Why Warren Beatty would want to remake the beloved 1957 chestnut "An Affair to Remember" (which was itself a remake of the 1939 film "Love Affair") is a mystery.
And yet, if one wanted to closely examine the parallels in Beatty's personal life to that of the character on the screen, perhaps it's not so mysterious after all.
Like the character he plays, Beatty is a longtime playboy celebrity who finally settled down with one woman (Annette Bening, his real-life wife and co-star in this film) and seems content. And his character here expresses a desire to have children, which Beatty has recently experienced for the first time.
"Love Affair" casts Beatty as Mike Gambril, a former football star and now a television commentator, whose sexual exploits have been followed in the tabloid press. As the film opens, "Entertainment Tonight" and "Inside Edition" are going crazy over Mike's announcement that he is marrying a popular talk-show host (Kate Capshaw).
But when an assignment sends him to Australia, Mike meets Terry McKay (Bening) on the flight and it's love at first sight. She's not so sure, of course — especially since she is also engaged to someone else (Pierce Brosnan). So, she keeps him at arm's length.
When the plane crashes, they find themselves transported from a remote island by Russian cruise ship (a nice contrivance that makes their traveling alone on an ocean liner more acceptable in this modern-day setting). And during the cruise, Terry falls under Mike's spell — and they make the familiar promise . . . .
Familiar, that is, to anyone who has seen the first "Love Affair," "An Affair to Remember" or "Sleepless in Seattle." They agree to meet at the top of the Empire State Building in three months (it was six months in "An Affair to Remember") if they still feel the same way — and if Mike is confident he can remain faithful.
But when three months pass and the meeting is to take place, tragedy strikes, preventing one of them from keeping the date.
There is a delightful centerpiece to all this that occurs when Mike and Terry take a side trip while on the cruise, to visit Mike's aging aunt. The aunt is played wonderfully by Katharine Hepburn, who, despite appearing quite frail (she is 87), has lost none of her wit or ability, and her lengthy cameo is the film's true highlight.
And Garry Shandling adds some laughs as Beatty's sardonic sidekick, an unctuous agent who continually comments on Mike's reputation. "I love your life," he tells him at one point. (Unfortunately, Capshaw, Brosnan and, as Terry's best friend, Chloe Webb don't have much to do.)
The film also boasts some very nice cinematography by Conrad Hall and a lush score by Ennio Morricone.
In addition to starring, Beatty also co-wrote and produced this updated "Love Affair," and he may have intended the film as a valentine to his wife. And while Bening is excellent, projecting the perfect amount of strength and independence, mixed with a sassy sexuality, her dialogue doesn't come close to the wit and sophistication of that spoken by Deborah Kerr in "An Affair to Remember." (When Cary Grant says to Kerr, "Oh, I've got to watch out for you," you get the feeling the actor was referring to her upstaging him with witty barbs.)
One could suppose that Beatty and co-screenwriter Robert Towne didn't want to copy the old film too closely — but if that's the case, why is the final scene almost word-for-word the same?
Still, this new film does touch the heart and provide some amusing moments. And it's simply fabulous seeing Hepburn on the big screen again.
"Love Affair" is rated PG-13 for profanity and a few vulgar gags.