Holiday (1930)

A pretty wooden Ann Harding tops the bill here in this rather stagily delivered rom-com. She ("Linda") is the independently-minded daughter of a wealthy family whose sister "Julia" (Mary Astor) has a whirlwind romance and wants to get married. Thing is, her intended "Johnny" (Robert Ames) doesn't quite measure up to expectations of blue-blooded father Edward" (William Holden) but "Linda" takes quite a shine to his free-spirited attitude, especially when he declares that he wants little of her family's wealth, but to retire early and enjoy the simple things in life. "Julia" isn't so impressed with the prospect of having an "idler" for an husband and so a denouement with all concerned looks set to recalibrate the relationships and reveal the truth about these characters. It's watchable enough, this, but the presentation is very stilted. The actors seem to be too pre-occupied seeking their cue spots to deliver their very set-piece lines for much of this sitting-room drama naturally, and that is especially obvious with the little thinly-stretched humour Philip Barry's original play provided. It does take a gentle swipe at new versus old money and at double standards, and would probably work quite well in a theatre, but on screen it's all a bit static.