''A Family Affair'' is a 2001

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

directed by Helen Lesnick. The director followed the film up with ''Inescapable'' in 2003.

Plot

Rachel Rosen (Helen Lesnick) moves back to

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

after breaking up with her girlfriend Reggie Abravanel (

Michele Greene Michele Dominguez Greene (born February 3, 1962) is an American actress, singer, and author. She is known for her role as attorney Abby Perkins on the TV series ''L.A. Law'' from 1986 to 1991, for which she was nominated for a 1989 Primetime ...

) who she had been with for the past 13 years. After a string of unsuccessful new relationships Rachel agrees to let her mother Leah Rosen (

Arlene Golonka Arlene Leanore Golonka (January 23, 1936 – May 31, 2021) was an American actress. She is perhaps best known for playing Millie Hutchins on the television comedy ''The Andy Griffith Show'' and Millie Swanson on ''Mayberry R.F.D.'', and often ...

) set her up on a

blind date A blind date is a social engagement between two people who have not met, usually arranged by a mutual acquaintance. Structure A blind date is arranged for by a mutual acquaintance of both participants. The two people who take part in the blind ...

with Christine Peterson (

Erica Shaffer Erica Shaffer is an American actress who has worked in independent films and television. Some of the films include '' A Family Affair'', ''The Truth is Always Complicated'', '' The Fall'', ''Catalina Trust'', ''The Socratic Method'', ''Three ...

). Their relationship is a success and a year later they decide to get married. Then a few days before the wedding Reggie comes to California to find Rachel, hoping to get back together...

Cast

*Helen Lesnick as Rachel Rosen *

as Christine Peterson *

as Leah Rosen * Barbara Stuart as Sylvia Peterson *

as Reggie Abravanel *

Suzanne Westenhoefer Suzanne Westenhoefer (born March 31, 1961 in Columbia, Pennsylvania) is an American out lesbian stand-up comedian. She starred as a panelist on GSN's 2006 remake of ''I've Got a Secret'', which featured a panel of gay celebrities who had to gue ...

as Carol Rosen *Michael Moerman as Sam Rosen * David Radford as Joe * Don Loper as Matthew Rosen *Keith E. Wright as Rob *Mark DeWhitt as Danny *Tracy Hughes as Nancy *Joel Hepner as Stanley Peterson *Suzana Norberg as Kathi *Michael McGee as Barry *Jack Silbaugh as Steve *Kelly Neill as Debi *Ellen Lawler as Suzi *Suzi Miller as Teri

Production

The film is set in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

Reception

Kevin Thomas at the

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

said "Lesnick knows how to build her characters from within, and as a result this gentle film delivers an emotional wallop all the more potent for being unexpected." Ella Taylor at

LA Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who served as president and editor until 1991. Voice Media Group sold the paper in late 2017 to Semanal Media LLC, whose paren ...

said "The pacing never accelerates beyond sluggish, and Lesnick’s script is an awkward pile of gag lines." C.W. Nevius at

SFGATE The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The p ...

said it has "a sweet finish that saves this as a good old-fashioned love story." Connie Ogle at

Miami Herald The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by the McClatchy Company and headquartered in Doral, Florida, a List of communities in Miami-Dade County, Florida, city in western Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County and the M ...

said "Lesnick's vision of tolerance is a soothing thought."

References

External links

* * 2001 films Lesbian-related films 2001 LGBT-related films 2000s English-language films {{LGBT-film-stub