Two for the Road

Movie Review: Two for the Road (*** out of 4 stars)

Year of Release: 1967

Country of Origin: UK

Director: Stanley Donen

Cast: Audrey Hepburn, Albert Finney

Plot outline: A married couple's relationship rises and falls during a series of European trips (IMDb).

The story (***1/2 it delightfully catches not only the exuberance of the mid-1960s but also the pains of growing old and maintaining the flame of love; by the end of the movie, love remains precious, if not supreme)

How the story unfolds (***1/2 the script skillfully negotiates the tightrope between frothy romantic comedy and melodramatic marriage--this is not the bitter pill of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" but the bittersweet maturing relationship between two very vibrant and strong personalities)

The characters (***)

The dialogue (***)

The acting (*** Hepburn and Finney's performance may well be the finest of their careers)

Overall rating *** out of 4 stars