Review: An Affair to Remember (1957)
This was a movie that started as a romantic comedy and then transitioned into a romance movie. I didn't really like it. I didn't sense the chemistry between the characters other than the comedic bits. The movie tried really hard to introduce events that would move the audience but they seemed forced to me.
Spoilers.
Story
Terry and Nickie were both to be married, and they met while on a ship. They fell in love under the eyes of all of the other patrons on the ship. They also took a trip to see Nickie's grandmother, which Terry found very lovely. When they left the ship, they promised each other that they would meet again and be together forever.
During that time, both Nickie and Terry broke up with their significant others. However, on the way to their meeting place, Terry got into an accident and was unable to make the meeting, leading Nickie to believe that she didn't love him anymore.
Afterwards, Nickie became a renowned painter, and Terry, without the use of her legs, became a music teacher. They bumped into each other at a ballet show, which prompted Nickie to seek out Terry again. During that meeting, Nickie found out that Terry hadn't made it to the meeting because of the accident, and the movie ended with them tearfully reconciling.
I just felt that a lot of the parts of the movie that were meant to be emotional or touching or even natural were very forced.
For one, Nickie did not feel like a European man to me at all. He was the most American man ever. Unconvincing accent, but also just his character was so in line with "THE American man."
The trip to Nickie's grandmother's home was so cheesy. It was meant to show Nickie's sentimental side, that he wasn't just a playboy, but it was all so forced. All of it was done through his grandmother, off screen, or in the past. Janou just felt like a cheap tool to me and Terry's connection with Janou and the place was so feel good that I was rolling my eyes.
The accident was a bit dramatic, but I guess it was ok considering the premise. Nickie and Terry's rises to fame were not shown at all. It was weird to see Terry become a famous singer in two scenes, and Nickie's rise to painterdom wasn't that much longer. I know the movie didn't want to focus on those, but if they wanted to show how each of the characters had grown (in six months!) this was not the best way.
Terry's job as a music teacher was incredibly cheesy as well. At the beginning of the performance, Tyrone's dad thanked her for giving his son a chance so he wouldn't be dumb like him...ugh. The performance was a bit...too feel-good. It just made my eyes roll a lot. The two Black kids doing the dance break, the kids (performers!) jumping and clapping and cheering at the end of their performance...Also, what was the point of Molly being sick and Terry having to sing her part for her? We already know that Terry is a good singer, so what purpose did this show?
So as you can see, this movie just made me roll my eyes a lot.
Production
The acting was fine, particularly in the beginning with the comedy. I felt that Terry and Nickie's snappy way of communicating was interesting and made them feel a bit different. But otherwise, their characters fell victim to the cheesy writing that made me unable to take the characters too seriously.
I did of course pay attention to Terry's outfits, and I did think that many of them were very cute, so that was nice.
Characters
Nicolo "Nickie" Ferrante
Nickie was a reknowned playboy (known all over the world!) who shocked everyone by becoming engaged to be married. But I guess his reputation was why everybody on the ocean liner didn't think it was weird that he was falling in love with Terry.
Anyway, Nickie was definitely more up for a flirtationship than Terry was. When he invited Terry to visit his grandmother, I wonder if he had already started having romantic feelings for Terry then. Otherwise, who just invites strangers to see their beloved grandmothers? But from a performance standpoint, I didn't think that Nickie had necessarily quite been as besotted with her then. I definitely think they fell more in love after the trip.
Anyway when they came back, Nickie put off his marriage with his fiancee Lois, and later broke it off. He became a painter, after Janou and Terry praised his work. I guess he was going to be the arm candy to Lois (as she was a rich heiress), though I don't know that Nickie was necessarily struggling for money before that.
After bumping into Terry at the theatre, I guess he realized that they still had feelings for each other and that was why he decided to visit her. And that was when he realized that Terry was the patron who'd purchased a painting of his but was wheelchair-bound.
Nickie was a whatever character. I didn't really care about him.
Terry McKay
Terry was a witty woman, about to marry a businessman. She joked a lot with Nickie at first, not letting him pull a fast one on her. But I guess she couldn't resist his charm anyway.
As I mentioned, her falling more in love with Nickie after visiting Janou was extremely cheesy, because it showed a "different side of him" ugh.
When she returned from her trip, her fiance Ken realized that she'd fallen in love with Nickie. For some reason, the breakup seemed to have gone okay, with him letting her go, but still having feelings for her. It was oddly agreeable, which was another reason this romance film did not feel realistic to me.
After her accident, Ken wanted to care for Terry but she refused, but he still did shower her with gifts and stuff so...And I mentioned why her stint as the music teacher was extremely cringe to me.
