Review of An Affair to Remember (1957) by James K — 05 Dec 2010

I'm probably among many to say this: I just don't care for romance movies. Such is the case with 1957's "An Affair to Remember", a movie that gets off to a good start, but by the end becomes a disappointment. Now, this film is mostly recognized for Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr's relationship on screen, yet everything else just doesn't fit. It's a generic romance film that really doesn't work well with me. This movie may appeal to some, but other than that, it's uninteresting.

The plot of the movie is your basic romance story. Nickie (Grant) is on his way home from Europe on a ship when he meets Terry (Kerr), who is also on her way home to see her fiancée. The two start seeing each other on the cruise and become more involved in each other's lifestyles. After a brief stop on the coast of France, Nickie invites Terry to meet his grandmother, and from here Nickie and Terry fall in love. But when they return to America, Terry gets involved in an accident and she and Nickie cannot be together again. Can they realize they must admit their love to each other, or will it be a marriage that will never be?

"An Affair to Remember" is not a good movie. The main characters are uninteresting and the songs near the end of the film are forgettable. But my biggest problem with the movie is the pacing. It felt very slow, especially during the last two acts, and it was very boring. I think that the main problem with this is the script. The first act plays itself as a comedy, but then at the last two acts, the movie plays itself like a drama. I thought it would be a romantic comedy, but those last moments just ruined it for me.

Now with that being said, is there anything that makes the film good? Well, actually, there is. Like I said before, the first act is good, that it should have stuck with the comedic aspect throughout the rest of the movie. Also, I enjoy the casting very much. Yet the negatives outweigh the positives.

Overall, "An Affair to Remember" is a flawed film that needed some improvement. It's a love story and if you're up for these things then give this movie a go. Otherwise, leave it alone.