An American Affair

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  • Opened February 27, 2009 
  • 1 hr 33 min
  • R | sexual content and language

  • Thirteen-year-old Adam Stafford (Bright) has his own problems to deal with. Until the evening his adolescent yearnings come to life: Adam spies a beautiful naked woman in the house across the street, and his curiosity is inflamed. The woman is Catherine Caswell (Mol), a stunning thirty-something blond beauty who has just moved in. Captivated, Adam is determined to learn all he can about his new neighbor. Catherine is an artist, a divorcee and a confidante of JFK. Against all odds, an unlikely friendship blossoms between the innocent thirteen-year-old and the world-weary survivor. But friendship is never enough, not in Washington, and not at the height of the Cold War. Catherine’s hidden past soon catches up with them as she and Adam find themselves enmeshed in the growing confusion and intrigue leading to the assassination of the President. Full synopsis

  • Cast: Gretchen Mol, Cameron Bright, Noah Wyle, James Rebhorn, Mark Pellegrino
  • Director: William Sten Olsson
  • Genres: Art House/Foreign, Drama

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Critic Reviews

70
New York Magazine (Vulture)
| David Edelstein

The reason to see An American Affair is Gretchen Mol. She has a mild, natural way of holding herself that's likably unactressy--in every film, she seems both smart and grounded. Read full review

70
Washington Post
|

The film rises above its conventions. Just when it seems to be a fable of sexual initiation, An American Affair pivots away from sex. Just when it seems to be a re-dredging of the Kennedy mystique, it pushes past history. Thoughtfully and imperfectly, it dramatizes the flight from childhood, the surrender to adulthood and the pieces of us that survive. Read full review

50
New York Post
| Kyle Smith

Even Oliver Stone would giggle at the notion that the CIA couldn't reach JFK through any means except via one of his blond playmates. Read full review

40
The Hollywood Reporter
| Kirk Honeycutt

A coming-of-age tale and a JFK assassination conspiracy movie. The first half of that equation works nicely...But the assassination story line is absurd. Read full review

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Gretchen Mol as Catherine Caswell in "An American Affair."