#2020PopCultureResolution - An Affair To Remember

An Affair To Remember

Director: Leo McCarey

Length:  115 minutes

Cast: Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr,

Release Date:  July 11, 1957

Synopsis: A man and a woman have a romance while on a cruise from Europe to New York. Despite being engaged to other people, both agree to reunite at the top of the Empire State Building in six months. However, an unfortunate accident keeps her from the reunion, and he fears that she has married or does not love him anymore.

I have many friends who adore Cary Grant and ensured that they suggested his movies when I asked for recommendations. It is the main reason I have two of his movies on my list. One that came up a bunch of times was An Affair To Remember.

It starts out as a sweet enjoyable romance. Cary Grant is enticing charming and Deborah Kerr is very enjoyable as well. They certainly have chemistry (even though I think he had better chemistry with Katherine Hepburn in The Philadelphia Story) which is important for this genre. Especially the stuff on the ship! Their banter was fun and that the relationship was deepened by getting to know each other better was a bonus. It really was Cary Grant's charm that sold the romance for me though. I believed that he was worth waiting six months for by the time they get off the ship.

Their first kiss takes place off camera with the above shot being what we see and it still manages to exude sexual chemistry.

I also loved the comedic elements that are more prominent at the beginning of the movie. Everyone on the ship being so invested in what Terry and Nickie are doing and all of the humour around that was especially on point.

The story, naturally, has to have some obstacles for the couple to overcome and I found those to be well done but not original. This movie ultimately felt like a warm blanket on a cold day. It is comforting in its familiarity. It plays the usual tropes of the genre but that is what makes it so enjoyable in the end.

The ending packs the emotional punch that is needed and is even a bit of a tearjerker. It's a memorable scene that caps off the movie perfectly.

I highly recommend this to those who love their romances with a bit of drama mixed it. It has two solid performances from its main cast and a fantastic use of the Empire State Building. It also made me want to check out more Cary Grant movies (as this was only the second one I have seen him in).