Overall
Very cheesy movie. It might have moved me if I had never seen a romance movie ever in my life, but a lot of tropes in this movie would not fly today.
Spoilers.
Story
Terry and Nickie were both to be married, and they met while on a ship. They fell in love under the eyes of all of the other patrons on the ship. They also took a trip to see Nickie's grandmother, which Terry found very lovely. When they left the ship, they promised each other that they would meet again and be together forever.
During that time, both Nickie and Terry broke up with their significant others. However, on the way to their meeting place, Terry got into an accident and was unable to make the meeting, leading Nickie to believe that she didn't love him anymore.
Afterwards, Nickie became a renowned painter, and Terry, without the use of her legs, became a music teacher. They bumped into each other at a ballet show, which prompted Nickie to seek out Terry again. During that meeting, Nickie found out that Terry hadn't made it to the meeting because of the accident, and the movie ended with them tearfully reconciling.
I just felt that a lot of the parts of the movie that were meant to be emotional or touching or even natural were very forced.
For one, Nickie did not feel like a European man to me at all. He was the most American man ever. Unconvincing accent, but also just his character was so in line with "THE American man."
The trip to Nickie's grandmother's home was so cheesy. It was meant to show Nickie's sentimental side, that he wasn't just a playboy, but it was all so forced. All of it was done through his grandmother, off screen, or in the past. Janou just felt like a cheap tool to me and Terry's connection with Janou and the place was so feel good that I was rolling my eyes.
The accident was a bit dramatic, but I guess it was ok considering the premise. Nickie and Terry's rises to fame were not shown at all. It was weird to see Terry become a famous singer in two scenes, and Nickie's rise to painterdom wasn't that much longer. I know the movie didn't want to focus on those, but if they wanted to show how each of the characters had grown (in six months!) this was not the best way.
Terry's job as a music teacher was incredibly cheesy as well. At the beginning of the performance, Tyrone's dad thanked her for giving his son a chance so he wouldn't be dumb like him...ugh. The performance was a bit...too feel-good. It just made my eyes roll a lot. The two Black kids doing the dance break, the kids (performers!) jumping and clapping and cheering at the end of their performance...Also, what was the point of Molly being sick and Terry having to sing her part for her? We already know that Terry is a good singer, so what purpose did this show?
So as you can see, this movie just made me roll my eyes a lot.
Production
The acting was fine, particularly in the beginning with the comedy. I felt that Terry and Nickie's snappy way of communicating was interesting and made them feel a bit different. But otherwise, their characters fell victim to the cheesy writing that made me unable to take the characters too seriously.
I did of course pay attention to Terry's outfits, and I did think that many of them were very cute, so that was nice.
Characters
Nicolo "Nickie" Ferrante
Nickie was a reknowned playboy (known all over the world!) who shocked everyone by becoming engaged to be married. But I guess his reputation was why everybody on the ocean liner didn't think it was weird that he was falling in love with Terry.
Anyway, Nickie was definitely more up for a flirtationship than Terry was. When he invited Terry to visit his grandmother, I wonder if he had already started having romantic feelings for Terry then. Otherwise, who just invites strangers to see their beloved grandmothers? But from a performance standpoint, I didn't think that Nickie had necessarily quite been as besotted with her then. I definitely think they fell more in love after the trip.
Anyway when they came back, Nickie put off his marriage with his fiancee Lois, and later broke it off. He became a painter, after Janou and Terry praised his work. I guess he was going to be the arm candy to Lois (as she was a rich heiress), though I don't know that Nickie was necessarily struggling for money before that.
After bumping into Terry at the theatre, I guess he realized that they still had feelings for each other and that was why he decided to visit her. And that was when he realized that Terry was the patron who'd purchased a painting of his but was wheelchair-bound.
Nickie was a whatever character. I didn't really care about him.
Terry McKay
Terry was a witty woman, about to marry a businessman. She joked a lot with Nickie at first, not letting him pull a fast one on her. But I guess she couldn't resist his charm anyway.
As I mentioned, her falling more in love with Nickie after visiting Janou was extremely cheesy, because it showed a "different side of him" ugh.
When she returned from her trip, her fiance Ken realized that she'd fallen in love with Nickie. For some reason, the breakup seemed to have gone okay, with him letting her go, but still having feelings for her. It was oddly agreeable, which was another reason this romance film did not feel realistic to me.
After her accident, Ken wanted to care for Terry but she refused, but he still did shower her with gifts and stuff so...And I mentioned why her stint as the music teacher was extremely cringe to me.
Overall
Very cheesy movie. It might have moved me if I had never seen a romance movie ever in my life, but a lot of tropes in this movie would not fly today.