Review of Christmas in Connecticut (1945) by Philip S — 01 Dec 2011

Christmas in Connecticut is more rom-com than holiday movie. Yet, that's why it holds its own against all the other movies that fill the Christmas/holiday genre. One part A Comedy of Errors and one part Much Ado About Nothing, this modern Shakepsearian comedy doesn't take the standard holiday route. Rather, it just uses the holiday season as a backdrop for the primary twisted rom-com plot. One watch through Christmas in Connecticut shows where the writers of While You Were Sleeping (1995) got at least some of their motivation.

Christmas in Connecticut fits into the holiday genre simply because it's set against the holiday season. Audiences see the standard snow, the Christmas tree, the wreath on the door, etc. But that--and a brief mention by one character of loving Christmas--is the extent of the holiday references. It makes this one more a holiday themed movie than an actual holiday or even Christmas movie. That aside, the madcap rom-com storyline is funny enough that Christmas in Connecticut still makes for a great watch for couples or even the entire family this holiday season. It's centered on Barbara Stanwyck (Double Indemnity) having to lie to her boss, Sydney Greenstreet (The Maltese Falcon), after he invites himself and a WWII hero to what she claims is her farm for the holiday season. This is where the hilarity ensues.

The primary rom-com plotline makes for a funny watch. But it isn't all that makes this work funny. They don't move the story along, but there are some very funny, memorable moments peppered throughout the story. One of the funniest moments comes when Felix (S.Z. Sakall) tries to teach Elizabeth (Barbara Stanwyck) how to flip pancakes. The result is a laugh riot. In that same vein, an early scene between Felix and another character over what Felix was cooking was just as funny. Another funny moment happens as a result of the mixup over a baby being cared for by Elizabeth. That mixup may have been the influence for one episodes of The Flintstones.

Christmas in Connecticut has more than enough laughs to justify it as one of the top comedies of all time. Given, it has quite a bit of its influence from a pair of Shakepseare comedies. But the combination works. It makes for plenty of laughs from beginning to end. The real irony of this work is that while other movies in the holiday/Christmas genre stick so strictly to a given formula, Christmas in Connecticut is one of the few movies in said genre that doesn't. The result is a movie that stands on its own merits, even if it doesn't fit perfectly into the standards for its genre. It's a work that crosses genres, and will always be relevant both as a rom-com and a holiday movie.