Holiday (1938)

Dir.: George Cukor
Plot: An adventurous young man travels to meet his fiancee's stuffy, aristocratic family but finds himself becoming increasingly drawn to her free-spirited sister.


Cary Grant was never as winning, Katharine Hepburn never as fascinating as they both are here, playing two confirmed individuals amongst a flock of wealthy sheep in New York high society. He is Johnny, a poor boy made good, an orphan who put himself through Harvard and is now on the cusp of a successful career, and she is Linda, the eccentric eldest child of a suffocatingly staid family. He arrives at their mansion engaged to her sister Julia, one of those dry, unexciting types that Cary Grant characters always seem to pick first before seeing sense. Upon getting to know her father, Johnny begins to realise that a dull future in business has already been mapped out for him and starts to wonder what he really wants. In the meantime, he strikes up a friendship with Julia's unconventional sister, whose spontaneous nature seems to offer a glimpse of a different kind of life.

Neat visual metaphor for Johnny's dilemma. Although I think he should consider that one of them may be a witch.

The turning point of the movie comes on New Year's Eve (did I mention it's set over Christmas, only adding to the charm?), when a lavish party is being thrown at the mansion, to end with the announcement of Johnny and Julia's engagement. Professor Potter and his wife (the always-welcome Edward Everett Horton and Jean Dixon), who acted as surrogate parents to Johnny at Harvard, show up for the festivities and are dismayed by the obnoxious snobs who sneer at Linda's eccentricity and Johnny's humble origins. They also add a political edge to the drama - they come across as distinctly lefty in an ambiguous 1930s sort of a way, and engage in a bit of verbal warfare with Julia and Linda's ultra-capitalist cousin. This mild but pointed critique doubtless went down well with a Depression audience. Anyhow, being confronted by his old friends makes Johnny realise he has to assert his independence. Because what Johnny really wants, as the title suggests, is a holiday - his first in a life full of hard work and struggle, something his privileged fiancee can't understand.

There's something just a little bit pinko about them, but he did such a good double-take that no-one cares.

A masterclass on seamlessly melding drama and comedy, Holiday is a classy romcom with real weight. This is largely due to the performances of Hepburn and Lew Ayres as her downtrodden, alcoholic brother, who lend a genuine note of sadness to their characters. Both of them are outsiders, trapped in their gilded cage: Hepburn by a sense of loyalty to her sister and deceased mother, Ayres simply crushed and too weak to break free. They spend most of their time holed up in their old nursery, hiding from their father's world amongst memories of childhood. Johnny soon proves to be a kindred spirit, dodging fancy parties to goof around with them - giving Cary Grant a great chance to crack out some of his acrobatics - much to the chagrin of his fiancee and prospective father-in-law. Linda, who is played excellently as boisterous but intriguingly vulnerable, cannot help but fall hook, line and sinker for Johnny's considerable charms, but would never consider betraying her sister.

Lew Ayres lushing it up as the Branwell Bronte of the family

This of course sets up a deliciously tricky love triangle, and the films deserves kudos for easing Julia out of the picture by subtly and gradually revealing her true character, rather than doing what some of these films do and have her undergo a random personality swap at a convinent moment. At the same time, Hepburn becomes more and more sympathetic as we see the fragility under her cheerful exterior and by the end you'd have to be pretty hard-hearted not to be screaming for them to get together. This is why they were stars! My only complaint is that the start took a while to get going and, conversely, the ending was a little rushed. Still, a deft and charming romantic comedy with a depth that gives it a high rewatchability factor.


8.5/10