Search - Holiday Affair on DVD

Connie B. (conniejb76) from CENTRALIA, IL
Reviewed on 10/22/2018...

I never knew this movie existed. I was surprised to see Robert mitchum play a basic character. It was fun to see him in this role. I also enjoyed the boy that played the son in the movie. He played the role so well at times that he provided most of the laughs. So if you are a fan of Christmas movies or you like Robert mitchum then you should watch this.:)

Kathleen O. (Kathleen) from WALDPORT, OR
Reviewed on 11/16/2008...

Holiday affair never seems to be mentioned when the list of Christmas classics is listed, which is unfortunate because it is actually a very good movie. It would be unfair to compare this with It's A Wonderful Life or even Miracle on 34th Street, But the similarities are there and this is a great feel-good Christmas family movie that is well made.

2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

A Wonderful Holiday Romance

Antoinette Klein | Hoover, Alabama USA | 06/09/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I just discovered this gem from 1949 and am I glad. It has all the ingredients necessary to earn a place in my Christmas movies Hall of Fame: an adorable little boy who wants a train set his widowed mom can't afford; Janet Leigh as the WWII widow struggling to provide for her son; Wendell Corey as the kind and decent man who wants to marry her; and Robert Mitchum, as the drifter on his way to California who changes everything. It has charm without being schmaltzy, humor without being too cutesie, and an ending that has you standing up to cheer. Start stringing the popcorn and plan to watch this every Christmas season."

Intelligent Christmas Fun

D. M. Farmbrough | Wisconsin, USA | 11/26/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Holiday affair is never mentioned when the roster of Christmas cinema classics is read, which is unfortunate because it's actually a very good movie. It would be unfair to compare this with It's A Wonderful Life which came out three years earlier, or even Miracle on 34th Street (two years before). But the similarities in style and tone are there, this being a feel-good Christmas family movie made with intelligence. The studios must have realised they were on to a good thing.Underneath the layer of seasonal schmaltz is a story with its roots in the then popular obsession with psychoanalysis. The jilted fiancé makes references to subconscious desires of Janet Leigh's character, and the whole story is based around a Freudian-Oedipus arrangement with the son taking the place of a dead father. But this is all (just) under the surface of the story of little boy who Santa Claus forgot, whose Christmas is made special by a selfless eccentric played by Mitchum. Mitchum is an actor who could be accepted in almost any character - his face gives so little away that he is often described as 'laconic', but it's clear that here he is a good guy who is so honest he even cuckolds poor old Wendell Corey's character in front of him rather than be deceitful. Corey's character of `the other man' is so doomed from the start to be a poor runner up to Mitchum that it must have been a thankless role for him, but he tackles it well. Watch out too for future M*A*S*H* star Harry Morgan (credited as Henry Morgan) who steals one small scene as a bemused police lieutenant. If you want a change from Frank Capra or James Bond, try this with your turkey and Brussels sprouts."

Great holiday fare

Ann S. | Texas | 10/31/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This neglected film got lost in all the It's a Wonderful Life hype. I discovered A Holiday Affair belatedly, by accident and it quickly ranked near the top of my holiday favorites. The story of the little boy who wants a Christmas train and the stranger who enters the life of his family is too good to miss. It's also a must for Mitchum fans, even those who are Scrooges about Christmas. Give yourself the gift of seeing it this holiday season."