This 1959 release is a good movie, but it hits me a bit too close to home. I've watched it a couple of times, and enjoyed it. But, it's not a feel-good movie. And, it's very much an artifact of its age.
The acclaimed actor Fredric March is "Jerry", a man in his mid-50s in a story set in the mid-50s. The son of immigrants, he clawed his way to the top of the garment industry in New York City. He owns his own clothing business, and business has been good for awhile. On the outside, he has the polish and bonhomie of a natural salesman. At his core, he's a roughneck hiding in a well-tailored suit. He's also lonely - his wife died recently, and he tries to fill the void in his life with even more work.
Kim Novak is "Betty", a receptionist at Jerry's company. Betty's recently divorced from an itinerant musician, and she's trying to rebuild her life. She's moved back home to live with her mother (played by Glenda Farrell) and sister "Alice" (played by Jan Morris). Her mom's frustrated and coarse, ever since Betty's dad abandoned the family when the girls were small.
Jerry is more than twice Betty's age. Most of his friends have either already retired, moved to Florida or died off. His only lasting friend "Walter" (Albert Dekker) is cynical and a bit forlorn. He's unhappily married, and he worries about how his grown kids see their father. He should. Walter recklessly indulges in tawdry affairs with cheap women, trying in vain to convince himself that he's still vibrant and desirable. With a friend like this, it's no wonder Jerry is starting to wonder about his own future. Is Jerry destined to seek the same artificial solace in a series of empty liaisons? Jerry wants something deeper.
After a couple of post-work encounters, Jerry decides Betty is the woman he loves. He goes after Betty like he went after his career. At once, he's full of bluster and promises, while barely containing his insecurity at his increasing age and his decreasing vibrancy. He knows she's attractive enough and young enough to be a better fit to someone closer to her own age. He also feels that her presence makes him feel young again, even if it's for a moment. He'd do anything to keep that feeling in his life as the years wind down.
Betty doesn't feel the same way. She's flattered by the attention, since Jerry is everything Betty's husband never was: rich, attentive, determined, well-respected in the city. Jerry's lifestyle would be a quantum leap over the struggle Betty faces day after day. What cost is Betty willing to pay? Can she turn off her true feelings for the sake of material comfort?
After some time dealing with Jerry's relentless pursuit, Betty begrudgingly accepts Jerry's ardor. She tries to reciprocate, but it's difficult. Those in orbit around the couple loudly and frequently express their disapproval. Her mom and sister think Jerry is a disgusting cradle-robber. His daughter "Lillian" (Joan Copeland) thinks Betty's infantile and will soon dump Jerry for a younger lover. Only Lillian's husband "Jack" (Martin Balsam) thinks that Jerry should not be afraid to seek happiness or love.
When Jerry and Betty are together, they do a great job of showing the raw emotions they're trying to manage. This is not a beautiful, uplifting love story. It certainly wouldn't be considered a chick flick. Jerry is desperate to make his dream of love work, charging ahead with barely any regard to Betty's doubts. Betty sees Jerry as basically a sweet man who's a bit lost. She doesn't love him, but is trying to teach herself to do so, because she doesn't want to hurt him. She's losing a part of herself in trying to buoy this older man who's drowning in loneliness and despair.
Why it hits close to home is because I'm in a similar stage in life. In that baby boomer era, most men were taught that career success and that love for a lifetime were both worthy, achievable goals. We were taught that a truly successful man had both when he reached middle-age. We were taught those goals could be nurtured simultaneously. As the career wound down and ended, that lifetime of memories with the one you love would nourish one in the golden years.
In the present day, now many middle-aged men find themselves alone, looking back at successful careers in their respective pasts. But today, the career is going or gone, and that "forever love" is gone as well. Those men (and increasingly, women in that age group) find themselves alone, trying to find something to hold onto as sustenance as they enter the last years of their lives. Even though the movie is 50-plus years old, Jerry's dilemma resonates with so many persons today. If it applies to you, how do YOU deal with it?
The ending is typical of movies from that era, but it's not satisfying. Those who watch may suspect that all those family and friends on both sides may be right - that Jerry's insecurities and Betty's fears were stronger than any possible love they could muster for one another.
This movie was well-crafted and well-cast. The playwright Paddy Chayefsky wrote a powerful screenplay. Watching it won't have you humming love songs when it ends. But, the story will make you think. It may make you re-examine some of the choices you make in your middle-aged years. I liked it, and I wonder who else likes it.
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