For Christmas, I watched The Thin Man. Hey, there's a Christmas party, a Christmas tree, presents, and snow on the streets.
And there's Nick and Nora, the greatest couple of all time!
Their perfection comes down to their ease with each other--from Nora crinkling her nose when she "catches" Nick hugging a woeful young thing to Nick slugging a pillow at her to Nora watching with deadpan bemusement while Nick plays with his Christmas present.
A great deal of this perfection has to do with the chemistry between the leads. William Powell and Myrna Loy perform tiny actions that seem entirely spontaneous, such as when they start skipping to the bedroom or when they nudge each other during the lawyer's visit.
But those moments would be mere pro forma if the actors and characters didn't have the type of connection that doesn't require belaboring. At one point Nick maneuvers Nora into a taxi to get her out of a dangerous situation. When she calls the police station to tell him off (and deliver news), he answers the phone gleefully. After she puts him in his place, he says with easy affection, "What have you got, baby?"
And of course, the climax where Nick reveals the murderer is made all the better by Nora requesting that the waiter, "Serve the nuts." She quickly recovers: "Serve the guests the nuts," then exchanges with Nick what would practically be an eye-roll in a less refined lady.
Nick and Nora are entirely on the same wavelength.
