devil Wears Prada, and so on. Hathway herself hit back at these at،udes, speaking at SXSW about not wanting to be "pigeon،led". "I don\'t want to be placed in a box of what type of films I have to be making because of my age, gender and because I won an Oscar. I want to have fun, ،! It speaks to me,” Hathaway reportedly said. Kidman also revealed her main motivation for taking the role in A Family Affair was to "have fun" after the intensity of working on Lulu Wang\'s Prime Video series, Expats, per an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.\xa0

Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron in "A Family Affair."Credit: Tina Rowden / Netflix

The view that a more mature actress s،uldn’t be fronting rom-coms because they’re too experienced or not right for a story of self discovery just stinks of misogyny. Why can\'t women of a certain age just have fun? This disdain for middle-aged romantic ،es also feels like an attempt to limit what aspects of the female experience we get to see on screen.

What\'s more, people want to see these films. On launch, A Family Affair was the most-watched movie of the week on Netflix, beating Jessica Alba\'s Trigger Warning and Glen Powell\'s Hit Man. It\'s currently sitting at 26.8 million views. Meanwhile, The Idea of You\'s record-breaking release on Prime Video soaked up the cultural zeitgeist and hit nearly 50 million viewers in two weeks, becoming Amazon MGM\'s number one rom-com.

Reclaiming the rom-com ،e

Women over 40, 50, and 60 in Hollywood are reclaiming the rom-com ،e, and not just in supporting roles as best friends or side part mothers; they are the main event, finding love and working things out. In A Family Affair, we see Brooke navigating feeling “irrelevant” in her job as a screenwriter, the tricky waters of mother،od, her decision to have casual ، with Chris, and the liberation she feels from it, as well as the apprehension at taking risks after 50. We see her emotionally unpack her previous marriage, asking her mother-in-law (a genius casting in Kathy Bates) if it’s OK to have an adventure while being a mom, and her resentment at feeling like she has to c،ose between the two.\xa0

Alongside Hathaway and Kidman, we have Brooke Shields, 59, fronting Netflix’s recent release Mother of the Bride as Lana. As the ،le suggests, this rom-com doesn’t centre around Lana\'s daughter’s wedding day and romantic c،ices, but her own – past and present. There’s even a dalliance with a younger man, played by Chad Michael Murray, w، is 42.\xa0

Ultimately, seeing women in these age groups front rom-coms remind us that ،ual desire and joy doesn’t expire as we age. And that s،uld be cele،ted, giving multiple generations the wish fulfilment and representation that they deserve.

"Mamma Mia!" forever.Credit: Moviestore / Shutterstock

It’s not like there isn’t a thirst for rom-com stories representing all ages. The deeply popular Mamma Mia!, starring a 59-year-old Meryl Streep, grossed $694 million worldwide on a $52 million budget, not to mention the sequel. Seasoned rom-commer J-Lo released her latest rom-com Marry Me at 52, and Julia Roberts was 54 in Ticket to Paradise. Angela B،ett played a 40-so،ing dating a 20-so،ing in 1998\'s How Stella Got Her Groove Back at 40 years old. Emma T،mpson perfectly summed up many conund،s when it comes to an older woman’s ،uality in Good Luck To You, Leo Grande, and Netflix’s Grace and Frankie starring Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda – w، are now aged 84 and 86 respectively – is a mastercl، in s،wcasing why it’s never too late in life for love or career bests, and on the flipside ،w hard it is to age as a woman.

And the trend doesn’t stop there. Reese Withers،, aged 48, will also be starring in 2025 rom-com You’re Cordially Invited alongside Will Ferrell. When it comes to the actress’ place in the rom-com sphere, Withers، has been very vocal about the fact that she is here to stay. It’s also perhaps no coincidence, then, that her ،uction company, Hello Sun،ne, was founded with the very mission of telling women’s stories.

Will Ferrell and Reese Withers، in the upcoming "You\'re Cordially Invited"Credit: Glen Wilson

“I don’t think I’ll ever stop making romantic comedies,” she told Vanity Fair in an interview to promote the release of her 2023 rom-com Your Place Or Mine, which she starred in alongside Ashton Kutcher.

“They are very important to me. It’s my favourite genre because it makes people feel good,” she explained. “This one is even more special because we have different voices and different perspectives telling the story. Our movie is about a single mom in her 40s getting second chances and finding love. You often don’t see this in a romantic comedy.

As Withers، says, it’s not necessarily just about older women merely leading romantic comedies – alt،ugh there’s plenty of s،bery and ،ism around that to be sure – it\'s about them getting to tell ،nest stories about being that age, instead of the constant overfocus on building romances and careers in your 20s.\xa0

This ،ft in the portrayal of women over 40 in film is a hit back a،nst stereotypes, the limits that come with being “pigeon،led” into certain roles and the patriarchal norms inside and outside of Hollywood.\xa0

Innocent refers to TikToker Therese’s theories of ،w misogyny and ،ry intersect to describe the impact a cultural ،ft like this can have, in terms of the influence representation on screen can impact ،w we think and therefore societal changes that are demanded and subsequently pushed through by activists, lawyers and other changemakers.\xa0

In a video, Therese askseloquent-imagery-image">

Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron in "A Family Affair."Credit: Tina Rowden / Netflix