I'm a sucker for romantic-comedies, and setting them during the holidays is even harder to resist (if they have decent writing and production value, because I kind of cringe at Hallmark movies.) Holiday Affair has a relatively simple premise and is one of those stories where you can see it all coming well in advance. That doesn't mean that the story is less compelling, though. I was on board for the entire thing, and couldn't wait for the inevitable moment when things would come together to warm my heart and put a big dumb smile on my face. There is some good chemistry between Robert Mitchum and Janet Leigh, which is essential for this kind of story to work. This is actually the first time I have seen Robert Mitchum play such a lovable character, and I was delighted to see he has the versatility to pull it off just as well as he portrays more villainous characters.
One of the things I liked in Holiday Affair was that it took the road less travelled with Wendell Corey's character. It's much more common for romantic comedies to paint the romantic rival as a cad, a jerk, or a loser (or some combination of those things.) However, Wendell Corey plays a perfectly kind and loving man who just wants to do right by his girlfriend and her son. That one tweak in character writing always adds a level of intrigue when I'm watching a rom-com, because it makes you question if the woman is making the right choice and how they will justify her leaving someone who truly seems to love her. Holiday Affair did a good job with those story elements and was an all-around heartwarming tale that I enjoyed watching particularly at this time of year. There are certainly better films that fill this niche, but it's nice to find a new one to explore.
One of the things I liked in Holiday Affair was that it took the road less travelled with Wendell Corey's character. It's much more common for romantic comedies to paint the romantic rival as a cad, a jerk, or a loser (or some combination of those things.) However, Wendell Corey plays a perfectly kind and loving man who just wants to do right by his girlfriend and her son. That one tweak in character writing always adds a level of intrigue when I'm watching a rom-com, because it makes you question if the woman is making the right choice and how they will justify her leaving someone who truly seems to love her. Holiday Affair did a good job with those story elements and was an all-around heartwarming tale that I enjoyed watching particularly at this time of year. There are certainly better films that fill this niche, but it's nice to find a new one to explore.