Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne couldn't catch a break in 1939. First LOVE AFFAIR turns out badly for the body of the movie, then here we have Miss Dunne, a waitress, in love with Boyer, a concert pianist-prince with Barbara O'Neil as his mad wife. He loves her too, but Miss O'Neil has bouts of sanity, during which she comes to Miss Dunne's apartment.

This is one of the prestige dramas that John Stahl directed every year or so for Universal during the 1930s. As in the other movie, the chemistry between the leads is marvelous. This movie is the lesser, which I attribute to the utter lack of humor of Stahl, as opposed to Leo McCarey. Of course, the fact that a reported 21 writers worked on this picture may have given the film maker so much material that any humor had to be cut. Once you get past the meet cute, in which Boyer tries to order apple pie with cheese, hold the pie, it's all a romantic heartbreaker with their unfulfilled love. And that it is.

The star-crossed couple from "Love Affair" (Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne) are reunited in the same year's "When Tomorrow Comes", I know K women's picture that starts off with like comedy, switches into a disaster film and then ends on a soap opera note. The two meet when Boyer sits at a crowded lunch table in the cafe where Dunne works, preparing to lead her co-workers on strike for unfair treatment. After convincing done and fellow waitress Nydia Westman that he is not a company spy, Boyer sneaks into their union meeting then takes Dunne out on a trip to Long Island where a torrential storm leaves them stranded. When they returned to town, Dunne learns that boy has a mentally ill wife (Barbara O'Neill) who has no intention of letting her husband go. How will a woman of Dunne's high moral character deal with the possibility being a backstreet mistress? The same way she did in 1932? Or the same way that Margaret Sullivan would 2 years later in the remake of that 1930 to version of "Back Street", ironically co-starring opposite Boyer.

While enjoyable in the first half as a light comedy, the change in moods makes it a perplexing film and ultimately hard to fully recommend. Of course, Boyer and Dunne have outstanding chemistry, receiving a claim for the same years "Love Affair". Like that classic, this also had a 1950's remake, "Interlude", starring June Allyson and Rossano Brazzi. Like this film, it too is pretty much forgotten, while the original "Love Affair" and its remake ("An Affair to Remember") are considered classics and still popular today. The background score of this film is beautiful to look at with its lush sound and dramatic effect. Supporting performances are good, and it's interesting to see O'Neill, having played the understanding second wife in "Stella Dallas", Scarlett O'Hara's mother in "Gone With the Wind", and of course her Oscar-nominated performance as Boyer's even more bitter wife in "All This and Heaven Too". It's unfortunate that the script never knows what it wants to be, so I must refer to it as "The Three Faces of Love" due to its obvious split personality.

Helen (Irene Dunne) is a waitress and Philip (Charles Boyer) is one of her customers. Soon, he seems infatuated with her and follows her about town...which is a tad creepy, actually. Eventually they fall in love but he has a secret...and she soon learns that he is married and his wife is mentally ill. What's next? Well, it's NOT a remake of "Jane Eyre", so although it's similar, there is a big twist!

The acting is the best part of this film. Dunne and Boyer were magnificent in "Love Affair" and here they are also excellent. However, the script, though interesting, is a tad disappointing...see it and you'll likely see what I mean. Still, it is interesting and worth your time.