In Southern California, Cliff (Fred MacMurray) is a successful toy manufacturer but at home, he feels neglected and taken for granted by his wife (Joan Bennett) and three children - two of whom are teenagers. Norma (Barbara Stanwyck) is a former colleague and friend who pays a visit after many years away. The two lonely souls strike a solid companionship but the film asks the question: will there be more than just friendship?
While watching this film, it's often tempting to expect a formulaic story and guess where it will go next. But, as written by Bernard Schoenfeld (based on a story by Ursula Parrott), it often goes in a different direction. When it does veer in predictable territory, it still does so with some unexpected surprises.
It helps to have the solid direction of Douglas Sirk ("All That Heaven Allows" (1955), "Written on the Wind" (1956) and "Imitation of Life" (1959)) as well as a solid cast. MacMurray is superb in a role rarely shown on screen - a neglected patriarch who feels the hurt. But Stanwyck is truly at her best (which is saying a lot) in a multi-layered role.
At the beginning, she shows true charm, class, and charisma as someone so well-mannered and entertaining, one would want to be in her presence at any gathering. As a successful fashion designer, she's almost comical in a scene of being in such demand for time at her office that she ends up snapping at everyone. In the later dramatic scenes, she shows her true power especially during a conversation with Cliff's teenage children. This performance matches what is likely her best - in "Stella Dallas" (1937).
It makes one yearn for the times in Hollywood when experienced actresses over forty got roles that showed their best. Those days may be gone for now but at least films like this are great reminders of a great era. - dbamateurcritic
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT: Acting by Barbara Stanwyck
