White Palace is among my all time favorite romance films ever since I saw it in theater ages ago. Apparently this was adopted from a book (and I think I need to look for it). I don't know how many times I have watched it but I like it everytime.

It is like a fairy tale. Max is a 27 year old comfortably off Jewish man who works at an advertising agency. He is a widow at this young age and remains celibate by choice. Also he is a bit of a neat freak.

Nora is a 44 year old lapsed Catholic waitress at the fast food burger restaurant White Palace. She lost a teenage son (to suicide the film implies) She is divorced and lives alone in a very very untidy and dirty house.

So these two meet at a bar and Nora takes Max home. They have sex and Max despite having no intention to see her again, found himself at her doorstep the next evening. He just feels happy when he is with her and the sex is good. Nora likes Max too.

But of course it is not really possible for this relationship to work is it. The initial hiccups of Max's neat freakiness which Nora after giving him a hard time because he was so thoughtless in expressing his concerns and actually cleaned up. Also Max at one point thought they should have more intelligent conversation (say, instead of watching TV) but figured out pretty early that intelligent conversations are not the required corner stone of a relationship. It is not that Nora is not smart. She is, and I like the fact that she is forward and honest in laying bare all her fears and concerns. Max tries to merge his two lives, the one with Nora and the one with his mother and friends but, as one can easily guess, it doesn't happen.

So after  a disastrous Thanksgiving dinner at one of Max's closest friends, Nora finds out that Max has lied to her again (and actually was trapped into taking her to this dinner) and dumps him and leaves town for good. She knows that the differences between them are too big to overcome and she loves him so she wants him to find someone suitable and be happy.

But it is telling that despite the fact that Max have the far better house, they hang out at Nora's all the time. Max doesn't like his job, he doesn't like his environment and doesn't feel happy, despite the georgeous women practically throwing themselves at him.

And he finds her (through her sister) and makes her take him back.

I just love the whole thing. Both actors are perfect. The performances nuanced and the chemistry is insane.