An Affair To Remember (1957)

 

Genre: Romance/ Comedy

Time: 2hours

Director: Leo McCarey

Quick Summary: Nicky and Terry meet on a cruise on their way from Europe to New York and fall in love with each other. Despite being engaged to other people, the couple decides to meet again.

I've always loved old Hollywood for how they portray romance and people. They just knew the right formula. A nice mix of infatuation, hope, Sadness and trauma. The right way to do it.

I wasn't too sure about the pair-up at first because they just seemed the joke about each other, which is fine but I didn't get much chemistry from that, just that they were instantly friendly. I then realized it was a bit of a slow burn between the two as they both deny they like each other that way and dodge gossiping eyes. But ironically to their dismay, they keep ending up at the same place at the same time which makes for some pretty funny moments like when they're sat next to each other in the dining hall unaware of the fact that one is behind the other. 

While I did like the comedy and the irony that they literally can't be separated, I just really wasn't sure about their romance. Maybe it was too old-fashioned for me, but I was a little uncomfortable with how poorly they spoke of their partners because they were boring. A lot of the romance came from small tokens of affection, glances, and lingering touches, that really make it all warm and fuzzy. That's why the ending wasn't too great for me. I couldn't believe these two characters who had fallen so much in love with each other, were too proud to say what had happened between them, and why one of them couldn't attend their planned meeting. 

I don't know what it is but old films like this like to really drag out their runtime with nothing. We get not one but two full songs with kids singing. What makes it worse is that they really can't sing either. These two songs go on for so long too and ruined the story a little bit for me, as I lost all care for what was going on between those two. It drew too much attention away.

While I did like this a lot, it was sweet at times and really sad at others, it's a little too old-fashioned for me. Those kids really ruined it too. Again, another film that could have cut its runtime down to an hour and a bit and be almost perfect.

8/10

"Terry McKay: What makes life so difficult?

Nickie Ferrante: People?"

"Terry McKay: My father drank beer. In the morning.

Nickie Ferrante: He was a beer drinker?

Terry McKay: Later in the day, he drank anything."