Period of Adjustment (1962)

In the frosty heart of Christmas Eve, a newlywed couple, George Haverstick, a troubled Korean War veteran, and his bride, Isabel Crane, find themselves at the precipice of marital discord. Isabel, a caring nurse, met George during his stint at Belvedere General Hospital in St. Louis, where he was treated for an enigmatic nervous shake. Their whirlwind romance led to a hasty marriage, immediately after George's release, with the mysteries of his affliction still shrouded in uncertainty. Their honeymoon journey, in a comically antiquated hearse, takes them to the sun-kissed beaches of Miami, but not before making a detour to the suburban tranquility of High Point, Tennessee. Here they intend to visit George's wartime comrade, Ralph Bates, and his wife, Dorothea. However, beneath the glossy veneer of their marriage, George and Isabel barely manage a civil conversation, their individual expectations of marital roles clashing and warping their romanticized perceptions of each other. Upon their arrival, they discover that Ralph's own marital life mirrors their discord. Dottie, constrained by her own insecurities and the constant shadow of her affluent father, has left Ralph, absconding with their infant son, Junior. Ralph, who succumbed to a loveless marriage with Dottie lured by the promise of a prosperous inheritance, now finds himself suffocated by the overbearing pretentiousness of his in-laws. As the Christmas magic swirls around them, the two couples are confronted by their marital woes. Blinded by their own problems, they ironically seem to hold a crystal-clear understanding of the other couple's predicament. Amid the seasonal merriment and chaos, they must navigate through their tumultuous relationships, each couple inadvertently offering a window into the other's resolution. The question remains: Can they apply these insights to their own marriages, or will they succumb to their problems as the Christmas bells chime?

Period of Adjustment is a comedy movie featuring Anthony Franciosa and directed by George Roy Hill.

Period of Adjustment is currently streaming on TCM.

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