I don't consider myself a huge fan of love stories, but every now and then one comes along that really works for me, and this is one of those rare occasions. While some reviewers consider the subject matter and the prevailing culture of the film to be "dated", do movies have to mirror the 21st century in order to be important, interesting, or even entertaining? I never dismissed "Casablanca" as "dated" because it happened to take place in 1941, a time when even this old geezer didn't yet exist. Now, why would I do that?This month's tcm star of the month being Natalie Wood, viewers were treated to a fascinating introduction by Wood's former husband, Robert Wagner, and her daughter, Natasha Gregson Wagner, who was raised by Wagner since infancy. I very much appreciated their special, personal rapport and their "inside knowledge" regarding the making of this film, as well as the two other films shown on the same night, "Splendor in the Grass" and "West Side Story".The success of this movie, brilliantly directed by Robert Mulligan ("To Kill a Mockingbird"), revolved around the highly engaging interaction between the two main actors, Natalie Wood as Macy's salesperson Angie Rossini and Steve McQueen as musician Rocky Papasano, but I don't think that their performances would have been as alluring without a very intelligent and complex script, as written by Arnold Schulman. Another vital element of the film's appeal was the outstanding supporting cast, especially Tom Bosley as an awkward, love-stricken restaurateur, Hershel Bernardi as Angie's possessive, produce pushing brother, and Edie Adams as an exotic dancer who also serves as Rocky's roommate of the moment. Portraying their characters as victims of intense personal crisis, both Wood and McQueen very credibly project an entire spectrum of feelings that convey their general state of extreme confusion and frustration. I especially appreciated how McQueen developed his character from unlikable to sympathetic in the course of the film, often employing his entire body in the process, and how Wood enabled us to share the wide range of emotions that Angie endured at a time of severe inner turmoil. The scene of her initial attempt at leaving the only home that she had ever known, for better or for worse, should "hit home" with anyone who had experienced a similar situation in their lives, including myself. Bravo Natalie. Loved the clothes hanging out of the hastily packed suitcase. Nice touch.Without fatally destroying the end of this movie for anyone who has never seen it, I was still left guessing how it would end until the very last scene. Even though the ending had its corny aspect, we need to accept the time as the dawn of the protest movement, so the final scene may have had a very different impact on an audience back in 1963 than it does in 2016. I still loved the final resolution. It actually brought tears to my hopelessly sentimental eyes. How about you?

Perhaps some viewers will be enticed by the prospect of Natalie Wood playing opposite Steve McQueen, but here McQueen plays a bit of a boob, thoroughly confused by the opposite sex. The dialogue is full of New York's idea of comedy - "Whaddya want me to do about it?" "You wanna go? Go! Ya got no reason to stay here - fuggetaboutit!" The movie meanders about in trying to find a way for McQueen to actually start caring about what happens to Wood, and we get a little tired of the slow pace in him coming to his senses. Perhaps some will find this to be 'dramatic tension', but I didn't, and I found the end of the movie to be unfulfilling, even trite.

I know this is a good film because in spite of a slight aversion to both the leads I enjoyed it. Okay there was a nod to Billy Wilder's The Apartment in the sequence where Steve McQueen puts a slightly the worse for wear Natalie Wood to bed, albeit chastely, and winds up with a black eye courtesy of her over-protective brother, and Steve McQueen is just about the most un-Italian Italian you've ever seen, clearly a graduate of the Dick Van Dyke School of Accents but it's an original take on the Beatrice and Benedek story with a great opening sequence that it fails to live up to and gaps that could easily be filled - for example McQueen is a musician but not only do we never see him play but we are not even told what instrument he plays though in one fleeting scene he is carrying a case that could contain a trumpet and/or clarinet. It's over forty years old but still holds up well.

Natalie Wood and Steve McQueen are at the pinnacle of their acting talent in this b-w gem from the early 1960's. Two very different people - Rocky Papasano and Angie Rossini - re-unite after a one night stand that results in a pregnancy. How they resolve this crisis is the story of this movie. Along the way, there is drama and a lot of fun. Much of the movie was shot on location in New York City's Lower East Side. There is one particularly gripping scene involving a back-alley abortionist that stands out in this film. The two young people come from Italian immigrant families who provide great entertainment as a backdrop to the love story.In the course of the movie, Angie, who was under the thumb of her domineering family, came into her own and took on a new-found confidence. Rocky's support and love helped her bloom into a wonderful and mature young woman. There were two hysterical dinner scenes, breaking the tense atmosphere of this dramatic coming of age film. Tom Bosley, in his pre-TV days, is the man considered by the family as an acceptable husband for Angie. He is very funny as the good-natured clutz trying to woo her. Other than that, the two great stars,who both died too young,have left their fans with a great love story.