The Catered Affair

I happened upon A Catered Affair on TCM recently by chance upon hearing the channels announcement it was written by Paddy Chayefsky; I was knocked out by Network, so I gave this one a chance. I recommend you do too. Wow! This film is real, gritty, poignant. It demands your intelligent attention, as every moment counts. I agree with Wayne Malin's overall review here, but would rate Debbie Reynolds performance more highly. I experienced her portrayal as a true rendering of a vulnerable, sensitive young woman coming of age. We empathize with the characters, who are given due weight throughout the story's development. We care and see the motivations of each person as they struggle to come to terms with complex issues that overwhelm them. Layers of competing interests collide with depth and resonance. Bette Davis and Ernest Borgnine are magnificent, as are the supporting actors, most notably the grooms father and the brides best friend/maid of honor. As far as the ending, I found it a bit more believable than Mr Malin; the mom is faced with the realization that she's always had generations of family around her, who are all now leaving. She is about to live the rest of her life with the husband she has denegrated all their married life, the circumstances of which make us empathize with her meanness. Mom is faced with unwanted choices placed upon her. Instead of blaming others for her fate, a lifetime habit, she must choose either to leave the marriage, live in misery and loneliness which she now suspects has been somewhat self imposed, or admit some things about herself and open up a little, allowing for the possibility of some joy between them in their remaining years.

Very good drama about a poor husband and wife (Ernest Borgnine and Bette Davis) who live in a cheap apartment in the Bronx and learn that their only daughter (Debbie Reynolds) is going to be getting married and wants only a very small wedding. Borgnine is all for going the cheap route, as he is a struggling cab driver who's recently trying to scrape together enough cash to buy his own cab and can't see the point in throwing away all his savings on one dinner for strangers; but Davis wants her girl to have a large affair, but mostly to make up for her own miserable wedding and lousy marriage. There are some powerfully charged emotional scenes, and both Davis and Borgnine are very good. Anyone who has ever prepared for a wedding will still be able to relate to much of the craziness that goes on. This is well directed by Richard Brooks, who keeps things moving nicely. Barry Fitzgerald is also a plus as Bette's older bachelor brother who lives in the apartment and might not even be invited to the wedding. ***1/2 out of ****

An unjustly neglected "kitchen sink" movie from the fifties, with fine performances by all and intriguing New York locations.

Bette Davis and Ernest Borgnine portray the very much working-class parents of a young woman who is about to get married, and just wants a quick ceremony with no reception. But the mother, guilty about "not giving her daughter anything" over the years, pushes for an expensive "catered affair" that her husband cannot afford, and would use money he planned to devote to buying a taxicab license.

Davis' brassy performance has received the most attention, but Borgnine's subtle, nuanced portrayal of the father is what really sustains this movie. Barry Fitzgerald provides comic relief as a "oirish" uncle. Altogether a charming and touching film that is very much a slice of life of NYC in the fifties. Like the other Chayefsky scripts of this era, it explores themes that would have been unpalatable or mawkish for any other writer.

"The Catered Affair" is a great little movie filled with real life heartache and genuine emotion. Bette gives a strong performance as the matriarch of the family determined to give her only daughter a proper wedding even though the family can't afford to do so. Ernest B. is perfectly cast as the slovenly, hard working taxi cab driver. In fact everyone is up to par in this film, but it's the real life situations that tug at your heart strings. Agnes' brother who sleeps on the couch in the living room, preparing a dinner to impress the future in-laws, Agnes' realization that one day it will be only her and Tom living in the apartment. An especially touching scene takes place in the bedroom as Agnes brushes her hair as Tom gives her many reasons why they can't afford the cost of the wedding, both financially and emotionally.

I enjoyed this movie very much. It seems like it was originally done as a television drama and ended up being released theatrically. The cast, screenwriter and director are all top of the line and they all did very good work in this little seen movie. I believed in each character and the drama is not overdone at all.